Things I find in my compost

jkahn2eb 2/7/2012, 12:17 am

My container has an open top and very smooth sides on the outside.

I've been finding

Little seedlings
Mushrooms
Little lizards stuck and unable to get out, so now I check my compost every other day. May have to put a cover on.

Things I find in my compost Alligator+Lizard+003

sceleste54 2/7/2012, 12:57 am

Experts correct me if I'm wrong... but those are garden variety Geckos down here where I am.. they are beneficial in that they eat all kinds of bugs..The mushrooms have a wide ranging network of filiments that help breakdown compost...and the seedlings indicate conditions are favorable to sprouting... sounds like you have some good compost developing....

jkahn2eb 2/7/2012, 9:11 am

So was I wrong to churn up my compost yesterday destroying the mushrooms and seedlings? (I let the lizard out first)

Windsor.Parker 2/7/2012, 10:26 am

It always helps to turn the pile!

**Furbalsmom** 2/7/2012, 4:07 pm

jkahn2eb wrote:So was I wrong to churn up my compost yesterday destroying the mushrooms and seedlings? (I let the lizard out first)

No you were not wrong to churn the compost. The mushrooms and seedlings are just signs it is a healthy compost pile.

ksbmom 2/7/2012, 6:59 pm

Found chickens in my compost today! I had let them out after the rain to forage for bugs and they scratched out about a quarter of my pile before I got to them! (it's open on one side) But I do have lots of earthworms in there, as well as a pothos growing out the side and some baby oak trees that I haven't pulled out yet....

TejasTerry 2/7/2012, 7:42 pm

Went out to turn my new compost pile today, and it was full of fire ants!!! What a Face

Got out the DE....

**camprn** 2/7/2012, 7:53 pm

TejasTerry wrote:Went out to turn my new compost pile today, and it was full of fire ants!!!

Got out the DE....

What if you watered the compost pile in a few days, would that drive out the rest of the ants?

TejasTerry 2/7/2012, 8:16 pm

Got out the DE....[/quote]
What if you watered the compost pile in a few days, would that drive out the rest of the ants?[/quote]

No, fire ants are really hard to get rid of. Water doesn't bother them at all. DE works well though. I was just shocked to see them.

FLA-girl 2/8/2012, 4:55 pm

As a FL resident, I assure, water does NOT harm fire ants, it just ticks them off and sends in search of feet to bite...or any other human flesh the little devils can find!

My DOG is eating compost! I put it in the frames last week and when we turned around he started eating it. We now have a cage over it, but I didn't know dogs did that.

boffer 2/8/2012, 5:45 pm

FLA-girl wrote:My DOG is eating compost! I put it in the frames last week and when we turned around he started eating it. We now have a cage over it, but I didn't know dogs did that.

Several years ago, we had a dog that would tear open bags of chicken manure so that all our dogs could eat some! Bleh! No doggie kisses those days! They like the fresh stuff too!

My hens can't keep up with my needs, so bagged chicken manure is one thing I still buy. Several years ago I got a bag with identifiable chicken leg and thigh bones in it. Would that be considered filler?! Last year I got a bag with...a used horse shoe with some nails still in it! Would that be considered an iron supplement?! These bags were from a compost supplier whose products I had used before and thought were good quality. There's just no knowing for sure!

EatYourVeggies 2/8/2012, 6:41 pm

jkahn2eb wrote:

I lived in Tucson for almost thirty years and these lil guys were as common as anything. Always scooting around on the ground, block walls and anywhere there were sun and bugs. They are to the Southwest, what Chameleons are to the Southern states. Wink

**Josh** 2/8/2012, 7:38 pm

WOW!!

I wish I had those in my compost pile!!

**RoOsTeR** 2/8/2012, 7:56 pm

My hens can't keep up with my needs, so bagged chicken manure is one thing I still buy. Several years ago I got a bag with identifiable chicken leg and thigh bones in it. Would that be considered filler?! Last year I got a bag with...a used horse shoe with some nails still in it! Would that be considered an iron supplement?! These bags were from a compost supplier whose products I had used before and thought were good quality. There's just no knowing for sure!

Man! You get all the good stuff Mad

I are jealous Embarassed

WOW!! I wish I had those in my compost pile!!

+1 Josh! I'm starting to feel robbed here lol Razz

All I get in my compost are mice, voles, and my dogs snout trying to eat all the poo Shocked

newstart 2/8/2012, 8:05 pm

TejasTerry wrote:Went out to turn my new compost pile today, and it was full of fire ants!!!

Got out the DE....

if I have a hill somewhere I will boil some water and pour over the hill but the compost not sure how to handle that one

EatYourVeggies 2/8/2012, 11:02 pm

boffer wrote:Several years ago, we had a dog that would tear open bags of chicken manure so that all our dogs could eat some! Bleh! No doggie kisses those days! They like the fresh stuff too!

Boy, oh boy...they certainly do. A lady friend and I had Yellow Lab (dad) and Border Collie (mom) mix pups and we could not keep them away from our chickens. They would follow them around and were like vacuums pale

everytime the chickens would poop in the yard. The only reason it ever stopped was because the dogs grew impatient and ate the chickens while we were gone one day. Sad

TejasTerry 2/9/2012, 7:40 am

I put DE on the compost pile 2 days ago, and the fire ants seem to be moving out. Going to treat it again this weekend and then turn it. I'm afraid to turn it now, as they are very aggressive and will attack... Shocked

**RoOsTeR** 2/9/2012, 9:16 am

The only reason it ever stopped was because the dogs grew impatient and ate the chickens while we were gone one day.

DOH!

Roseinarosecity 2/25/2012, 5:01 pm

I found these maggots/larva in my compost. This creeps me out because I don't know if they are good for my compost and possibly bad for my plants. The very top larva I recognize as a Soldier Fly larva because I am familiar with it, but the other larvae in the picture I don't know and I first discovered them in a cluster in my compost. I moved it around hoping to get rid of them. But as I am using the compost after sifting, I find them all the time. I am worried about my plant's roots, or that flies will emerge out of my SFG! Note that they are the approximate size of the staple on the right of the photo.

Can somebody identify them?
Things I find in my compost Dscn7110

plantoid 2/25/2012, 5:11 pm

Rose,
I'd be inclined to take a few of those lava /maggots and put them in a screw top jar with about an inch of your heap and see what emerges when they hatch out for a heck of a lot of grubs/ lava & maggots are very similar .

Roseinarosecity 2/25/2012, 5:39 pm

Good idea! I'll do it. Thank you.

**Furbalsmom** 2/25/2012, 8:49 pm

Rose, you might want to collect a sampling of those larvae/grubs and contact your local State University Co-operative Extension Service. Many have Master Gardenrs that are trained in identifying and providing help with various pests.

Hobbygirl2 3/13/2012, 10:26 am

I have tried using regular Corn Meal from the grocery to treat the fire ants and it seems to have worked. The only problem is that the deer also like it. I don't worry about the pets getting into it either.

Hobbygirl2 3/13/2012, 10:27 am

When I was sifting my homemade compost yesterday to start a small potato
bin, my compost was FULL of sow bugs/pill bugs. I got as many out as I
could but will they do damage or should I just leave them alone?

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Corn meal for treatment of Fire Ants ?

Sow bugs or Pill bugs

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