Grass treated with weed killer OK for compost?

The people who cut our grass recently treated the lawn with a chemical weed killer -- don't know what kind but suspect it was a Scott's or Scott's-like product. Can subsequent grass cuttings be used in compost without killing off the organisms that are doing the composting? Thanks.

Personally, I'd be leery of using it. Some commercial compounds claim that the chemicals break down over a certain period of time, but the research behind those claims is sometimes more than a little biased. At the very least I'd ask the yard people to let me read the fine print on the sack of material they used. Yuska

That's kinda what I figured. Thanks, Yuska.

I wouldn't put any grass clippings treated with weed killer in the compost. It may not harm the composting organisms, but you don't know how long the chemicals remain residual in the compost. I know they say that they break down quickly, but if we are gardening organically, we don't want to introduce any poisons into our gardens, and certainly not if the compost is going to be used around fruit and veg.

Interestingly enough, I posted a similar message to Scott's. I received a prompt reply that said not to use grass clippings treated with any Scott's herbicide as mulch or compost for at least a year. I thought this was a pretty honest comment from a very big company. Patbarr, you're so correct that any traces of a herbicide don't belong in an organic garden. I'm hoping to eliminate any grass in my yard in a year or two -- we have so much shade that it doesn't grow well anyway -- and replace it with a ground cover. Until that is accomplished, however, I will ask the lawn people not use any more chemincals on the grass. Thanks. Barbara

About the only herbicide that I'd allow in my clippings would be Roundup, but then only if it was used in spot treatments. At application doses, it kills bacteria, but at low concentrations, the bacteria will eat it up if you have a good, active compost going. If they used a pre-emergent like Atrazine that's used in "weed-and-feed" formulations, then forget it... that stuff hangs around forever.

Butterflywi, is there moss growing in your shady spots? Our extension agent gets calls from people who battle it all the time, so he tells tham to forget the grass and encourage the moss. If there isn't a lot of traffic, it can be really pretty.

I've been told that Finale' herbicide is biodegradeable. It is made from corn gluten- or so it is said- and works very quickly.