Quote:
Originally Posted by turtile
Are you talking about the Carbon-Nitrogen Ratio? When you apply compost that has a high amount of carbon compared to nitrogen, it actually locks up the nitrogen available to the plants. Soil organism need both N and C and if nitrogen is in low supply, they will absorb all of the nitrogen in the soil. Thats why its important to allow compost to decompose. The organisms release the C as CO2 which allows the compost to have a higher ratio of N.
Different types of composts have different C:N ratios. Wood chips are high in C. Applying a good amount of fresh wood chips to soil will cause nitrogen deficiency in the plants since the organisms will absorb the N in the soil. Organic forms of nitrogen such as urea will acidify the soil as they change form.
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I specifically said compost made from a high percentage of brown material such as wood chips, so it should have been clear I was talking of compost, not of fresh wood chips which I made no mention of. Fungi are more commonly associated with composting wood chips according to materials I've read.
Further, I was mentioning the use of aerated compost tea made from compost which clearly would not tie up soil nitrogen. In fact, these microbes are fundamental to the process of making much of the nitrogen available for plant utilization.