Why Compost is Important to Grow Healthy Plants

Many plant growers do not know why compost is important for the soil. What happens? Plants are grown in home soil and do not uptake the essential nutrients they need. Because of this, the plant will not grow. 

Likewise, fruit and vegetables cannot grow if the soil is not fertile. So, those yummy fruits and vegetables we all love, fail to give the satisfactory taste we desire.

Hence, it is important for all gardeners; be that beginners or regulars to understand why compost is necessary for plant growth.

My aim here is to be a guide. I want to help you understand what compost is, why compost is important, and what you can do to grow healthier plants.

Let’s dive in.

What is compost?

Compose is a mixture that helps improve soil fertility. You can make compost by decomposing organic materials 

For the composting process, organic waste material (made up of brown and greens) decompose over time.

The compost mixture comprises carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and water. It is often referred to by farmers as ‘black gold’ due to the abundant nutrients it gives to plants

For this reason, composting has been centuries galore in gardening, horticulture and agriculture.

Why composting is important

Compose has always played a big part for many plant growers to grow nutrient-rich plants.

Yet, what compost brings to your plant is overlooked, or to an extent- undervalued.

The benefits of compost include:

Enriches the soil

The principal reason to add compost to gardens is to treat nutrient-deficient soil.

Compost introduces important nutrients to the soil. These nutrients break down in the soil and deliver food to the plants as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

Also, adding compost improves nutrient retention by increasing the soil cation-exchange capacity. Thus, allowing more nutrients to be transferred from the soil to the plant.

It also helps to balance the pH levels as it acts as a buffer to acidic or alkaline soil. This will improve your soil’s condition and will be something your plants will love!

The ‘black gold’ can conserve and transfer water efficiently. This allows surrounding plants to maximise their uptake of water for them to grow.

This property of conserving water is enhanced as compost prevents soil erosion. Compost helps to bind the soil together, which reduces the amount of water runoff from the soil.

This structural benefit prevents the loss of farmland and helps to keep the soil on top of the land.

Suppress pests and diseases

Compost increases resistance to pests and diseases by improving the soil structure.

Garden soil has increase exposure to pests due to the imbalance of nutrients. But, with the addition of nutrients, the soil is more balanced and can fight off these pests and diseases.

Also, during the decomposing process, the temperature is high. This kills off most diseases as they cannot survive those conditions. 

Likewise, for similar reasons above, weeds do not flourish and they die.

Controlling pests is needed especially if you grow large outdoors succulents for example.

Reduces waste

Every year, we divert tons of waste to fill up landfills. But, we can recycle our waste into something more productive called compost.

And this is something any of us can do. I am sure we all have some kind of food scraps to add to a compost pile. 

A study in the US supports my point, and highlights between 30 to 40% of our total food supply goes to waste.

That is a huge percentage, and it frightens me to think what kind of environmental damage this is doing.

My motive is simple but strong- this is our world and it is our right to protect it.

Improve the climate

Compost traditional use is by farmers to produce healthier plants. But recently, it is now promoted by environmentalists for one mission. That mission is to reduce the global catastrophe of greenhouse emissions.

Society should know this- we are currently at war to fight the global crisis of climate change.

To fight, there are many strategies, laws and regulations put in place to improve our climate. Composting is one of those methods that can help. 

It can improve the climate by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. For example, when dumping waste in landfills, it breaks down into an extremely potent greenhouse gas called methane. But, when composting, the organic materials break down to produce a nutrient-rich mixture. 

Not only does it decrease the production of greenhouse gases, but it also removes extra emissions from the atmosphere. For example, carbon dioxide- which is taken up by plants.

Helps Beginners to grow

If you are a beginner to gardening, you may find it difficult to grow plants. Buying compost bags or making your compost can help make it easier. The compost will have the nutrients plants need. Also, for beginners, it is best to start with the easier plants to grow. Succulents are a great example.

Types of composting methods

There are different ways for you to decompose your organic materials. I will run through some of the simple but effective methods to make compost on a household level:

Vermicomposting

Vermicompost is the compost produced after organic material decomposes using earthworms. The mixture has less contamination than normal soil. Also, the soil is more nutrient-rich, when compared to the organic matter before decomposition.

For this process, bury your food waste under moist bedding in the garden. Then allow the organic matter to decompose. 

