Compost, The New Black Gold

Compost is natural organic matter that has been decomposed and converted into a fertilizer or a soil amendment. Compost can be created naturally or the decomposition can be controlled methodically, through a curing process to arrive at a mature product. Compost is rich in nutrients and adds vital humus to the soil. Hence, it is of great use in gardening, landscaping, and agriculture. Some of the advantages of composting include:

• It acts a natural pesticide for the soil


• It promotes the growth of plants and reduces the need for chemical fertilizers


• It combines with sand, clay, and other ingredients


• Compost can provide an enriched mix for raised bed gardens


• It can be used for erosion control and land reclamation

Make your own compost

Garden waste, green or brown, can be turned into good garden compost in less than a year, if the pile is properly managed. Almost all types of garden waste can be composted with the exception of diseased and pest-laden materials or ones that have been treated with pesticides. Most kitchen waste can also be added to the compost pile. This pile is an awesome place to look for mulch for your garden. This compost mulch can be used to keep the soil moist and to suppress weeds. The alchemists never succeeded in converting regular material into gold but with this pile you can actually convert the garden waste into gardener’s gold. This natural compost can be used as a supplement to the mature compost available in the market so you can grow beautiful flowers and plants.

The most popular kinds of mature compost that you can buy in the market include:

Green waste compost: This is made essentially from garden or park waste that is green and is high in nitrogen. The composting process makes it weed-free, sterile, and stable. This option is more economical than other composts and it is highly versatile.

Spent mushroom compost: It is made from a one-time used blend of wheat straw, horse and chicken manure and Gypsum. Spent mushroom compost suppliers sterilize it prior to leaving the mushroom farm. It makes an excellent soil conditioner by improving the texture of heavy soil and adding humus to thin sandy or chalky soil. The average pH of this compost ranges between 6.8 and 7.5.

Enriched mushroom compost: It is the same as spent mushroom compost but has an NPK fertilizer added to it. This provides it outstanding soil conditioning properties and can be used for very poor soil.

Bark compost: It is made from barks and other dry or woody material that is rich in carbon. It improves soil structure and aids moisture and nutrient retention.

Ericaceous compost: It consists of bark compost mixed with peat and NPK fertilizer. This compost provides plants that dislike lime, the ideal balanced nutrition.

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