Xtremehorticulture

Xtremehorticulture of the Desert

Do Pine Needles Make a Good Compost?

Leave a Comment / compost, pine needle, pine needles, soil amendment /

Q. Should I leave the pine needles around the basin of the trees, or should I rake them out and pick them up? I feel that cleaning them from under the trees helps the water penetrate into the soil quicker and not sit on top of the needles.  My part-time gardener says I should keep them around the trees so that they act as a mulch.  Which is correct? In the desert, pine needles mixed with other ingredients for compost, add nutrients to the soil.  A. Your gardener is correct but in a reverse sense you are too! If you can stand leaving the pine needles in place, (they do not make the soil more acidic, and if they did, what’s wrong with that?) they will decompose (provided the soil is kept moist) more slowly than fine woodchips. But they will decompose. These decomposing pine needles add to the soil nutrition and soil organic content. If there is enough of them (2-3 inches deep) they conserve soil moisture, add organics to the soil as they rot, keep the soil cooler and help prevent annual weeds. Pine needles make a good compost even if they don’t rot as easily as some other ingredients and, in desert soil where a lack of acidity is a problem, can maybe help to pH lower! A common problem reported has been that they create acidity when they rot. In the desert, who cares? Our soil needs it.             Rake the pine needles so they are 2 -3 inches deep under at least half of the canopy of the pine tree. If the trees are not yet ten years old (or bark has not started to develop on the trunk) then keep them away from the trunk 6 to 12 inches (keep that soil uncovered and dry).

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Starting a Raised Bed…Again

Leave a Comment / compost, irrigation, raised bed, sidewall /

Q. I want to start up my raised vegetable bed again after two or three years. Can you help? A. Raised beds can be simple or complicated. It’s what you want or like. Raised beds can be made out of cement block or wood. 1. Mix compost into the soil first. You can use “steer manure” but it should be done in the fall so it has time to “rot”. Remove your irrigation and mix a layer of compost into the soil as deep as possible. If the soil is ten inches deep in your raised bed, then mix the compost that deep. The soil should be similar from top to bottom to improve drainage. Raised beds can have side walls or not. Make side walls out of 45 degree sloping soil. Add compost once a year. How much to mix into the soil depends on how much is there. You might mix a 1/4-inch layer each year in a well amended soil. Or you might mix to as much as one fourth of its content, and then one annual quarter inch layer after that, if it is raw desert soil. You can judge how much is present by digging with a hand trowel or check it visually using its color. For vegetables the soil should be easy to dig with a trowel when it is moist and dark. Adding compost to raised beds without side walls. Add water to settle the soil. Raised bed made from lumber. Next is how much fertilizer to add. That depends on how “rich” the compost was. Some animal-manured composts are rich, while others are not. Most soils are darker after composting and ready to plant “as is”. Some need a “starter fertilizer” added. Again, ask your salespeople. Fertilizer is added just when plants start growing. Finally, is the “when and how much” to water. Get the soil wet from top to bottom. Add at least a quart to the soil or about 30 minutes of water. Irrigation is trial by error. but once you have it established, watering seldom changes. If you are using Las Vegas tap water, then water until the entire soil mix is wet from top to bottom. Watering like that flushes salts in the water out of the soil. This takes around 30 minutes, but it might be more or less depending on your soil and irrigation system. How often to water depends on the time of year.  Water is filtered and pressure reduced. Hopefully there is a way to shut off the water when needed. In the summer, water once before it gets hot. That is usually once a day. Watering only once when it gets hot allows for the roots to get water from top to bottom. If you are using well water, hopefully there is a way to flush the irrigation lines of debris and bacterial growth. This is done in the opposite end from the incoming water. There is a trend to water as often as nine times a day! Water only once! If you are using drip irrigation it will be added slowly. Be careful. Frequent irrigations (more than once or at the most twice per day) encourages lots of surface roots and loss of heat tolerance because shallow roots is where the water and dissolved fertilizers are located. Plants with lots of surface roots are not very tolerant of the heat. Instead use a light application of mulch and irrigate once, during the heat and in the morning. You want your vegetables with water when they enter the heat of the day. Irrigation can be on a raised bed without sidewalls. The vegetables need water at least once a day to grow in the summer. Preferably at the beginning of a hot day!

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When to Use Woodchips and When to Use Rock?

