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Soil, Compost & Mulch

Compost Top Dressing

14 years ago

A well known local nursery suggested that I apply a thin layer of organic compost on my perrenials and roses. Basically pull back the mulch and top dress in early fall or spring. They bag they sold was $7!!

I went to the local Menards (hardware store) and they had two composts to chose from.

The first:

Labeled 100% organic compost. It was in a 15 lb bag and was $4.

The second:

Was labeled Compost and Manure. Said min. 70% compost, max 30% manure. It was from a local company in WI and was only a $1.77 for a 30 lb bag.

So...for one would you recommend applying? Also does it matter which product I go with?

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Comments (3)

bpgreen
14 years ago
I'd go with the cheaper bag.
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Kimmsr
14 years ago
Always be suspicious of anything labeled "100 percent organic compost" because what else is compost going to be besides organic matter? You will find that more often than not those labels are used on the more expensive material and the cheaper stuff will work just as well.
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The answer probably depends on your soil and its ability to keep soil microbes alive. If you have pure sand, then adding compost every year might be helpful. I say, might, because I have an area of pure sand and have not used compost since that one time in the 90s. In my neighborhood compost costs $35 per cubic yard. Delivery charges are another $35. App rate is 1 cubic yard per 1,000 square feet. Total cost is $$70 per 1,000 square feet. Whereas I can get soybean meal, a really good organic fertilizer, in a plain bag from the feed store for $15. It covers 2,500 square feet. Total cost is $6 per 1,000 square feet. It provides much more bang than a layer of compost. Why? Because soybean meal has protein in it. Protein is food for the soil microbes. Compost has expended protein (in other words, no protein) but it has a lot of microbes and dormant microbes. What most soil needs is food for the microbes rather than more microbes. I harvested a picture posted here by mrmumbles last June. It shows a picture of a spot in his lawn where he applied alfalfa pellets (rabbit food) in May. Here's the pic. Note the color, density, and height differences between the zoysia in the spot and that surrounding the spot. Alfalfa is considered a good organic fertilizer but not a great one. This year I have been using an excellent organic fertilizer, corn gluten meal, every month. My lawn has never looked this good. Next year I will use about half this much and switch over to soybean meal (much cheaper).
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
14 years ago
I am a big believer in the validity of the statement "you get what you pay for" :-) If possible, visibly investigate the two products. Avoid any that may contain obviously uncomposted material or possibly even non-compostible materials, like pieces of plastic, etc. This is often common in municiple composts made from recycled yard waste. A few larger sticks or chunks of bark/wood won't hurt, but you shouldn't be able to easily identify any other ingredients nor should the wooden materials predominate. The product should be dark, rich and earthy looking. And the aroma of the product should be a good indicator of quality as well - no strong ammonia or manure smell. And if you need compost in quantity, look for a bulk supplier rather than purchasing by the bag. It will be far cheaper (less than half the price), you'll be able to see the product before purchasing and you'd be surprised how fast a cubic yard can be used up - a 30# bag is only about 3 cubic feet on average, little more than a tenth of a cubic yard. You'll need about 3 of those bags to cover 100sf to a depth of an inch......that adds up fast. And less than an inch is not worth applying.

As to the validity of the recommendation, it is excellent advice. Compost adds necessary organic matter, stimulates soil biology and provides nutrient supplementation, often eliminating the need for any other fertilizers. In fact, compost is my mulch of choice for pretty much any planting condition.
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