Posted on by Grant Beatt

Compost benefits to the soil ecology, plant roots and overall plant health

  • Compost contains fungi and bacteria that help prevent diseases. The microorganisms in the compost are competitors of the pathogens such as Pythium and Rhizoctonia.
  • Compost is a 100% organic fertilizer containing primary nutrients as well as trace minerals, humus and humic acids, in a proportion that almost exactly matches plant requirements, and in a slow release form that is available to plants even during the fertilizer blackout periods.
  • Compost encourages the development of healthy populations of earthworms, beneficial insects, protozoans, arthropods, nematodes and microorganisms.
  • Increases moisture-holding capacity of soils. A 5% increase in organic matter, in the form of compost, significantly increases the soils ability to hold and store water. Compost will retain ten times its weight in water yet excess water drains off easily.
  • Compost helps clay soil become more friable and allows air to reach plant roots better thus improving plant growth. This is important in new subdivisions where retention pond excavation material is used to define the building pad of the new home.
  • Compost is a great buffer. Compost protects soils against extremes in acidity or alkalinity (high or low pH)
  • Contains growth-promoting hormones. Experiments on wheat, barley, potatoes, grapes, tomatoes, beets, etc. show that even when in very low concentrations (0.01%), humic acids in compost act to stimulate plant growth.
  • Compost contains fungi that destroys harmful nematodes
  • Compost helps unlock minerals present in existing soil
  • Compost helps increase air spaces, drainage and aeration of soils and resists compaction
  • Compost acts as a buffer against chemicals and absorption of dangerous heavy metals by plants
  • Compost helps maintain the soil cation exchange capacity
  • Compost releases nutrients over a long period of time (up to 5 years)
  • Encourages plants to develop large healthy root zones (wider and deeper) that help plants tolerate drought conditions
  • Compost is better than pine bark and peat moss- because it is alive, contains mineral nutrients (including trace minerals) and loaded with beneficial microorganisms. Pine bark and peat moss are lifeless and have little nutrient value!
  • Compost is an excellent slow release fertilizer containing nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, trace minerals, humic acids, and other needed nutrients. Compost in the soil releases its nutrients exactly when plants need them most…when they are actively growing. Note: This slow release prevents loss of nutrients to runoff and it does not pollute our waterways as compared to synthetic chemical fertilizers.
  • Compost is used as a treatment for many plant diseases such as “Brown Patch”.
  • Compost increases the available nitrogen for plants far in excess of its own contents. Compost contains about 2-4% nitrogen. However, compost stimulates the growth of microorganisms (they use compost as a food source) and these microorganisms absorb nitrogen from the air to grow. When they die (some microorganisms have lifetimes of less than 1 hour) the nitrogen is then released to the soil for plants to use. Thus some compost’s can have effective nitrogen content of 12-18% in the best form for plants to use!
  • Research at Cornell University has indicated that well aged or mature composts successfully suppress a number of turf grass diseases.
  • Topdressing of compost and bio-natural soil blends to the turf provides substrates on which disease suppressive soil microorganisms can grow. At the same time this introduces populations of microorganisms that may reduce disease severity by interfering with the activities of pathogenic fungi. Topdressing also reduces thatch buildup
  • Augustine grass is much more prone to disease and insect infestation. Top dressing with compost reduces disease and insect infestation.
  • Humus in compost is important to plant health. They include:
    • provides a storehouse of essential plant nutrients: it stores over 95% of the nitrogen, 60% of the phosphorous, and 98% of the sulfur available to plants!
    • helps make nutrients more soluble and available to plants
    • contains substances that stimulate plant growth, improve crop quality, and increase a plants resistance to pests and disease.
  • Research has found that the contents of plant cells (the sap) have the ability to suppress the growth of bacteria and fungi. …organic substances produced by soil microorganisms, when absorbed through the plant’s roots, increase the natural immunity of plants to infections.
  • Compost encourages the growth of many types of bacteria that have the ability to help detoxify many types of pesticides, simply by using them as food. High humus levels are the most important property facilitating pesticide degradation.