Or, you can use a container and add red wigglers- which are best suited for home composting.

Once the compost is made, move it to one side of the bedding and then add fresh moistened bedding material and fresh food waste to the other side. Over several weeks, the worms will migrate to the fresh side, giving you compost that is worm free.

Hugelkatur

This process involves making raised garden beds using rotten wood. Most often, cover a nurse log in soil and leave to decompose.

The benefits of using this include water retention. The buried wood acts like a sponge while decomposing. Also, the soil becomes warmer and helps to kill off any pests or diseases that may damage the plants.

Compost bins

Add organic material to the bin and leave for several months to allow cold composting. Compost bins are effective in urban or suburban locations where there is little space. It also helps to give a neat look to your garden.

But, there are a few limitations to this method. This includes it is difficult to turn the compost once a while as the bin has limited space and has a lid on top. The bins come with a limited volume, thus it is difficult to make a large volume of compost. This is a drawback if you are using compost bins primarily to make compost for your garden. Also, compost bins are not ideal for hot composting. Thus if you want to make compost quickly, this method is not appropriate.

Compositing pits

For this method, holes are dug, and the organic matter is left for 6 to 12 months.

Over time, the organic matter will decompose and give nutrient-rich soil. This will make a perfect location to plant. 

Open composting

This is a suitable choice for those who want to do hot or cold composting.

We often use this method as it allows easy turning and harvesting of materials. Make these bins at home by using fences to create a structured area around the organic matter without a lid. This makes it ideal as it allows it to enter and circulate, which speeds up the decomposition process.

People use this method if they have a sizeable amount of compost to produce.

Yet, the drawback of this method is that it can take up a lot of space. Thus, for those with a small garden, it can become difficult to set up their open compost.

Also, the open compost is susceptible to pests, insects and other interactions.

Compost vs Soil

Distinguishing compost from soil can be confusing. They both have similar properties and appearances. Hence why it does not come to surprise me that many people cannot tell the difference.

So in simple words, we add compost TO the garden soil. This then adds nutrients, improves the structure and the balance of the soil.

Both do have similar properties, This includes water retention, nutrient-rich and balancing pH. But the addition of compost acts as a booster for the soil found in your gardens.

Also, compost relies on the natural decomposing of organic matter. Whereas soil is made over many years through a wide variety of different materials.

The Importance of Compost to soil ratio

Adding compost is a great soil amendment method. Combining both can help to improve:

• nutrient availability 
• soil aeration
• good microbes 
• water retention.

For soil amendment, a one-to-one ratio or one-to-two ratio is best. Mix an equal amount of compost or soil, or one-part compost and two parts soil.

If you plan on topping your soil with compost, then a 3 part compost to 1 part compost is better. Over time, the compost will reach the plant roots through natural processes such as rain, worms and aeration.

Also, as shown in the image below, while topping with compost, it is best not to mix with the soil. This can break down natural microbes or fungi that the soil has produced. Just add a top layer onto the soil.

For vegetable gardens, around three inches of compost and soil mix is best. But if you are adding compost for ornamental beds, then one to three inches is better. For spring, approx. Half an inch to help prevent weed from growing out.

On a side note, if you are growing beautiful plants such as succulents for example, a top dressing of rocks can help to add beauty and professionalism.

Why compost is important for the environment

In the past, there have been warning signs on the damage greenhouses gases can cause to our planet. Fast forward to today, global warming is now showing its full teeth.

It is our job together to make a difference and a perfect way for everyone to take part is by composting.

And there are many reasons for this:

Composting requires waste. When all our waste goes to landfill sites, it emits a potent greenhouse gas called methane.

Some landfills undergo incineration, which releases more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

With composting, there will be a reduced amount of these gases in the atmosphere.

Final words

I hope I have given a better understanding of why compost is important.

Compost improves the soil immensely. It adds vital nutrients, aerates the soil, keeps moisture and acts as a buffer.

And the funny thing is, you can add all these perks to your garden. Just use the kitchen and organic waste from your homes and you will have plenty of black gold.

Also, compost helps to improve the environment. It prevents the production of potent greenhouses gases and increases the uptake of carbon dioxide.

To sum up, composting is a beneficial way for us to grow healthier plants and fight global warming.