What can I do with super weedy compost?

I have a compost pile that has an insane amount of weed seeds in it. Just because I was careless about what we threw in there. I know at one point it was hot, and I assumed that would kill all the weed seeds. WRONG!
You name it - i got it. Bindweed, portulaca, dandelions, crabgrass, quackgrass, good king henry, etc. If I make a pile of this stuff on the ground, weeds will sprout within hours.
Short of moving, what can I do with this stuff? I do not want to throw it out because it is really rich with composted bunny manure and litter and would probably be a great treat for the plants minus the weeds of course.

I'm not a 'monoculture grass lawn' person, so I suppose I could spread it on the lawn, I don't mind the weeds there, but there has got to be a better way.

I've read about sterilizing with boiling water, which seems counterproductive when you kill off all the good bugs that make compost so awesome.

If I make tea and strain it would that eliminate the weed seeds?

or if I just let it sit for years will the seeds eventually become un-viable?

Any help would be appreciated.
Rachel

Hi, Rachel - once your weeds have sprouted, I suggest you turn your compost pile. Don't let the weeds go to seed a second time. Eventually, all the weeds will have sprouted, and turned into compost. You will then have good stuff to use in your garden. Personally, I would not knowingly put weed seeds on the lawn, 'cause eventually they will sprout, and you will start the process all over again.

Hi Rachel - you might want to pull the weeds - roots & all, OUT. That's what I did with one batch, and removal was very easy.
The Bindweed - ooooh, yuk. Don't leave even a tiny piece of root - it will grow rampantly in the compost.
As a rule, I put Annual weeds into the pile that haven't reached the flowering stage. Perennial weeds go in without their roots, and only if they have not flowered.

Would mixing corn gluten meal into the pile serve as an organic pre-emergent?

Turning over and over again sounds like the best method. does anybody know how many turns it takes? I have about 3/4 of of a pallet compost bin full. I'm thinking 5 or six times - or am I going to be spending until winter turning this stuff?

would turning kill the bindweed and other things that reproduce from tiny pieces too?

I would also be interested to find out if the corn gluten meal would throw the pile out of whack microbiologcally speaking. I know very little about it except that it is an organic weed killer.

Philsgal, the site below talks about the temperature needed to kill various different weed seeds in compost piles. It takes longer to do this than I thought!

http://www.farmanddairy.com/news/keep-compost-weed-free-time-temperature-and-turning-critical-factors/11747.html

(edited for clarity)

This message was edited Jul 23, 2009 2:22 PM

great link - thanks.
those seeds are some tough little buggers. that'll be lots of turning.
30 days at 145 hmmm guess I'll have to find something to make the pile wicked hot.
my thinking is grass clippings, but that brings me back to square one with the weeds. That's how they got there to begin with.

maybe alfalfa pellets?

heck with it, I may just end up using it for tea and making sure it is strained well.

thanks all.

Philsgal, I also use alfalfa meal (another form of the pellets) and they seem increase the heat in my compost pile in the same way that grass clippings do. I get the meal from my local Agway.

That's a good link, and a good reason to regularly turn your pile.

I also enjoyed the link. I think on thing to note is that piles that are too small don't seem to heat up the way big piles do. What is the smallest pile that works for me? -- a heap, about 5 ft. by 5 ft by minimum of 3 ft -- preferably 5 ft. Just letting the pile sit for a long time helps if you can't get it too hot. The weed seeds sprout and then die on the inside of the pile -- due to lack of sun. But you do have to turn it to get all the seeds to move to the inside of the pile.
One thing you mentioned is bunny poo. It is very good for your garden, but doesn't heat -- at least in my experience. I just put it directly on the garden. I find the same with llama poo.