Pile of dirt

Compost

Plants have evolved for millions of years without pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. We only have to look to undisturbed woodlands to see how the natural cycle functions. Why are those plants so healthy in the forest? The answer is a deep layer of decomposed leaves and twigs which create the food source for soil organisms. Beneficial fungi, protozoa, bacteria and nematodes create a "soil food web" which decomposes these materials and turns them into plant available nutrients.

Compost Tea

Compost tea is made when the biology is extracted from special high quality compost. The liquid "brewing" process takes place in a special apparatus for 20 to 36 hours in a temperature controlled and highly oxygenated environment. The compost tea is pumped into a special sprayer and applied on your property.

Applying compost tea is becoming a widely accepted practice in horticulture/agriculture for very good reasons;

  • Increase your plants natural defenses against insects and disease pressures
  • Promote natural plant growth utilizing organic nutrients.
  • Build soil structure so roots, beneficial organisms, water and oxygen can move freely
  • Decompose toxins which have built up in soils
  • Improve water holding capacity of soil and increase drought tolerance of your plants

Read a NY Times article showing the amazing results that Harvard University is having with compost tea

Compost Topdressing

Soil structure is largely dictated by the amount of organic matter in the soil. It is generally accepted that good soil is comprised of five percent organic matter. Within this 5% lies the key to your success, weather you are growing turf grasses, trees or ornamentals. Soil microbes mostly live within this 5% component and this is where nutrients are cycled or stored. If we have determined that your soil has less that five percent organic matter, we may prescribe compost topdressing. It may need to be done more that once. Compost topdressing can serve multiple functions. When you consider what impact compost top dressing can have, the investment makes complete sense;

  • Improve soil structure, which will create rooting opportunities for your plants.
  • Buffer pH, which may eliminate or reduce the application of lime to your lawn.
  • Increase turf density, which will reduce weeds and help to eliminate herbicide applications.
  • Nutrients are released gradually, reducing big flushes of growth.
  • Provides a hostile environment for pests, eliminating the need for pesticides.
  • Improve water holding capacity of soil, greatly reducing irrigation inputs.
  • Decomposition of thatch buildup.
  • Creates an ideal seed bed for maximum germination.

Compost Bin Construction and Yard Waste Management

A program can be customized where we would manage the yard waste and oversee the composting process. Finally, we can complete the cycle and return the finished compost back into the landscape creating a truley self-sustaining property.