Friday, February 15, 2008

Compost


The use of compost on the golf course was slowly introduced over 6 years to areas such as flowerbeds and new construction projects. Since that time compost has been a mainstay in my agronomic tool belt. It now comprises nearly 85% of the total fertility applied to the fairways on the golf course every year. We have moved away from synthetic or man made fertilizers that strip the soil of nutrients and microorganisms.

The Benefits of Compost

Humus
• Adds humus and organic matter to the soil
• Inoculates soil with humus building microorganisms
• Improves soil structure to allow better infiltration of air and water
• Humus stores 20 times the weight in water and significantly increases the soils ability to store water

Nutrients
• Mineral based nutrients
• Organic based nutrients
• Slow release
• Does not leach into aquatic environments

Microorganisms
• Supplies a large range of beneficial fungi, bacteria and other useful species
• Suppresses soil pathogens
• Fixes Nitrogen
• Increases soil Carbon
• Releases locked up soil nutrients
• Detoxifies poisons
• Feeds plants and soil life
• Builds soil structure

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