What is humus, how is it formed, and why is it important?
Humus formation is the return of formerly rich, fertile soils to their original state. High quality composting is simply reversing the process of soil “mining” where nutrients and beneficial properties are removed or altered. Degradation has taken place, but the process is being reversed through the addition of high quality compost. A high quality compost will provide some immediate humus benefit while also adding yet-to-be-humified organic matter for further decomposition. Humification is the passing of organic matter through the stomachs of certain beneficial microbes. It is incorrect to identify organic matter (OM) and humus as the same thing. Organic matter is to humus as wheat is to bread. In testing, optimal humus numbers are in the 50-80 range. Humus quality is actually more meaningful than quantity. If humus numbers are well above this range, it indicates the presence of many loose ions. So more is not necessarily better. We like our humifying process because it is faster than
