Every gardener wants lush, healthy plants. A good nutrient supply is essential for this, which is primarily achieved by a nutrient-rich soil. A good humus soil provides your plants with all the important elements. This article will tell you how you can recognize them when you buy them or even make them yourself.

Humus is a very nutrient-rich soil

Table of Contents

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  1. the essentials in brief
  2. What is humus?
  3. Identify good humus soil
  4. Use humus soil
  5. Make your own humus soil
  6. frequently asked Questions

    7. the essentials in brief

    • Humus means something like "earth" and basically refers to dead organic material
    • When buying hummus, it is important to ensure that it is of good quality and free from peat
    • Humus soil is soil mixed with humus, which has a very good water and nutrient storage capacity
    • Good humus soil has a ratio of 1:1 humus and potting soil, has a pleasant smell, is slightly moist and finely crumbly

    What is humus?

    The word "humus" comes from the Latin language and means something like "earth" or "soil". In general, dead organic material is referred to as humus in its entirety, with a distinction being made between permanent humus and nutrient humus.

    • nutrient humus: These are rapidly degraded substances that provide food for soil organisms and improve soil aeration. Nutrient humus is essential for building permanent humus.
    • permanent humus: This is formed in the final stage of composting and has the task of binding water and nutrients in the soil. By far the largest part of the humus layer in the soil consists of permanent humus.

    In addition, gardeners distinguish the humus forms

    • Garbage: This is formed from easily decomposable materials and serves as a habitat for ground-burrowing insects.
    • raw humus: This includes vegetation residues that are difficult to decompose, such as litter. They decompose very slowly to humus.
    • modest: Moder is a mixture of mull and raw humus.

    In short, humus is an essential soil component that is formed from rotted parts of plants.

    What is humus soil and where do you get it from?

    The commercially available humus soil, on the other hand, is not pure humus, instead it is potting soil mixed with humus. A good mix consists of roughly equal parts humus and potting soil. You can buy them anywhere in the trade, as humus soil is offered by various manufacturers in hardware stores and garden centers, but also at discounters or on the Internet. But be careful when buying: Choose high-quality branded goods as possible, since the discounter offers in particular are often made of inferior material. Products containing peat are also not recommended, because on the one hand they are to be viewed very critically for ecological reasons and on the other hand they do not produce optimal potting soil.

    What is humus soil used for?

    Humus soil offers insects a comfortable home

    Humus not only stores nutrients and water, but also filters out pollutants from the environment. In this way, humus makes an important contribution to binding and storing carbon and other trace gases. At the same time, humus is a valuable habitat for numerous soil-dwelling animals and microorganisms. Humus soil can be used in a variety of ways in the garden, for example for soil improvement, planting new plants, fertilizing existing plantings and repairing damaged lawns. For the latter use, simply spread and loosely spread humus soil on a lawn in need of repair, distribute it evenly with a rake and then water the lawn. If necessary, you can also sow it again.

    Is humus and compost the same?

    Our word "compost" is derived from the Latin term "compositum", which means something like "that which has been put together". So compost means a pile of organic material that decomposes with the help of oxygen and soil organisms. Therefore, the material, which is also very rich in nutrients, is also referred to as "rotting". At the end of the rotting process, part of the finished compost turns into humus, which is the particularly valuable component of this organic fertilizer.

    digression

    Where can you buy good compost?

    In the garden, compost fulfills similar tasks as humus soil, and both types of substrate are often used synonymously. You can get high-quality compost either from your own garden - or from the public composting facilities of the local city or municipal waste disposal companies. These are also referred to as recycling centers. You receive the finished compost loose and at a comparatively low price, but you have to collect it yourself from the responsible recycling center or directly from the composting plant. Be sure to purchase the nutrient-rich organic compost, as the green waste compost, which is often composted separately, is rather poor in nutrients.

    How to recognize good humus soil

    Good humus soil smells delicious and is finely crumbly and peat-free

    You can recognize good humus soil primarily by its smell and its texture. Before purchasing large quantities of a particular brand (and then possibly realizing that that soil is of poor quality), you should first smell and touch a smaller quantity. High quality humus soil

    • consists of the ideal mixing ratio of 1:1 hummus and potting soil
    • is peat free
    • is finely crumbly
    • feels light and moist
    • has a texture that is comfortable for you
    • and smells pleasantly of forest soil
    • even a slight musty smell is perfectly fine

    If, on the other hand, it is fully mature compost soil, no odor can be detected here. Poor quality humus soil, on the other hand

    • feels dry and possibly dusty
    • smells unpleasant to foul

    Some industrially produced humus soils only develop a sometimes extremely unpleasant odor after the first watering.

