Home » Plants & Animals » Organic Gardening » Compost - the Silver Bullet

Compost - the Silver Bullet

© Deborah Turton

Ahh, the smell of compost in the spring. Previously, I've discussed where to get supplies to build a compost pile, but the why of having a compost pile was left a mystery 'til now.

Compost is very important for the organic gardener. It is this magical stuff that can solve many garden problems. I really think compost is the silver bullet of organic gardening. If there's a problem, I add compost. It can't hurt and it can really help. For example, my broccoli were somewhat purplish when I put them out. That could be a sign of phosphorus deficiency. Before I spent time and money on soil tests, I just put down compost around each transplant. They perked right up, and are a nice green color now.

Compost can

• provide nutrients
• fight disease
• neutralize soil
• conserve nutrients
• add organic matter to your soil

Providing Nutrients
Compost is not loaded with nutrients. However, it should contain a balanced mix of nutrients. After all, compost is made from a variety plant and animal matter that naturally contains a mix of nutrients. Therefore, if your soil has about 5% organic matter and you put on about 2 cm of compost a year, your annual flowers and vegetables should be just fine. In fact, most gardeners overfeed their plants, wasting time, money, and resources. Overfeeding can lead to weakened plants that are more susceptible to disease and insects. Stick with compost and you'll be fine. Just a quick reminder, if you know your soil is depleted in one nutrient, you may have to import materials that contain the missing nutrient.

Fighting Disease
Compost can fight harmful fungi and bacteria. In an experiment in California, it was found that putting down a layer of compost under apricot trees completely prevented a harmful fungus, brown rot, on the fruits. Why? Well compost is full of fungus, and when the compost is under the trees, some of the spores end up on the fruit. This benign compost fungus doesn't let the brown rot gain a toehold on the fruit. This same principle works with many bacterial and fungal diseases of plants. In various tests, it's been shown that compost actually works better than any synthetic fungicide. You can use this protection in your garden and keep your plants free of harmful fungi and bacteria.

Neutralizing Soil
Is your soil too acidic or too alkaline? Whatever the problem, compost can move the pH of any soil closer to neutral, and almost neutral soil is healthier for most plants Most nutrients are easier for plants to absorb from soil that is slightly acidic. You don't want to add too much limestone or other soil neutralizers because they can lead to other problems - mainly excesses of various nutrients. But because compost is nutritionally balanced, you don't have to worry about this problem.

The copyright of the article Compost - the Silver Bullet in Organic Gardening is owned by Deborah Turton. Permission to republish Compost - the Silver Bullet in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.