Compost is a familiar term for most gardeners . But , what ’s humus ?
No , it ’s not the healthy chickpea plunge in the grocery computer memory ( although there ’s no grounds you could n’t habituate hummus as a compost ingredient ) .
Humus is the end result of the putrefaction outgrowth , whereas compost is a word that identifies a phase of the decomposition process where decomposing flora stuff provides the most benefit to the soil . While humus is an identifiable , physical territory factor , compost is a lilliputian tough to quantify .
read humus is the headstone to understanding why compost is such an amazing dirt amendment .
If you ’re looking for an well-fixed response as to whether or not you should add compost to your garden , the answer is yes . Compost relieve oneself all land better .
But , if you want the foresighted , elaborated answer , let ’s start by apprehend in to some soil nomenclature .
Organic Material vs. Organic Matter
so as to understand the remainder between compost and hummus , you must sympathize the difference between organic cloth and constituent matter , and how each one affects the soil .
land has five different ingredients :
Parent material , gas , and moisture fuse with soil organic matter to create an environment for go organisms . The amount of live being in a stain is now related to how much oxygen , moisture , and food is in the grunge .
Soil organic matterrefers to two unlike stages of drained plants / animate being :
1. Organic Material
constitutive material is dead animal / plant materials that are in an active stage of putrefaction .
numb louse , grass clippings , brute carcasses , and worm castings are all example of organic material .
In some areas , the constitutional fabric may be so abundant that the land develop an organic layer , which is a top layer of soil made completely of decaying organic material . A forest with a thick layer of leaf bedding will develop an organic level , as well as lawn with inadequate aeration that develop thatch .
2. Organic Matter
constituent subject is the final , sinewy , stable textile bequeath after organic material has completely decomposed . Organic matter is hoummos .
Organic matter is neutral ; it does not have any upshot on the chemical dimension in the soil .
nutrient are chemicals . Organic issue has been broken down so completely that it can not release any more food into the soil , so its only subprogram is to avail maintain a spongey , porous land structure .
Organic subject is essentially the bones of organic fabric . Once the meat has been whole break down and absorbed into the soil , all that remains is a frame .
Compost vs. Organic Material
So , if organic material is dead leaves , grass snip , vegetable refuse , etc . , then is n’t organic material just another name for compost ?
Nope .
Compost
Compost cumulation are build with dead plant materials like dead leaves , sens trim , shredded paper , rip up cardboard , vegetable refuse , and manure . Compost is not made with the clay of animals or animal ware .
When these material are organized into a stilt and kept moist , bacteria enter into a eating frenzy and break down the materials at the center of the pile . This is what cause a compost pile to heat up in the eye .
As the bacteria run out of food , the pile cool . This is when the pile should be turn to introduce fresh ingredients into the snapper of the pile so the bacterium can repopulate and break down the new material .
When the pile stops heating up after turning , it is age enough to sum to the soil without causing N tan . This is what we concern to as compost . So , compost is organic plant material that has been manipulated into disintegrate faster than it would under normal circumstances .
As compost decomposes , bacterium release nutrient from the organic materials .
By the time compost has age enough to be added into the soil , there will be a mixture of hommos and organic material , although the organic materials will be too small-scale to be identified .
Therefore , compost is a term that set a degree of decomposition between 100 % organic material and 100 % constitutional matter .
There has been enough disintegration to relinquish plant - available nutrients , but there is still enough bulk to help meliorate the dirt structure .
Organic Material
Although you would have to use organic materials to make a compost deal , organic materials are but dead plants / animals that are on / in the soil .
A dead foliage in a compost pile is an constitutional stuff , and a all in leaf on a lawn is organic material . It does n’t count how much they have break down .
Some organic material may never moulder , bet on the type of material and theclimate .
skeleton are organic materials , but they can take decades or even century to moulder , and they are certainly not recommended for compost hemorrhoid .
Decomposition requires moisture , so organic materials in live , arid climates may not ever break down .
Logs or offset in a desert climate may pose idle for years before they begin to decompose , but they are still consider an organic material . However , they are patently not compost .
What is Humus?
Humus is the skeleton of organic cloth . Each support organism will eventually die and decompose . Once a plant or brute dies , other animal , insect , and bacteria start to break down the tissue paper and resign waste into the soil . Each organism in the chain of disintegration produces waste that becomes food for another being . Eventually , permissive waste is broken down so thoroughly that the only matter that remains is the inert kernel of the original tissue paper . All of the nutrients , proteins , and mineral that were bound together in the original animate being , insect , or plant has been released into the dirt in their profound , industrial plant - soluble forms . Humus is microscopic . It is not the seeable , stringy remains of a leaf or stalk . It is a dark , spongey , porous material that is a static part of the soil . Some scientists argue that humus is not even real . They state that organic material is always decomposing , and that there is no such thing as a unchanging constituent material . It ’s true that eventually , humus will disgrace and suffer its faint , spongey grain . However , degrading is not the same as decomposing . And while the argumentation retain as to whether or not humus is truly stable , there is no doubt that organic matter can remain in soil for decades , while constituent stuff decomposes in a few short long time .
The Difference Between Organic Material, Organic Matter, Humus & Compost
Now that we ’ve limit organic stuff , organic matter , humus , and compost , let ’s compare them for a prompt overview :
Organic Material:
Organic Matter:
Humus:
Compost:
Benefits of Adding Compost to the Soil
So , what ’s so great about compost ? Why is compost hold up as a magic soil amendment ? What about humus ?
Great question .
Imagine you have a pillow tree diagram in your back thou . Each fall , thousands of tiny pillow come down onto the ground , and you rake them up and throw them in a megabucks .
Over prison term , bug and bacteria move in to your deal of pillows and get rip them undefendable , revealing stuffing and vegetable powder .
Once the germ and bacteria have ripped through all the pillows , you ’re leave with a powdery pile of stuffing and torn fabric .
Next , you total this mixture into the soil . The mixture appeal earthworms and bacteria , and they begin to pull the stuffing deeper into the land and separate the nourishing gunpowder from the stuffing . The powder becomes fertiliser , and the stuffing gives the soil a fluffy texture .
After a few years , the powder has been wholly separate from the dressing .
The plant have absorbed the fertilizer , and the only thing remaining from the original pile of pillows is modest pockets of stuffing scattered throughout the soil .
In this example , the pillows are like leaf , branchlet , or vegetable scraps . During the compost cognitive operation , unlike glitch and bacterium tear through these materials and lead off to release the nutrients bound up inside .
When you tot up compost into the filth , the available nutrients are quickly absorbed by the surrounding plants .
ab initio , the compost increase the volume of the grunge because it is bulky .
Over clip , the remaining constituent textile is slow decomposed , and the remaining nutrients are take in , resulting in a consistent , slow - release plant food .
As these bonds are broken , the compost loses volume , and the filth begins to shrink .
However , the humus rest in the soil , providing a much smaller , but much more stable , hike up in porousness .
The humus will exist in the soil long after the nutrients have been absorb by surrounding flora .
How To Get The Most Out Of Your Compost
The most prominent benefit of adding compost into the ground is that it acts like an constituent , slow - release fertilizer .
high-pitched - calibre compost will free a burst of nutrition when it is applied , and then stay on to release nutrients for the next few years , count on the mood and the charge per unit of decomposition .
A secondary benefit of adding compost into the soil is that it act like a sponge , which increases porosity and aid ameliorate grunge structure .
This is most pronounce when compost is fresh , and it will pass up as the compost break out down over time .
Compost provide nutrients and improved soil structure for a few months to a few geezerhood , depending on how quickly the bacteria break down the remaining organic matter , and how mature the compost was when it was applied .
While humous plays an crucial role in sustainable soil improvement , it ’s unsufferable to find pure humus as a grunge amendment .
The only way to add humus to land is to add together compost and waitress for it to decompose .
for take full reward of compost , you should apply it annually to lawns and gardens .
If you sum compost yearly , you will be capable to keep a fecund , spongey surface soil stratum that resists compression and invite trillions of good organisms .
This compounding effect will set about to exercise deeply into the ground each class , which will encourage ascendent to expand and access more moisture and nutrient .
Use Compost As A Topdressing
Each bound , dethatch and meat activate your lawn , then disseminate a thin layer of compost over the top and occupy in the holes .
This is called topdressing , and it is the most effective way to improve ground in an accomplished lawn .
Use Compost As A Mulch
Compost constitute a great mulch around established bush and trees . High - quality , weed - free compost can suppress weeds and increase body of water - hold capacity , which can serve issue down on plant food and irrigation costs .
Use Compost As A Soil Amendment
The most obvious and coarse use for compost is as a soil amendment .
plainly coalesce in a few inches of compost each spring before you embed , and eventually you will create a dark , crumbly surface soil that produces good for you , vigorous works .
If you order compost from a garden center , ensure you are flummox a high - quality , weed - free product .
Topsoil is not the same as compost , so do n’t be fooled by titles such as “ constituent surface soil ” or “ compost topsoil ” ; these title are market ploys to get you to compensate more for magnanimous loads of dirt .
So , are compost and humus the same thing ?
No .
Are they both beneficial ?
Yes .
While the terms compost and humus are not standardized , they are both a life-sustaining part of a healthy soil visibility . And while they are dissimilar , the only way to increase hoummos in your soil is to add compost .
So , the old adage still stands : compost , compost , compost !
Written By
Amber Noyes was born and raise in a suburban California town , San Mateo . She holds a master ’s grade in horticulture from the University of California as well as a BS in Biology from the University of San Francisco . With experience work on an organic farm , water conservation enquiry , farmers ’ markets , and plant life nursery , she understands what make plants thrive and how we can better read the connection between microclimate and plant health . When she ’s not on the kingdom , Amber loves inform people of new ideas / things related to gardening , especially constituent horticulture , houseplants , and acquire plants in a small space .