1 Comment / compost, landscape /

The relationship between amending the soil at planting time, the choice of using woodchips as a surface mulch, or applying crushed rock instead, also relates to the types of plants found in your landscape. Of course, I like compost best to amend the soil at planting time, but other amendments will also work. Adding amendments to the soil does two things: it makes the soil “fluffy” (changes the soil structure by making the soil more porous) and adds whatever plant nutrients to the soil that it contains. Chinese photinia is from where??? You guessed it, China. Plants not coming from the desert Southwest should be planted in wood chips and soil amended with compost. What are rich composts? Some composts are rich and full of nutrients, i.e., made from sources of manure. Other times they are not so rich, and the addition of a fertilizer might be needed. Some of the chemicals in the compost are “tied up” inside the compost and released slowly as it “rots” in the soil. Others are quickly washed into the soil with the first few applications of water. Some of these chemical additions can be good and some are not. It depends on what was used to make the compost. The only real way of knowing its chemistry is testing the soil through a certified laboratory or trusting the compost supplier. This is an example of a “rich” compost, Viragrow’s 166. It is full of plant nutrients, about $150 worth of plant nutrients in every cubic yard, but also contains biosolids. It’s a tradeoff. Do you want to recycle your poop? You made it.   Planting amendments mixed with soil Planting amendments like compost mixed with the soil at planting time, and then covering the soil with rock mulch, gives many plants somewhere between three and five years before the plant has problems (it doesn’t add the right kind of plant nutrients when it decomposes). By that time the soil amendment(s) used at planting time are gone. Plants sensitive to the loss of amendments respond by the leaves first turning yellow and scorching, followed by leaf drop, and finally followed by branch dieback. This is also a compost from Viragrow. It is plant based and “organic”; it does not contain one iota of biosolids. But it is lighter in color, more coarse in texture and not as “rich” in plant nutrients. A fertilizer should be applied to the plants along with this compost. Sometimes this process weakens the plants enough for insects like borers to finish the job. This is particularly true of plants like Photinia, Nandina/heavenly bamboo, Sago Palm, Japanese blueberry, Carolina Cherry Laurel, and most fruit trees. Applying compost to rock landscapes. There is a trick you can use if your landscape is already covered by rock. Rake back the rock to bare soil three feet away from these plants and apply a rich compost (or compost plus fertilizer) to the soil surface (even better if you lightly “scratch it” into the soil), water it in, and put everything back including the rock and irrigation. If the landscape area has rocks bigger than one inch, the rich compost can be applied on top of the rock and wash it in without raking the rock! It’s easier that way. If you have had yellow plants in the past, count on using this method every three years. You might consider adding your favorite iron to this application if it’s applied in the spring and these are iron critical plants. General Rule of Thumb When planting with plants from the desert Southwest, they can tolerate rock. When planting with plants not from the desert Southwest, use wood chips.

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How to Make Plants Healthier So They Can Handle More Heat

Leave a Comment / compost, Woodchip mulch /

Q. I wrote to you before about my plants and you said to move them to a cooler location. You also said that if they were healthy, they can take a hotter location. I don’t want to move these plants so can I improve their health and not move them? What about a different irrigation strategy? Add compost to the native soil so that it has more organics in it  This raises the organic content of desert soils. When you are done adding compost  to the soil to raise its organics, lay organic mulch on top of the soil surface to continue to “feed” the soil organics over time. A. The relationship between plant health and how much heat stress it can take is tricky. The most common reasons for poor plant health is its location in the landscape, soil improvement or lack of it and irrigation. It’s very helpful to know where a plant originates. The plants origin tells you it’s best location in the landscape, how much soil improvement is needed and its irrigation requirement. This prior attention to details reduces your involvement in the landscape. If the plant originates from cooler climates but can handle the heat, it performs best if it’s planted in the cooler parts of a landscape. It performs best planted on the east side of the landscape so it gets shade from the hotter late afternoon sun. Add Organics to the Soil Like Compost All plants benefit from some amount of structural amendment (think compost) added to the soil at planting time. The amount of amendment should vary from 10 to 30% (one in ten shovels full vs. one in three). Desert plants from the Southwest benefit from the 10% soil improvement but plants that originate from non-desert countries benefit from 30%. Throw in a couple handfuls of high phosphorus fertilizer as well. More Water? As far as irrigation goes, what size was the container at planting time? Plants bought in 5-gallon containers should receive five or 6 gallons of water at each irrigation. Plants growing in 15-gallon containers should receive 15 or 16 gallons of water. When irrigating new plants larger than this at least half of the volume of its container should be used to judge how much water to apply when first planted. How often to apply this water depends on the time of year or season. This is what is changed seasonally on the irrigation clock.

