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Humus

W

wordwiz

My sister and I went to mom's today to plant out her garden. No veggies, only flowers. No one brought potting soil or such, but her neighbor had a bag of humus. I loved the feel of it, though the smell is akin to manure!

Any of you using this in your mix?

Mike
 
First of all a proper Humus does not have any "manure smell". honestly the only smell it should have is "earthy".
This stuff is amazing! the best natural fertilizer you can find. when done properly it should have everything a plant needs, and I mean EVERYTHING!
Looks a lot like soil, just a bit fluffier and moist.

Humus shouldn't have any smell because of its process of making. it's not decomposing, it's already the end product.
I'm REALLY sick, but if I'll find myself going to water the plants or something, I'll take a picture of my junk. :P

BTW I grew some really crazy stuff with it. :lol:
 
A couple of brands exist here, but the largest consumers are farmers, not private people. farmers usually make it them selfs, because it's cheaper.
I used to buy the commercial stuff, but I know get mine from a (farmer) friend.
Actually the free stuff seem to work better. :shocked:
 
"Actually the free stuff seem to work better." - Free and works better. What a concept. Ok...I need to find some farmer friends fast. :)
 
Well the nutritional value of the Humus to plants depends on what you put in it. the commercial stuff is usually made as cheap as possible, not best for us gardeners.
 
And sadly that makes sense... just like buying seeds... as a home/hobby gardener market, we are not profitable enough to get the best quality stuff at decent prices normally
 
Omri said:
First of all a proper Humus does not have any "manure smell". honestly the only smell it should have is "earthy".
This stuff is amazing! the best natural fertilizer you can find. when done properly it should have everything a plant needs, and I mean EVERYTHING!
Looks a lot like soil, just a bit fluffier and moist.

Humus shouldn't have any smell because of its process of making. it's not decomposing, it's already the end product.
Click to expand...

I completely agree with Omri. I always mix 1/3 of humus in my potting subtract. And it doesn't smell a bit. When I first pot my peppers I fill the cup just about 2/3, and later I add humus till the cotyledons. The peppers love that and they develope strong roots :)
 
My neighbor got his from Wal-Mart. But there was a very noticeable smell to it - not just on my hands but in the garden. Even those watching us work (the supervisors!) commented on it.

Mike
 
wordwiz said:
My neighbor got his from Wal-Mart. But there was a very noticeable smell to it - not just on my hands but in the garden. Even those watching us work (the supervisors!) commented on it.

Mike
Click to expand...
I have a theory.
A quote from Wikipedia:
In soil science, humus refers to any organic matter which has reached a point of stability, where it will break down no further and might, if conditions do not change, remain essentially as it is for centuries, if not millennia[1].
Click to expand...
That's what I'm talking about. the real stuff. it has no smell because it doesn't decompose.
Another quote from Wikipedia:
In agriculture, humus is sometimes also used to describe mature compost, or natural compost extracted from a forest or other spontaneous source for use to amend soil. It is also used to describe a topsoil horizon that contains organic matter (humus type, humus form, humus profile).
Click to expand...
This "fake Humus" should smell really bad, but it ain't Humus.
 
Omri,

I'm presuming this was the fake humus then, or perhaps very good compost. I liked the feel of it - very fluffy, breaking down almost like potting soil.

Mike
 
i get african violet potting soil with humus, it's a mix but no bad smell, 'earthy' sounds right. it's good for plants with 'special needs'
 
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