compost question

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debi_z Springfield, MA(Zone 6a) Jun 17, 2002

hi,
i had posted this under the soil forum but hadn't heard from anyone, so i thought i would try here.
i am now cleaning up the tens of thousands of maple tree seeds (the helicopters) that have fallen from my maple trees into my garden beds.
with them i'm also getting my bark mulch.
question? can i put this in my compost pile
and will the seeds deteriorate and not
sprout? i know most will sprout in the
compost pile itself, and i would imagine
deteriorate from there. these seeds very easily germinate. will do so right on top of the mulch. i will be putting grass on top of it too, as my dh mows the yard, leaves in the fall.
several maple trees are right over where the compost pile is and i've never seen or had a
problem with any of the dirt that has come out
of it. mostly is is just layered leaves and grass
from the yard, and whatever else falls into it,
from the woods. i hate to throw away all that
good mulch, but i will if it means those seeds
will grow and prosper in my new soil for
another day. i personally find these seeds to
be my personal nightmare each year. ahhhhh LOL but an easy one to remedy. i would like to turn this negative into a positive and turn the bark mulch and seeds into compost.
what do you think? as always i bow to your expertice.
sincerely,
debi z

Post #33068
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Brook Richmond, KY(Zone 6b) Jun 17, 2002

Most bark mulch I'm familiar with is too course to put directly on the compost pile. So, instead, I run it through the chipper first. I also have maple sprouts as a chronic problem, but I've not had a problem with them in the compost pile per se.

Post #283335
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kikisdad Spring Hill, FL(Zone 9a) Jun 17, 2002

My neighbor has a huge seed maple tree.He's a nice guy otherwise. I put the helicopters in the compost and they do not germinate but I always get the temperature of the pile up in the 160 F range. The baby maples are most annoying in the stone mulch around the pool to me.

Post #283723
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debi_z Springfield, MA(Zone 6a) Jun 18, 2002

yeah those little things get in everywhere. my dh was saying something about putting rock under the screened porch, for asthetics. the only thing i could imagine was them getting stuck in there, sprouting and then of course over the years it would look like a real mess. i think i'll stick with the dirt for now. i've planted some hostas at the edge, hopefully those will grow large enough to hide most of it.

thanks for the input.

Post #284116
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