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Earthworm Castings (Vermicompost) Suppresses Insects and Disease

1 Comment / compost, earthworm castings, vermicompost, worm castings /

Q. I was reading your blog about worm castings, the chitinase enzyme produced by worms and its ability to control insects. Chitinase has been proven to degrade the chitin that holds insect skeletons together. Chitin is necessary for strong insect exoskeletons. So, using worm castings in garden soils will control insects. Homemade worm castings from red wigglers in an earthworm bin. A. Scientists think this may be true about worm castings are vermicompost, but the research hasn’t linked everything together yet. Chitinase occurs in the soil because of earthworms but does this chitinase control insects? Is the soil transferring this chitinase to the plants? Some preliminary research claims it can. The research is going on right now to find out how much value chitinase has controlling problem insects in the garden. Insect pests controlled            Studies report that Vermicompost application suppressed 20 – 40% pest problems arising from aphids, mealybugs, cabbage white caterpillars on pepper, cabbage and tomato.             Gardens are filled with insects. There are good insects and there are bad insects. Can the effects from earthworms only kill the “bad bugs” or will it also kill the “good bugs”? This is why more research is needed.             This is a similar problem with some of the “organic” insect control chemicals. Soap sprays and oils don’t differentiate between “good bugs” and “bad bugs”. They kill them both. We have to rely on our knowledge about “good bugs” and “bad bugs” and how it might be applied to control only the “bad guys”.  Plant disease controlled             There is some evidence worm castings or Vermicompost inhibited some fungal diseases as well as some nematodes in field trials with pepper, tomatoes, strawberries and grapes. It is believed the reason is microbial antagonism. The same effects have been found in manure and compost applications. Sterilizing both of Verma compost, manure and compost removed these effects.              When only one plant disease was studied, the disease suppression was not as good when the Vermicompost was made from sewage sludge.

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Heavy Metal Content in Tomatoes Grown in Soils with Biosolids

2 Comments / biosolids, compost, Heavy metals, plant uptake /

HEAVY METAL NUTRIENTS IN TOMATO PLANTS CULTIVATED IN SOIL AMENDED WITH BIOSOLID COMPOSTS1 Authors:   W.J. Melo, A.A.D. Cintra, M.D. Revoredo, L.T. Braz Keywords:   Lycopersicon esculentum Mill., Cu, Mn, Zn, composting process, waste DOI:   10.17660/ActaHortic.2003.627.26 Abstract:The use of biosolids in horticulture could contribute to recycle residues produced by men. This study analyzed concentrations of Cu, Mn and Zn in the compost during fermentation, in the soil amended with the composts and in the tomato plant materials. Five composts were produced using sugar-cane bagasse, biosolid and cattle manure in the proportions: 75-0-25; 75-12.5-12.5; 75-25-0; 50-50-0 and 0-100-0 (composts with 0; 12.5; 25; 50 and 100% biosolid), respectively. These composts were used in an experiment with 6 treatments (the 5 composts and a control with mineral fertilization) in a design of randomized blocks with a split plot design. The control and the treatment of 0% biosolid received inorganic nitrogen. All the treatments received the same amount of N, P and K. Two tomato plants were cultivated in each 24 L pot, in a greenhouse at the Technology Department of the Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias of the Universidade Estadual Paulista in Jaboticabal County, São Paulo State, Brazil. The concentrations of Cu, Mn and Zn were evaluated in the compost 7, 27, 57, 97 and 127 days after composting began, in the soil 0 and 164 days after the compost applied, and in the plants. Compost, soil and plant samples were subjected to digestion with HNO3, H2O2 and HCl and the metals were determined by AAS. There were positive and significant correlations between Mn in the compost and Mn uptake by the plant (0.46 p>0.05), and between Zn in the compost and Zn concentration in the plant (0.78 p>0.05). Cu, Mn and Zn concentrations increased during composting. The biosolid in the compost supplied Cu and Zn to tomato plants, and the cattle manure supplied Mn to the plants. Note:  There is much discussion in horticulture regarding heavy metals in soils and in plants. What are heavy metals? In the periodic table of elements, heavy metals are those elements identified as metals that have a high atomic weight.  Heavy metals include those that are considered toxic to us and other animals, as well as metals which are nutrients. In the research below, only heavy metals which are considered plant nutrients (at low concentrations) are taken into consideration. Copper = Cu, manganese = Mn, zinc = Zn are plant and animal nutrients at lower concentrations such as reported here. In this report, the heavy metals that were plant nutrients and use of biosolids was considered a “good” thing.

