The U.S. Compost council published a paper on ” References on the Benefits of Compost Use “. The article references a number of papers that offered information on 13 different benefits of using compost.
They are as follows;
1. Improves soil structure and porosity-creating a better plant root environment
2.Increases moisture infiltration and permeability, and reduces bulk density of heavy soils-improving moisture infiltration rates and reducing erosion and runoff
3. Improves the moisture holding capacity of light soils-reducing water loss and nutrient leaching, and improving moisture retention
4. Improves the cation exchange capacity ( CEC ) of soils-improving their ability to retain nutrients for plant use.
5. Supplies Organic Matter
6. Aids the proliferation of beneficial microbes
7. Supplies beneficial microorganisms to soils and growing media
8. Encourages vigorous root growth
9. Allows plants to more effectively utilize nutrients,while reducing nutrient loss by leaching
10. Enables soils to retain nutrients longer
11. Contain humus-assisting in soil aggregation and making nutrients more available for plant uptake
12. Buffers soil ph
13. Binds and degrades specific pollutants
To me this says USE COMPOST !!!
Find out more by checking out the U S Compost council at www.compostingcouncil.org