green compost?

Discussion in 'Compost, Fertilisers & Recycling' started by noksucow, May 15, 2012.

  1. noksucow

    noksucow Gardener

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    i have been tinekering today and have noticed that some of my compost is turnning green , they all have plants in so am wondering is it over watering what as caused it? if it is that will cutting down how much i water them solve it?
     
  2. JWK

    JWK Gardener Staff Member

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    It's algae growing on top of the compost, caused by dampness and lack of light. There is very little you can do about it, if it's not affecting the seedlings then don't worry too much. I've got it on some of my pots, some composts are worse than others, like the peat based ones tend to be soggy and encourage thos greeen growth.

    You could cut down watering, also when you sow seedlings use a layer of fine vermiculite which helps prevent this issue. To gauge how much water you need try lifting the pot, if it feels light then it's time to water. You can press your fingers onto the soil in the pot to feel for dampness, right now you want pots to be moist but not sodden.
     
  3. noksucow

    noksucow Gardener

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    cheers or info , to be fair i thought i had been overwatering . total novice at this tho, lol
     
  4. merleworld

    merleworld Total Gardener

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    I get it on my containers, nothing to worry about.

    To tell if the compost needs watering, dig your fingers a few inches down to see if it's still moist cos the stuff on top dries out quicker. Also with some composts you get a crusty later forming on top - I run my fingers around the top to loosen the compost.
     
  5. Kristen

    Kristen Under gardener

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    I think it mucks up tiny, slow growing, seedlings. Plants that grow quicker / stronger are fine. Worth watering from below (stand the pot / tray in water for 10 minutes) and doing the "weight" method as John described - with practice its easy to tell whether the weight of a pot is "dry" or "wet".

    I'd be careful about having a poke, in a small container the soil disturbance could damage a relatively significant proportion of the roots (although in a large container the impact is negligible of course)

    A water/moisture "probe" and meter is another approach.
     
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