Re: compost
- To: s*@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
- Subject: Re: [SG] compost
- From: P* H*
- Date: Wed, 1 Nov 2000 19:56:04 EST
In a message dated 11/01/2000 5:17:21 PM Central Standard Time,
lilylady@PRODIGY.NET writes:
<< o then we moved to Cleveland, where I garden on 18 inches of clay over
shale. Both the designer who planned my garden and the hort agent said to
spread topsoil mixed with some(?) compost as pure compost is too organic.
Well, I used the compost method anyway, since we are blessed with lovely
abundant cheap municipal compost. My garden grows with abandon.
How your deep compost beds develop over the long term? >>
Pure compost does not make for a durable soil, the organics rot away and turn
into Co2 and water.
The main benefits that soils receive from compost is texture, the richest
soils for plants is one made up of clay sized particles made from rock.
compost - depending on the source does do add much to soil nutrients, there
is an increase in fungal growth and this has it's benefits (Hormones and the
break down of Nitrogen into an easily usable form for plants)
Plants do poorly in clay soils because of the heavy texture-roots need to
breath and expand. Without oxygen plant roots die.
Were I have seen the lush plants growing in the wild is in a humsy sandy
loam, with a good deep layer of 10-15 percentage organic material.
For me, any thing I can do the improve my soil texture produces better
results, I use sandy compost over the plants growing in the clay muck soils
we have and for growing beds I build raised beds 6-8 inch deep and use an
organically rich sandy loam that I buy in. Because of all the organics, it
is nutrienaly poor but the texture is perfect and with a little slow release
fertilizer with micronutrients the plants grow large root systems and double
or triple their size in a month or two after planting.
Paul
