|
Composting
Advantages and
Benefits |
|
Advantages
- Adding compost to your soil
increases its softness.
- Compost can balance all types of
soil, from clay to sand, and everything in between.
- In sandy soil, compost acts like a
sponge, retaining water that would otherwise drain below plant
roots.
- Compost makes clay soil more
porous so water can drain properly.
- Applying compost to the top layer
of soil prevents water and wind erosion.
- Compost eliminates the need for
chemical fertilizers. The hydration and organisms offered by
compost pull nutrients from organic matter and soil, and pass it
on to plants.
-
Earthworm
castings repel
insects
|
Benefits
- Compost improves the soil’s
structure through hydration and aeration, and by encouraging the
formation of minerals.
- Composting conserves water by
allowing easier penetration of soil and improving soil water
retention.
- Compost discourages the use of
chemical treatments that pollute groundwater.
- With the aid of microorganisms and
organic material, nutrients are recycled back into the soil.
- Compost attracts microorganisms
that loosen soil, transfer nutrients and improve the ecosystem.
- Enriching the soil with compost
stimulates and improves the development of plant roots.
- Compost material stabilizes and
regulates pH levels in soil for optimum nutrient availability.
|
Return to Composting Main Page
Thank you to the
Kansas Department of Health and Environment for supplying this
composting information.
|
