We call our premium compost “black gold.” It is a fantastic natural source of organic matter and benevolent micro-organisms for your yard. Barefoot Organics compost is healthy food for your lawn! It will support strong root development and encourage nutrient renewal for a healthy environment in the root zone. Our well-balanced humus has the energy values your grass and landscaping need. Feeding your soil a healthy diet that promotes a hearty root system will give you a beautiful, green lawn. As will all BFO programs, we do not use synthetics or harsh chemicals in our lawn composting program. Check out all these compost benefits!
1. Improve soil structure
Soil structure specifically refers to the way inorganic particles, such as sand, silt and clay, combine with decayed organic particles like humus. Soil with a healthy structure is crumbly to the touch, allowing plenty of room for air, water and energy to move freely. Adding compost to your yard helps to neutralize pH and improve the soil’s ability to hold the nutrients plants use to grow and thrive.
If you’ve had trouble getting certain plants to grow around your home, poor soil structure may be to blame. When soil is hard and clay-like or loose and sandy, young roots have to struggle to get through and obtain the nutrients they need for healthy growth. When used in sufficient quantities, adding compost has both immediate and long-term positive impacts on soil structure by adding humus proteins. These proteins bind soil particles together, allowing the soil to resist compaction and increasing its ability to hold moisture and nutrients.
2. Increase nutrient content
When organic material starts breaking down to form compost, the decomposition process produces the best fertilizer you’ll ever find – the soil food web, a community of organisms that live their lives in the soil, from bacteria to earthworms. While these “creepy crawlers” may not sound all that appealing, all of these organisms are essential to healthy soil and will only improve the look and vitality of plant life. The organic matter in compost also introduces vital nutrients to your garden in the form of elements and minerals like phosphorous, potassium, nitrogen, copper, iron and zinc.
3. Use less water
Improving soil structure and boosting nutrient content is about more than just looks! Fertile soil has far greater moisture retention, allowing you to use less water on your lawn. With the introduction of organic matter, heavy soils are better equipped to hold water and resist compaction, erosion and runoff. Adding compost can increase moisture dispersion by allowing water to penetrate the ground better. Research shows that healthy soil (soil with at least 5 percent organics) holds 80,000 more gallons of water per acre after the addition of compost.
4. Ward off plant diseases
Soil treated with compost tends to produce plants with fewer pest problems too! Compost helps to control diseases and insects that might otherwise overrun a soil lacking the natural checks against their spread.
