What is the difference between compost and organic humus?
The popular scientific definition of humus is “A more or less biologically stable, dark, amorphous material formed by the microbial decomposition of plant and animal residues”. It is difficult to visibly differentiate humus from organic matter in other stages of decay. Compost, well rotted manures and peat are not necessarily humus. However, at some hard-to-define point, all of these organic materials will contribute immeasurably to the humus content in the soil. The term Humus doesn’t really describe anything specific. It is like referring to a beagle or a poodle as a dog. There are numerous types of dog, and likewise, humus can be made up of numerous different compositions. Humus is sometimes defined as the end product from the decomposition of organic residues, but since it is always changing, it is hard to really refer to it as an end product. So basically, organic humus would be the organic material that is present in the top layers of the soil as a result of the natural decomposi
