Simply put, compost gardens support green living in that they don’t require any form of chemical fertilizers.
After all, organic compost is 100% natural, and on top of that, using good quality homemade organic compost will improve the overall condition of your garden more than you could possibly imagine.
- Furthermore, when you use compost in your garden it helps to reduce watering requirements as well as maintenance. Even better still, is the fact that the benefits are long lasting, not only to your garden, but also to you, your family, and even your pets.
Why you should make your own compost
There are just so many reasons for you to make your own compost, but the most obvious would be:
- Environmentally friendly
- No chemical additives
- Child friendly
- Safe for your pet
- Improved plant vitality
- Improves drought tolerance
- Improves soil quality
- Eliminates the need for fertilizers
Essentially, homemade organic compost is completely safe for everyone living on the property, in that it won’t have any potentially dangerous additives in it.
In other words, you’ll have peace of mind in knowing that your children and pets can play outside in the garden until their hearts content without being at risk from contaminants. Additionally, organic compost works wonders in terms of the quality of your plants and your lawn. It will also help your plants to become more drought tolerant, in that plants which are fed with organic compost tend to have better developed root systems.
- Organic compost also helps soil to retain moisture, which in turn means less frequent watering.
- Above all, no matter how much compost you use, it doesn’t pose a risk to the environment.
- In fact, you can even add your compost directly into a fish pond without having to worry about the safety of your fish.
Homemade compost from a financial point of view
It goes without saying that if you make your own compost; you’ll definitely end up saving quite a bit of money, especially in the long run.
- Not only does it mean that you won’t have to purchase compost or fertilizer again, but because it helps the soil to retain moisture, you also won’t need to be watering the garden as frequently.
- Furthermore, it’s an undeniable fact that healthy plants require a minimum amount of care and maintenance.
Does compost make your garden stink?
Contrary to what you may believe, mature compost actually has quite a pleasant smell. The only time you would smell any kind of stink, is if you were to use compost which has not been allowed to mature fully yet. I’m sure you’ve been outside just after it has rained, and you smell that lovely earthy type of smell. Well, mature organic compost should spell practically the same.
- If the compost has a bad odor, you should essentially avoid using it in your garden because it could actually be harmful to your plants.
- Remember, organic compost which has been allowed to mature completely is 100% non-toxic.
Will compost attract unwanted insects?
No, mature compost will not attract any undesirable pests. To the contrary, good organic compost will encourage beneficial insects to inhabit your yard, and of course this is vital in order to help keep pests at bay.
- This is also one of the main reasons why gardens fed with chemical fertilizers tend to have pest invasions, in that the chemicals which are present in the fertilizers usually end up causing an imbalance within the micro environment.
- Interestingly enough, many people who live in the cities now have to reintroduce certain beneficial insects into the gardens in order to help control pests.
Organic compost and watering requirements
One other reason why compost gardens support green living, is because they require less water than gardens which don’t receive any compost. This is primarily because the bacteria and other organisms present in the compost naturally end up loosening the soil, thus making it easier for water to penetrate.
- Also, because the soil has been loosened, plant roots are also able to penetrate the ground easier, meaning they can tap into aggregates which are produced by rhizobacteria & rhizofungi, thus further reducing the need for watering.
Does organic compost help to reduce harmful bacteria in the soil?
Yes, beneficial bacteria (rhizobacteria) plays a vital role in controlling harmful bacteria. This is because the beneficial bacteria help to ensure that the soil remains aerobic, a condition in which harmful bacteria simply cannot thrive.
- Over and above combating harmful bacteria, The beneficial bacteria also help to make numerous minerals and elements available to the plants.
- Interestingly enough, it has been scientifically proven that plants which grow in soil that is rich in rhizobacteria live longer.
- Furthermore, plants grown under these conditions also tend to experience less disease, which of course means there’s less need for any chemical treatments.
Can compost tea be used in place of compost?
Generally speaking, compost tea is made in much the same way as you or I would make regular tea, But instead of using tea leaves, compost is used. The resultant extract is rich in a multitude of nutrients, minerals, and beneficial bacteria. In fact, compost tea also contains beneficial fungi, protozoa and nematodes.
- However, even though this could be considered a health tonic for plants, it is for the most part used in conjunction with organic compost.
- In fact, many gardeners who make their own compost favor adding some compost tea to the actual compost in order to supercharge it.
- Using it on its own will of course still benefit your garden, but it shouldn’t be seen as a substitute for mature organic compost.
Will, compost encourage the growth of weeds as well?
No, you’ll find that compost has the direct opposite effect on weeds, in that weeds can be controlled to a large extent simply by adjusting nitrogen and calcium levels. In fact, if you reduce your nitrates to below 10ppm, you’ll have virtually no weeds in sight. Likewise, you can crush some egg shells and mix them into the soil if you want to get rid of crab grass for example.
Why you should avoid chemical fertilizers
First and foremost, you need to realize that most synthetic chemicals are extremely detrimental to the soil, in that they practically end up sterilizing it. It is a well known fact that once you start giving your plants chemical fertilizers, they’ll become dependent on it. Furthermore, even though they may survive, they certainly won’t flourish. Additionally, because chemical fertilizers tend to cause imbalances in terms of bacteria and fungi, pests and other problems such as disease end up becoming increasingly problematic. Lastly, unlike compost gardening which supports green living, chemical fertilizers destroy green living.
One of the best things about using organic compost is that you’ll be able to see the results of your efforts with in as little as two weeks as from the date of your first application.
- If you go one step further and include some, compost tea, you’ll probably see results even sooner.
- You can be rest assured that by using compost in your garden you’ll be starting an ongoing cycle, because once you’ve seen the results you’ll be motivated enough to use compost again and again, and of course each time you do, your garden will improve even more.
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