Q: “Clay-ish” Compost
A Question from a PVFS Customer – with employee answer.
Question:
I recently got some inexpensive compost at the local green waste dump in San
Juan Capistrano. The compost looks good, but when I watered it, it got very
sticky and heavy — clay-ish, I think. This seems strange for compost, but
that’s what the guy said it was. I know that the soil test you offer says
not suitable for compost, but I want to know whether this compost is any
good and what I should add too it to improve drainage and tilth. What do
you suggest I do?
Thanks so much,
Answer:
Usually well decomposed compost is moist and crumbly, not sticky. It sounds
like something was added to the green waste. It’s hard to tell what it might
be without seeing it so I suggest you take it to your local county farm
advisor’s office to see if they can help you. You may need to add a
different compost or soil conditioner to this to be improve its friability.
Hope this info helps,