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Favorable Growth of Trees in Soils Amended with Compost

Leave a Comment / compost, planting trees /

Effect of organic amendment for the construction of favourable urban soils for tree growth L. Vidal-Beaudet1,4, G. Galopin2 and C. Grosbellet3 1 Agrocampus Ouest, Centre d’Angers, Unité de Recherche EPHor, Angers, France 2 Agrocampus Ouest, Centre d’Angers, UMR IRHS, Angers, France 3 Florentaise, Le Grand Pâtis, Saint Mars du Désert, France 4 IRSTV-FR CNRS 2488, Ecole Centrale de Nantes, Nantes, France SUMMARY  Ornamental tree planting and establishment in cities is a great challenge because urban soil physical properties are unfavourable to the development of root systems. Our objectives were to measure (i) the effects of organic matter on soil physical properties and tree development, and (ii) the effects of ensuing root development on soil physical properties. Using twenty-four 600-L planted or bare soil containers, we monitored physical properties such as dry bulk density, aggregate stability and near-saturated hydraulic conductivity of our reconstituted soils over a 5.5-year period. A 28-cm thick top layer of sandy loam amended with 40% (v/v) sphagnumpeat or organic composts was laid on top of a 28-cm thick layer of sandy loam. Bare-root Ostrya carpinifolia trees were planted in half of the 24 containers, and we monitored shoot development and root biomass and distribution. After 5.5 years, trunk diameter had increased from 59 mm for the control soil to 66 mm for soil mixed with green waste compost, and 74 mm for soil mixed with co-compost of sewage sludge and wood chips. After 4.5 years, trunk diameter was strongly correlated with the total number of axes (r=0.94) and fine root length density (r=0.98), and was confirmed as a good indicator of tree development. Fine root development increased stable aggregate formation in all treatments as compared to bare soil. After 4.5 years after planting, the tree root system induced by a high organic matter input had significantly improved near-saturated hydraulic conductivity and was fit to support fertile urban soils. Keywords aggregation, artificial soil, compost, Ostrya carpinifolia, tree development, urban horticulture Significance of this study What is already known on this subject? The quality of the constructed soil used for backfilling the tree pit plays a major role in tree performance. Soil organic matter content also plays a key role in agronomic fertility, so the use of organic amendments and especially composts appears as an ideal solution to boost urban tree growth. What are the new findings? The addition of high levels of organic composts immediately improved the soil physical properties (e.g., dry bulk density, aggregate stability and hydraulic conductivity) and in return fine tree roots modified soil structure and decreased dry bulk density in the top layer. Correlation coefficients confirmed trunk diameter as a very good indicator of tree above and belowground architecture. What is the expected impact on horticulture? Sustainable tree planting and establishment in cities is a great challenge for managers of urban tree resources. In these cases of urban horticulture, to decrease tree replacement frequency and ensuing costs, it is necessary to improve the establishment and maintenance of trees in cities. To develop urban horticulture, it is essential to educate all the city makers (landscape architects, civil engineers, urban planners, municipal officials and urban farmers) about optimal soil specifications expected for fertile urban soils: choice of organic matter nature, sources of organic matter or mineral material, proportions of organic matter in term of soil structuring and soil profile design.

