A clever composting trick is getting attention for turning some of a garden's most stubborn weeds into future soil food — even if the process smells awful.
One Reddit composter said a monthlong soak can keep invasive plants from surviving the trip to the pile.
What's happening?
In a post on r/composting, they shared their homemade "weed tea" method for dealing with hard-to-kill weeds such as creeping Charlie.
"This spring and summer I've been making 'weed tea' (aka fetid swamp water) to compost especially tenacious weeds (creeping Charlie, e.g.) that might otherwise survive the composting process," the user explained.
Instead of sending those weeds straight to the pile, the gardener lets them break down underwater first.
As they pull more problem plants, they drop them into the bucket and keep them submerged. Once the bucket is full, it sits for at least a month. The idea is to use anaerobic decay to stop seeds and rhizomes from surviving and reappearing in the compost.
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The biggest drawback, commenters agreed, is the odor.
A commenter summed it up bluntly, writing, "Pictures you can smell."
Why does it matter?
This hack can reduce waste while building healthier soil.
Gardening also comes with a number of broader benefits for households.
Growing food at home can help families save money on produce, and many gardeners say homegrown fruits and vegetables taste better than store-bought options.
Time spent outside weeding, planting, and tending garden beds can also support mental and physical health by encouraging movement and reducing stress.
Some aggressive weeds can survive ordinary backyard compost conditions if a pile does not get hot enough.
Soaking them in water for weeks may be an option for people who want to turn yard waste into something useful rather than throw it away.
How can I use this hack?
Managing the mess starts with keeping the bucket sealed.
After the soaking period, the solids go straight into the compost with "plenty of browns," the original poster wrote.
The poster also said they pour the liquid into another bucket of dry material before that gets added to the pile.
Any bucket of standing water can create another problem by attracting mosquitoes, which several commenters pointed out.
They shared a few additional tips, including using Mosquito Dunks to prevent larvae from forming in water-filled buckets.
"Mosquito Dunks work very well. Buckets will attract the mosquitoes, and the Dunks end their life cycle," one wrote.
Gloves and a tight lid can help, and commenters vouched for the value of a well-sealed bucket.
"Love it. It's what I do. Never get used to the smell," one person wrote.
"All in all, I think it's worked out pretty well so far!" the original poster observed.
"Nice. My latest batch is just about ready and has a few centimeters of hairy fuzz on top!" another Redditor said.
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