Composting plants is a wonderful way to recycle plant clippings and waste. Instead of throwing the extra clippings and pieces away, you use them to make compost that can be used to help your plants grow in the future. It cuts down on the waste element while helping you out with your own source of compost.
It can also reduce your need for refuse collection and save you some money there. It may surprise you to find out that not all plants can or should be used when composting. They can be detrimental to your composting efforts and cause some big headaches down the line.
Harmful Chemicals
There are certain kinds of wood that should not make their way into your compost heap. Any wood that has been treated with a chemical agent can have an adverse effect when you are composting plants. They can actually contain toxic chemicals that, once in your compost heap, will only be spread around with the finished product. These chemicals can include but are not limited to arsenic, chromium, and copper. These chemicals can pose a threat to humans and animals alike so it is not a good idea to keep them around.
Diseased Plants
The next category that should be omitted when composting plants is diseased plants. The interference they provide will not act directly on the composting process. Even with these diseased plants present, that should still go the same as it would had they not been included. They will, however, affect the plant life that the compost is spread around. If these diseased plants have not broken down adequately then they can pose problems in the next generation of plant life.
Invasive Plants
The final category is that of invasive plants. Invasive plants can have an interesting effect when composting plants. They can actually start growing again if they are not dried out and killed before they make it to the compost heap. A plant with a strong spirit is great in a garden but lousy in a compost heap. This is why you want to leave this whole group out or make sure it is done for before using it when you are composting plants.
Composting plants makes valuable compost from your odds and ends from the plant world. It has many benefits such as producing your own compost, cutting down on the need for trash collection, and reducing the amount of waste you put out from an environmental perspective. To make it all work out, you just have to remember to be careful about what you include when composting plants.