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Compost’s Role in Landscapes

Leave a Comment / compost, landscaping, soil improvement /

            Using composts as soil amendments in vegetable gardens has been a no-brainer in the past. We knew it contributed to soil organic matter content. Most vegetables benefited from high levels of soil organic matter so we had no problem adding it to vegetable beds. How much organic matter is enough?             We were taught in school that productive agricultural soils generally contain from 2 to 5% organic matter; some required more than others depending on what was grown. In soils with adequate amounts of organic matter, additions were not needed. But that concept of “one size fits all” when it comes to organic amendments is being challenged and the challengers are winning. We have been educated that the ideal soil has 5% organic matter in it. But is that really enough for all plants?              We were told by scientists that landscape plants would not benefit from the addition of organic matter and that amending the soil at the time of planting was not necessary. Those of us working in arid and desert soils of the West and Southwest quietly challenged that generality and continued to add organic matter like composts to our landscape soils. We could see the benefit. What is a “healthy soil”?             Research during the past 20 years has challenged some of our previous thinking.  In many of our soils, regular additions of organic matter and its decomposition to humus is a necessary step in maintaining a vibrant and “healthy” soil and productive plants. Terms like soil health, soil food webs and soil ecology have become mainstream now. We have always been told that a healthy and vibrant soil contains lots of worms. But does their presence really indicate that’s all that’s needed?             Composting is the process used to convert organic matter into humus and employs many of the same microorganisms that perform the same function in soil. The concepts are very similar. The major difference is that composting provides a greater degree of control over organic matter breakdown than if it were left to an unregulated soil environment.             Fungal and bacterial colonies, earthworms and soil inhabiting insects feed on organic matter. Microbial slimes and gums are produced when organic matter is converted to humus. These byproducts of composting and organic matter breakdown help cement soil particles together. Most mushrooms are “saprophytic” which means they “feed” off of dead things, not living things. The presence of mushrooms in a soil is one sign that something in the soil is decomposing or breaking down. This decomposition is important for recycling, building organic matter and renewing life in the soil.             This altered soil structure is filled with voids that permit the entry, percolation and exchange of water and gases. Improved soil structure or “tilth” is a major benefit from the breakdown of organic matter or the addition of compost.             Byproducts from the decomposition of organic matter and the feeding by soil organisms improve the soil further by altering the soil chemistry and providing organic compounds that stabilize nutrients and assist in chemical reactions necessary for plant survival. Some companies capitalize on the idea that compost adds “life” to soils like this ad campaign by Viragrow, Inc.             When organic matter declines, humus levels decline as well. “Soil health” declines and with it landscape plants suffer. The rate of decline depends on many things including the type of soil, climate, management, nature of the organic matter and other factors. Renewing soil organic matter with compost             If deteriorating soil health is not caught soon enough, large volumes of quality soil organic amendments, such as compost, are needed in a process called soil remediation to bring the soil “back from the dead”. Compost additions to soil improve it by adding aeration, improving water retention while also improving drainage at the same time, and rebuilding life in the soil.             With these additions we see the improvement in soil health reflected in our landscape plants; more vigorous and healthier growth, more tolerance to environmental extremes, small amounts of fertilizer achieve greater results, less water is needed and plants experience fewer pest problems. Managing soil health             As managers of plants we must also manage our soils. The percentage of organic matter in a soil, and thus its humus content, is terribly important. Most soil test results provide the soil organic matter content.             But, is knowing the organic content of our soils enough? To know how much and when to put it back, it is best to know how fast it disappears. Knowing the rate of organic matter decomposition is a powerful management and budgeting tool. With this type of knowledge we understand how often and how much compost to budget for to maintain soil and plant health.              Similar to the composting process, the most powerful external factors controlling the conversion of soil organic matter into humus and its eventual disappearance are moisture and temperature. If soils are kept moist, accumulated soil temperature is the driving force in the loss of soil organic matter. At higher temperatures, soils decompose organic matter faster than in cooler soils. Hot, moist soils need additions of organic matter more often than cool, moist soils. Compost used as a fertilizer             Organic matter releases the nutrients it contains for plant uptake only when it decomposes. By decomposing, plants benefit as well as the macro and microorganisms that live in the soil. Decomposing organic matter also helps support beneficial soil bacteria, fungi and earthworm populations. The decomposition process of organic matter contributes to the breakdown of soil minerals which in turn further release the native plant nutrients they contain. There are enough nutrients in compost that it can act like a fertilizer. Composts very in their nutrient content so it is difficult to claim them as a fertilizer. Some contain more nutrients than others. It depends on the components used in making the compost.             In ways not well understood yet by scientists, the addition

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Compost and Wood Chips Together Not Needed?

