From my search it seems to have everything that other comfrey has. Read for your self. Here is a link that might be useful: all comfrey

I personally don't use compost as a mulch. Normally I use another layer of 'mulch material' over that. I wouldn't leave it uncovered, mostly because I would think you would get a lot of weeds sprouting in it. Even if it's just what blows in and lands on it. But since I've never done that, that's just a guess. I wouldn't use municipal compost. I garden organically, so I'm used to avoiding a lot of things that other gardeners might use. I have neighbors who put all kinds of things on their lawns and put their grass clippings out for the city pick up every week and considering how few people garden organically, I think the majority of people are really uninformed and unconcerned about what they are using on their grass. If it were just leaves that were composted with tree branches, I'd use it in a heartbeat. I sympathize with you, because I'm not a fan of that red mulch either. If I had that situation, I would probably be patient and when I could afford to buy more mulch, I would add just a very thin layer of shredded bark mulch or pine bark fines over the red mulch just to make it look better cosmetically. Maybe just do the front foundation beds and as you have finances to buy more, do the rest and that should require a lot less mulch to do that. edit: I like buying mulch in bags and as I use them I get a few more to keep on hand. I have a local nursery who I've bought mulch in bulk from that I was very happy with, after a few deliveries that I wasn't so happy with from other companies. I didn't want to get another large delivery this year, because I needed less and I asked and they actually bag up their own mulch and sell it that way. And they were willing to sell it to me for the bulk price which was a little cheaper. It's very fresh and just the right color and consistency and lasted a long time the last time I got it. Hopefully you can find somewhere like that. This post was edited by prairiemoon2 on Mon, Jun 30, 14 at 13:25

After doing some more research on humus it's very interesteing. It's my understanding that humus isn't fully understood and very difficult to explain. Just to help understand I've broken it down a bit. Humus by deffinision from Websters is " a brown or black complex variable material resulting from partial decomposition of plant or animal matter and forming the organic portion of soil" comes from "New Latin, from Latin, earth" From Wikipedia is close to the same deffinition "Humus (Latin - "soil ") is the organic material in soil lending it a dark brown or black colouration" And the deffinition for Colloid from Websters is "2 a: a substance that consists of particles dispersed throughout another substance which are too small for resolution with an ordinary light microscope but are incapable of passing through a semipermeable membrane b: a mixture consisting of a colloid together with the medium in which it is dispersed" And from Wikipedia "A colloid is a type of mechanical mixture where one substance is dispersed evenly throughout another." " A colloidal system may be solid, liquid, or gaseous" Aparently if you can let any organic matter decompose basicly with out any dirt it will form a jelly like substance once fully decomposed and in a stable condition. Depending on how well you create humus you could actually end up with nothing. If your humus becomes so stable that it will not provide any help to your plants. I would say this guy just did some research and took what nature already does and is just trying to sell it. I would like to see him actually product this. He may have theroy behind it but no experiance or ability to actually produce this. Take a look at Wikipedia I think they do a very good job explain humus. As far as our own compost. Well keep it cook'n we are still breaking down organic matter into stuff that helps our soils and plants and will eventually allow mother nature to create her own humus. Here is a link that might be useful: Wikipedia Humus

Dear Marianne, There are many different types of compost teas out there. Some are going to be much more beneficial than others, and some have the potential to even do damage to your plants and garden, based on the types of organisms you are selecting for. This is why oxygen plays an important role in making compost tea. Most beneficial organisms prefer aerobic conditions, while most harmful organisms (think of salmonella, e. coli., etc...) prefer anaerobic or low oxygen conditions. Have you ever reached into compacted soil and noticed it had a horrible smell? This is from the anaerobic organisms that are thriving. It's the same way with compost tea. One of the first rules, if you're not going to do testing in a lab, is to make sure that your final tea smells earthy or has no smell at all. If it stinks....don't use it! As for the recommendations I've seen on this thread. Some of the teas, for example the alfalfa tea, select primarily for protozoa. You will get bacteria and protozoa, but you won't get the fungi. Fungi is particularly important because it provides much of the disease suppressive qualities. There's a lot to learn on compost tea, feel free to email me with questions, but the best starting points I believe are "Teaming with Microbes" by Jeff Lowenfels, and Soilfoodweb.com, I'll include the link to the appropriate spot on their website below. Good luck!!! Here is a link that might be useful: All about the Soil Food Web