I recently purchased some organic compost not realizing that it was inorganic compost that I really wanted. So when I got home I mixed the organic compost I had just purchased with the inorganic compost i had layed out a week before. So my question was, what will happen when these two types of compost are mixed? Is my soil ruined because of this careless mistake or can I still salvage my soil? The reason I started with the inorganic compost was because I live in the Southwestern part of Texas where the soil is clay like and I was advised to use the inorganic type to soften the soil. Any suggestions out there or any similar issues any one has encountered?
Any type of soil can be improved with the addition of organic matter, unless you are one of the few who have perfect soil. The organic will rot and add water retaining humus to your soil, the inorganic will not rot and serve to help aerate. If you have clay soil, you NEED to add organic matter, period. Sand also helps as a cheap inorganic. One question…..compost is rotting ORGANIC material. I have never heard of inorganic COMPOST.
Any type of soil can be improved with the addition of organic matter, unless you are one of the few who have perfect soil. The organic will rot and add water retaining humus to your soil, the inorganic will not rot and serve to help aerate. If you have clay soil, you NEED to add organic matter, period. Sand also helps as a cheap inorganic. One question…..compost is rotting ORGANIC material. I have never heard of inorganic COMPOST.
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I've never heard about using inorganic over organic. I do know that if you are planting a shrub or tree the roots are bound to go deep and encounter your natural soil anyway. I suggest that when you dig the hole for your shrubs that you mix the better soil with your natural soil about half and half so that the roots will be more inclined to grow out into the soil instead of trying to stay within the better soil and becoming sort of root bound making the plant weak. be sure to dig the hole twice as big as the rootball. As for flowers-If you feel that the soil is still to hard try adding a little sand to it or leaves from your yard that have turned brown-try mulching the leaves down with a lawnmower first to make the pieces smaller.Something else you might try adding to your soil is cotton bur compost-you can also use this as a mulch-it will help the soil by also adding nutrients as it breaks down further.
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i don't think the mixing of compost will do harm. but a tip for compost is dig up the soil first. douse it with water. put a thick layer of dried grass clippings on top of the dug up patch. water that to. put dead leaves on top of that. put things that are organic from there on out. (bad fruit, melon skin, orange rine, etc.) and make sure to cover it with a fresh layer of dried leaves from then one. leave it for a few weeks. your soil show be warm moist, nutritious, and good for plants by the end. I did this and I also live in texas.. and it was during the winter too :D.
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This won't harm your soil, though it wouldn't allow it to be certified as organic, if you were a farmer/grower etc.
As time continues, the organic matter will continue to improve your soil still further, and you can add more as a mulch. It really pays to improve the soil as much as you can before planting, as once planted, you will have limited opportunity to really get below root level again! You'll need the help of worms to do that:though they'll love organic matter added to the soil surface, and take it downwards.
Dig and prepare the holes as well as you can – add bone-meal if possible, another organic fertilizer, before planting.
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