    Use humus soil correctly

    Humus soil can be used in very different ways in the garden and also for potted plants:

    • autumn plantings: Plants placed in the garden in autumn (e.g. many trees and shrubs) provide you with nutrient-poor humus such as green compost or commercially available humus bricks. These often consist of coconut fibers. Also give a potassium fertilizer to improve the frost hardiness of the plants.
    • spring plantings: Here you choose nutrient-rich humus, after all this serves as the starting signal for the growing season. Organic compost is a good choice here, and you can also use other organic fertilizers - such as horn shavings (€32.93) or stable manure - for particularly heavy-duty plants.
    • pot plants: The choice of humus soil depends on the nutrient requirements of the respective plants. Put plants that consume a lot of nutrients in organic compost, while plants with a lower nutrient requirement in green compost.
    • soil improvement: Not every soil contains sufficient amounts of humus. Such soils can be improved by adding humus soil. You can do this in both spring and fall. Distribute the material generously over the entire floor area and work it superficially into the floor.

    In spring, plants need nutrient-rich soil

    digression

    Surface composting for better nutrient supply

    Humus does not last forever, but decomposes over time. So you have to add nutrients to the soil regularly so that the process of humus formation continues. So-called surface composting is very well suited for this purpose. To do this, either plant green waste (e.g. lawn clippings or spinach) as mulch (€239.00) between the plants or sow a harvested bed with green manure plants. You let both rot and then work it into the soil.

    Make your own humus soil

    For many plants - although not for all - a high humus content in the soil is beneficial. In order to significantly increase the humus content of your garden soil, you do not necessarily have to buy expensive humus soil. Instead, gradually improve the soil using the measures outlined in the table. However, these are not individual measures, because the soil only develops accordingly as a whole: the soil life increases, as does the nutrient-rich humus layer.

    method materials When to deploy? Pay attention to what?
    basic fertilization garden compost spring and, if necessary, autumn is not suitable for all plants: be careful with herbs and ericaceous plants
    manure fertilization Stable manure (especially cattle, horses, chickens) autumn as well as in spring for heavy-consuming plants only use well-rotted manure, as fresher is too spicy
    mulching organic materials and garden waste (lawn clippings, autumn leaves, etc.) during the growing season Mix in horn shavings for materials that are low in nitrogen (bark mulch, wood chips).
    green manure Sow harvested beds with green manure plants in the fall, undermined in the spring some plants significantly increase nitrogen levels in the soil

    Animals living in the soil such as earthworms are indispensable for the formation of humus. You can speed up the process by specifically releasing the earthworms. You can either collect the animals in the wild (wait for a downpour) or buy them in stores. You can produce humus soil in small quantities in a composting container: mix garden soil with beech leaves and chopped straw and release earthworms in it.

    frequently asked Questions

    What is Terra Preta and can you make it yourself?

    Terra Preta is a type of compost that is mixed with crushed charcoal and is said to be particularly rich in nutrients. The principle comes from South American natives from the Amazon region, who have been fertilizing their gardens in this way for centuries. We don't have any rainforest plants here, so we can't "recreate" an original Terra Preta. However, you can mix your compost with charcoal, making this soil more valuable for plant nutrition - charcoal contains many important nutrients in readily available forms.

    What is black earth?

    Black earth is a particularly humus-rich soil. Basically, the fertility of the garden soil can be recognized by its color: the darker it is, the higher the humus content and the more fertile the soil. However, this is only a rule of thumb, as other factors such as pH are also relevant to this connection. Bog bed soil is also very dark, but has an acidic pH value. However, black earth has both the right pH value and a rich soil life.

    Is humus the same as topsoil?

    No, topsoil and topsoil are not the same. Instead, topsoil is the uppermost, fertile layer of soil, which contains a large proportion of humus and other components. Good topsoil also contains minerals in the form of sand, clay, loam or silt, many nutrients (including nitrogen, phosphorus, etc.) and countless soil organisms.

    How deep should the topsoil be?

    When laying out a new garden, you should apply a layer of topsoil about 40 to 60 centimeters thick. This is completely sufficient for the growth of most plants, especially since you can contribute to the constant development of humus in the soil with good soil care. This is because topsoil is not “static” but changes and evolves over time.

    tips

    Many Mediterranean plants do not tolerate humus and grow better on mineral, humus-poor soil. These include herbs such as sage, rosemary or lavender.

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