Sources of humus can include

Just add your organic matter as a mulch and let nature incorporate it into the soil. Never rototill or dig it into the soil since this practice destroys soil structure.

Every product that I have looked that calls itself humus, is just some form of compost. I guess someone might be able to buy soil from a forest that has been in place for years. That soil will certainly contain humus—but it is not just humus. Healthy soils contain 2. This number does not include the humus amount. Too much organic matter can be a problem for soils so adding huge amounts of organic matter in order to build humus quickly is not a good idea. In vegetable gardens where you are harvesting crops and taking nutrients away from the garden, you can add a bit more but not huge amounts.

You can add too much organic matter which will cause all kinds of problems. I have not really answered the question—can you have too much humus? I am not sure. Since humus is created very slowly, I would not be too concerned about having too much. I wrote the above in , and at the time it was the latest information available.

In December of , a new study was published that drastically changes our understanding of humus. It concludes that humus does not really exist. Humus is created when soil is treated with a pH solution, but it never occurs in soil.

Nitro-Humous is human shit, obtained from sludge plants. I once was broke and frozen toilet. The comment from others was: how is your corn so dark green and so tall. I just answered green thumb and brown dirt.

They called it humus. Looks pretty good to me! I collect soil from decomposing logs whenever I can come across them. I have found this strategy to be extremely useful in my mixture for any horticulture botany experiment.

Mix it with worm castings, peat moss, and perlite and you are on the right step to success. I live in Missouri which is often a harsh and unforgiving climate.. Winters are cold summers are unreasonably hot and humid, and there are plenty of vermin and pests to prey on everything in the garden.

I relish the challenge and focus on both guerilla gardening and indoor and backyard setups. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the comments and information on this site. I have constantly been struggling with this deep forming desire that grows in me everyday to promote and flourish a magnitude of life to help push the diversity around me.. Gardening is the best outlet for this struggle. Can I ask a question , you seem like an experienced gardener, what kind of indoor grow lights do you prefer?

Do you have a source for cheap grow lights? That is correct, Leonardite is not Humus. I like the explanations and definitions by Dr. The definition of loenardite may be correct, but much of the statements on your reference about the important of humic acid are not. Compost becomes humus in the soil — think of them as the same thing.

There is two places I know of in the u. Leonardite products in Williston ND is one of them. Thanks for posting this. If you go to the Leonardite website, they never say they are mining humus.

They are mining something called leonardite, which is some type of organic matter formed from coal and contains humic acid. This is not humus. I am not sure what the question is. If you are asking which type of soil has low humus levels — it is not soil dependent.

It depends on what is growing in the soil. I build closed terrariums. I use organic, no chemical or time release potting soil. Is there much humus in such soil? Do I want humus in the soil? I make some mostly full, stalks and stems as big as wanted.

And some with seeds or seedlings that one does want to grow but to a limit. I use tropicals to zone 5 like ivys, ferns… And also Orchids! They do not grow in soil, Do they have access to humus naturally!? A product you may be interested in or already know of: Nutro-Gro? I have come into possession of a bottle with a homemade but detailed label. Claims to be humus. Unfortunately the label is faded in places but it looks like instructions for garden beds of ml per L of water and a gallons per acre dosage?

I dont know where it came from but Im in Edmonton, AB. Any knowledge of this product. Any sold product that claims to contain humus does not contain it. In fact humus does not even exist — see a newer post; Does Humus Exist? Fertilizing an acre takes pounds of nutrients, not a couple of ml. I have been reading The Living Soil, , and this has led me to a wealth of older works, which has shown me that the truth has been ignored by those who were supposed to be looking out for our health.

Here is some of them: — first in response to humus. Humus is the byproduct of microorganisms. It can be manufactured by making compost the correct way, which must include animal manureally and urine with vegetable wastes. Search for a copy of his pdf.

Learn about it. The material you have at the end of composting is not humus. It will take much more time and degradation by microbes to become, what people consider to be humus. These relationships can be developed in straight peat moss — which does not contain humus. Unfortunately, it looks as if many of our ideas about humus are wrong. We sheet compost in our food forest in Southern California, and we noticed a layer of organic material had formed a crust on top of the soil.

Humus, which ranges in colour from brown to black, consists of about 60 percent carbon, 6 percent nitrogen, and smaller amounts of phosphorus and sulfur. More precisely, humus is the dark organic matter that forms in soil when dead plant and animal matter including aerobic compost breaks down further, specifically through the action of anaerobic organisms…. External links. On farms the main sources of organic matter are plant litter plant roots, stubble, leaves, mulch and animal manures.

Earthworms and microorganisms decompose these materials. The process of decomposition releases nutrients which can be taken up by plant roots. It is matter composed of organic compounds that have come from the remains of organisms such as plants and animals and their waste products in the environment.

Organic matter is very important in the movement of nutrients in the environment and plays a role in water retention on the surface of the planet. With an increase in organic matter, the soil recovers its natural buffer capacity; this means an increase in pH in acid soils Figure Organic matter The reduction in pH is due to microbial degradation and production of organic acids.

Large amounts are required. Ammonium fertilizers A comparatively minor effect on soil pH when used in appropriate amounts as a nitrogen fertilizer. Bacteria, fungi, nematodes, protozoa, arthropods, etc. Soil Organic Matter — Refers to organic component of soil, consisting of three primary parts including small fresh plant residues and small living soil organisms, decomposing active organic matter, and stable organic matter humus.

Soil organic matter is the fraction of the soil that consists of plant or animal tissue in various stages of breakdown decomposition. Good organic amendments for garden soils include wood by-products such as sawdust and bark mulch, peat moss, rotted manure, grass or wheat straw and compost.

Humus is dark, organic material that forms in soil when plant and animal matter decay s. When plants drop leaves, twigs, and other material to the ground, it piles up. This material is called leaf litter. When animals die, their remains add to the litter. Over time, all this litter decompose s. This means it decays, or breaks down, into its most basic chemical elements.

Many of these chemicals are important nutrients for the soil and organisms that depend on soil for life, such as plants.

The thick brown or black substance that remains after most of the organic litter has decomposed is called humus. Earthworms often help mix humus with mineral s in the soil.

Humus contains many useful nutrient s for healthy soil. One of the most important is nitrogen. Nitrogen is a key nutrient for most plants. Agriculture depends on nitrogen and other nutrients found in humus. Some experts think humus makes soil more fertile.

Others say humus helps prevent disease in plants and food crops. When humus is in soil, the soil will crumble. Air and water move easily through the loose soil, and oxygen can reach the roots of plants.

Humus can be produced naturally or through a process called composting. When people compost , they collect decaying organic material, such as food and garden scraps, that will be turned into soil. Photograph by Iris Fong , MyShot.

Compost and Humus Compost, like humus, is made of decomposed organic material. Compost usually refers to material created by people from leftover foods and yard waste. Humus usually refers to the natural decay of material such as leaves in the soil's top layer.

Also known as plant litter and tree litter. The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit.