Benefits of Using Compost

As more compost is produced and utilized and the body of end-use related research grows, the benefits of using compost have become more evident and measurable. Because of its many attributes, compost is extremely versatile and beneficial in many applications.

Compost has the unique ability to improve the properties of soils and growing media physically (structurally), chemically (nutritionally) and biologically. Although many equate the benefit of compost use to lush green growth caused by plant-available nitrogen, the real benefits of using compost are long-term and related to its content of living, organic matter.

Some of the benefits of using compost include:

• Improving the soil structure, porosity and density, thus creating a better plant root environment
• Increasing moisture infiltration and permeability of heavy soils, thus reducing erosion and runoff
• Improving water-holding capacity, thus reducing water loss and leaching in sandy soils
• Supplying a variety of macro and micronutrients
• Possibly controlling or suppressing certain soil-borne plant pathogens
• Supplying significant quantities of organic matter
• Improving cation exchange capacity (CEC) of soils and growing media, thus improving their ability to hold nutrients for plant use
• Supplying beneficial micro-organisms to soils and growing media
• Improving and stabilizing soil pH
• Binding and degrading specific pollutants