I have learned a lot about how it’s needed, in particular for short growing seasons and to prevent some pests. Still, you would think I’m killing puppies or separating twins.
I have learned a lot about how it’s needed, in particular for short growing seasons and to prevent some pests. Still, you would think I’m killing puppies or separating twins.
I struggle with that too. It makes me feel a little better that they’re going straight into the compost pile to become nutrients though.
Using the compost does make it a little better. I also try to think of the clump as a single plant that I’m pruning, which to be fair I also do very hesitantly.
Never use diseased plants for compost. You only help propagate the disease.
isn’t the compost pile supposed to be hot enough to kill any disease?
It needs to get very hot to kill the pathogens. It’s possible, yes, but maybe not in a small bin at home
Good to think about though. I read somewhere that the compost should be at least 1 cubic meter to have any chance of reaching a high enough temperature; my garden compost is at least that big. But I do still refrain from adding diseased things, or invasive plants.
When I thin my plants it tends to be because I’ve planted too many seeds at once for example. A lot of the times I separate them instead, but I don’t need that many plants to risk separation.