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  • Can I compost diseased plants?

    Created by SWFLgardener on August 10, 2016 at 3:23 pm

    Is it safe to compost diseased plant leaves that have rust fungus?

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  • August 12, 2016 at 6:05 am #207217

    Eric Vinje
    Keymaster

    Hello,

    There are nearly 7,000 estimated different species of rust causing pathogenic fungi. Although many of those would be destroyed when your compost pile reaches the ideal temperature (135-150 degrees Fahrenheit), some of them would not. Those thermophilic fungi would not be eradicated until the pile reached temperatures over at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit and at that point the heat would also cause a loss of nutrients and destroy most of the beneficial microbes. Therefore, it would be wise to avoid composting the infected leaves so that you do not spread the disease. You can opt for burning the leaves but do not bury them and be sure to also disinfect any gardening tools that came into contact with the pathogen. Here’s a couple of links that will help:

    https://www.planetnatural.com/composter-connection/making/materials/
    https://www.planetnatural.com/composting-101/what-to-use/

    Good luck!

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