Welcome to the Compost FAQ from Soil Solutions where all your compost questions are answered.

What is your compost made out of?

Soil Solutions compost is made of wheat or barley straw, cattle manure, wood chips/saw
dust, sudan grass, compost tea.

How long does it take to make your compost?

From 10 to 12 weeks.

What makes your compost different?

Our compost is different than most because we monitor the CO2 levels, Temp, and
moisture and turn the compost rows when any of them are out of range – not just turning them when
we have time. Also we use a strict recipe that we follow every time so each row of
compost is just like the one before it.

What should compost smell like?

Compost should smell like freshly turned earth or the forest floor. If it has a bad odor that
is repulsive it probably means that the compost has gone anaerobic. Compost should
always have a good smell.

Do you have your Compost tested?

Yes it is tested for trace metals,pathogens, nutrient content, PH, soluble salts. Soon to be
STA certified by the USCC.

Why should I use compost?

There are many reasons why but some of the best reasons are:

• You’re not feeding the plant – you’re feeding the soil which in turn feeds the plant and makes healthier vegetables and flowers that bloom longer and brighter.
• Compost will help the plants use water more efficiently and in turn they will require less water.
• Its natural so no chemicals are going on or into the plant.

Why don’t I just make my own compost?

You could and you should, just to see the process. But when we do it we take care in making sure we do it right so we eliminate the pathogens, the weed seed and that you get the best and safest possible product for your money.

Why do plants grow better in compost?

Compost helps get the soil food web going in your soil by putting millions to billions of microorganisms into it. When the soil is healthy the microorganisms police themselves and keep the right amount of good and bad guys in the soil to maintain balance. If we use chemical fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides, and pesticides they throw the balance out and let the bad bugs start policing our soil, and then we have to use more and more of the chemicals and fertilizers to keep the plants healthy. So by using compost and introducing microorganisms into the soil it helps maintain that balance in the soil and in turn those microorganisms feed the plants what they need to grow big healthy flowers, vegetables, root systems and also help keep the plants free of disease.

How much compost should I use?

It depends on what you’re doing but we have some recommendations here that should give you a good idea, and if you still have questions shoot us a quick email and we will get back to you with our recommendations.