Leave a Comment / compost, Woodchip mulch /

Q. If I use compost around plants and trees, do I still place wood mulch over the compost? Is it needed, or redundant? When the using compost as a fertilizer and soil amendment the compost should be a rich compost full of nutrients. Compost can be a soil amendment, making the soil “fluffier”, but if it’s rich as well then it will add fertilizer or nutrients to the soil. A. Regarding fruit trees, wood chips applied 3 to 4 inches deep on the surface of desert soils is always a good idea. It is also a good idea for many traditional landscape plants, like photinia, mock orange and roses, to have wood mulch or wood chips on top of the soil rather than rock. All these plants are healthiest if rich compost is applied as a fertilizer in the spring. In this demonstration at the University Orchard, compost was added to the soil, the backfill, surrounding the tree roots. The trees were planted the bare root. The woodchip mulch was added to the soil surface in combination with the compost added to the soil. But if compost is added to the top of the soil every year, the woodchip mulch is not necessary for soil improvement. It does a great job however of controlling weeds and conserving moisture around the roots.             Under some circumstances, some plants get by without wood chip mulch or compost applied as fertilizer. Trees and shrubs that are truly “desert adapted”, or suitable for desert landscapes, can get by without wood chip mulch or compost. All they need is a little bit of fertilizer in early spring every year. These are plants such as mesquite, acacia, Texas ranger and palo verde.             In desert landscapes, with the surface of the soil covered with small rocks suitable for walking, your only alternative may be feeding plants with fertilizers applied from bags, a.k.a. mineral fertilizers. These can be applied directly to the surface of the soil near drip emitters and watered in.             Would desert adapted plants be healthier with compost and wood chip mulch? Definitely. But they can tolerate our desert soils without compost and wood chips better than traditional landscape plants.

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Use Compost in Place of Fertilizer

1 Comment / compost, fertilizer /

Sudan grass without compost (above) and with compost applied (below) growing in Amargosa Valley, Nevada. Composts can provide alot of benefits to plants including much needed nutrients that improve color and growth. Q. If I make my own compost, can I use it instead of commercial fertilizers for grass, plants, trees, shrubs? A. Yes you can. But please be aware that homemade compost is not consistent in fertilizer content and quality. This is because of variability of different ingredients used to make the compost. The ingredients used to make compost directly impact the nutrients found in compost made from it. However, compost is universally good, whether it’s commercial or homemade, when added to soils as a soil amendment. Spreading compost on vegetable plots between palm trees for soil improvement and fertilizer content.             When using compost as a substitute for fertilizer, it is important to know its carbon to nitrogen ratio (C:N), in other words how much nitrogen fertilizer it contains. The nitrogen content of a compost is critical. High nitrogen content (low carbon to nitrogen ratio) makes compost “hot” and less of it should be used. If compost has a high carbon to nitrogen ratio (low nitrogen content), then more of it should be applied when substituting it for fertilizer. When applying compost to lawns a compost drum spreader is used to apply it evenly.             Commercial composts aim for a carbon to nitrogen ratio close to 20:1 or twenty times more carbon than nitrogen. As this ratio increases to 40:1, the nitrogen fertilizer content decreases. At a ratio more than 40:1, the compost is still valuable but it’s value is greater as a soil amendment rather than fertilizer. When applied to fruit or landscape trees, compost can be applied in a circle around the trunk so that it doesn’t damage the tree. It is then watered in.             The carbon to nitrogen ratio in homemade compost is managed through what is added to the compost mix before composting. “Woody” additions to compost like wood chips, sawdust and shredded newspaper (sometimes referred to as the “brown” component) increase the carbon to nitrogen ratio. Compost piles have ingredients that are shredded, water is added to help it all “rot” and  the pile is turned when the temperature inside the pile gets hot, around 160F. Manures are usually used to get the nitrogen content high enough for rotting to begin.             Additions of grass clippings, leaves of trees and shrubs, and vegetable scraps (referred to as the “green” component) lowers the carbon to nitrogen ratio and make it more valuable as a fertilizer.             Animal manure (think of it as a concentrated “green” component) is high in nitrogen and added to get the carbon to nitrogen ratio low and improve fertilizer content. If lots of different components are mixed together in the right proportions, green components are balanced with brown components, homemade compost has all the nutrients needed by plants.             The short answer is “yes”. But substituting a homemade compost for a fertilizer application varies from batch to batch depending on what was used to make the compost.

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