I have always dumped my yard waste (leaves, grass trimmings, other organic yard cuttings) into a pile to break down. I never used the compost though as I didn't put much effort into my landscaping or flower gardens. I would occasionally turn the pile if I noticed it getting too high. This past year I had my first vegetable garden so am shoveling out about 100 gallons of rich, dark compost to spread over the garden for the winter. I am noticing a prolific root system in the compost that does not seem to have an above-ground component to the plant. It seems to be all root, a fairly fine root system.
I am pulling out the large masses of the root out of my wheel barrow while shoveling it out of the pile to avoid propagating it to the garden. But this root breaks up easy and I can see lots of small pieces in the compost. I started to use a mesh screen to filter out weeds and solids but can see the smaller pieces making it through. Does anybody know what this weedy root is and how to deal with it?
I am pulling out the large masses of the root out of my wheel barrow while shoveling it out of the pile to avoid propagating it to the garden. But this root breaks up easy and I can see lots of small pieces in the compost. I started to use a mesh screen to filter out weeds and solids but can see the smaller pieces making it through. Does anybody know what this weedy root is and how to deal with it?