Compost has been a proven, as well as an effective growing medium used to support life and soil food web organisms long before anyone even knew that they existed. Compost can inoculate an area with microbes to support a soil food web. If done correctly, compost contains the entire complement of soil food web microorganisms including fungi, bacteria, protozoa, and nematodes. It is also full of organic matter, which allows for space and nutrients for all microbes that the compost contains. Here are some of the many benefits that using compost can do for you.
- Improves soil structure, porosity, and density creating a better root environment
- Increases infiltration and permeability of heavy soils, reducing runoff and erosion
- Improves water holding capacity, reducing water loss and leaching in sandier soils
- supplies a variety of both micro and macronutrients
- Has the ability to control or suppress certain soil-borne plant pathogens
- Supplies significant amounts of organic matter
- Improves the CEC (Cation Exchange Capacity) of soils, increasing the ability of soils to hold nutrients for plant use
- Supplies beneficial microorganisms to soils
- Improves and stabilizes the soil pH
- Can bind and degrade specific pollutants