Frequently Asked Questions

Through regular intervention, careful control and a constant monitoring  we are able to produce a HUMUS based compost which is comprised of completely broken down fine organic matter. Organic matter cannot be classified as HUMUS if it has not been processed through the body of a microbe.

A Humus based environment is completely different! A humus based environment allows the plants and soil microbes to thrive in a symbiotic relationship. Rather than 'giving' plants minerals and nutrients as per traditional agricultural practices; this symbiotic environment allows the plant to signal what minerals and nutrients it requires for optimal growth and plant health.

The microbes use the HUMUS based protein as a 'home base' - as these microbes thrive they consume a significant amount of atmospheric nitrogen.  This nitrogen is then readily available to plants as 'plant available nitrogen'

This is where HUMUS compost differs from normal compost - normal compost provides some organic matter and some nutritional value.

There are three levels of compost quality and respective benefits

- Industry standard compost

- Supercharged compost

- HUMUS compost

During the decomposition process of organic matter the cell walls are broken apart or 'burst'. This means that the most valuable contents of the cell are lost to the atmosphere. These are called Volatile organic compounds (VOC) which easily evaporate at room temperature. 

During the composting process we use proprietary US based technology in addition to humifiers to capture these VOCs. All of the previous beneficial cell material is captured and in turn contained in our supercharged compost.

HUMUS compost is supercharged compost that has been further decomposed and restructured. In order for something to be considered 'Humus' it has to have been processed through the body of a microbe. As these microbes process the supercharged organic matter they form it into Humus proteins. The true value of these proteins means that the compost when added to the soil allows processing to atmospheric nitrogen which is an infinite source.

To put this simply - would you rather add something to your soil that continually brings nitrogen or should you add something that contains nitrogen but once it has been consumed there is no more?  

Better Soils Australia's compost is comprised from a variety of organic inputs also known as 'feedstocks'. These feedstocks are a carefully controlled balance of Nitrogen to Carbon. This balance allows the optimal environment for the composting process. 

Through daily monitoring of CO2 levels, moisture content and temperature we are able to provide regular intervention to control our composting process. We use propriety US based technology to produce a unique and superior quality product. 

At Better Soils Australia we pride ourselves on our stringent quality testing. All our products exceed the industry standard AS 4454. 

As part of our daily quality checks we monitor (and log) temperature, CO2 levels and moisture content. These checks allow us to ensure that our compost exceeds the temperature and time requirements to kill all nasties including weed seeds and pathogens (including E coli, salmonella and sulphides). 

In addition we make sure that our compost does not get 'to hot' which will start to kill the beneficial microbes that make our compost so beneficial.  

Composting is an amazing process and is much more environmentally friendly than traditional methods of waste disposal and fertiliser production. Studies suggest that on average aerated composting reduces the amount of CO2 released by 71% compared to sending these wastes to landfill.

Our compost undergoes a 'thermophillic aerobic' reaction where we monitor temperature, moisture level and CO2 levels on a daily basis.  This prevents the compost from turning 'Anaerobic' which is the process that occurs in landfill. 

The three main gases produced under Anaerobic (landfill) conditions are:

- CO2 (carbon dioxide)

- Methane - 84x more potent than CO2 for global warming 

- Nitrous Oxide (N2O) - 296x more potent for global warming than CO2!!!

By diverting our feedstock/inputs from landfill we are able to prevent these gases from being emitted and are able to return our finished products to the soil. 

You can use your compost anywhere you like. Our customers use our products on:

- vineyards both under wines and between vine rows

- on market gardens/vegetable farms

- broad acre cropping field ie/ wheat, canola, barley

- grazing paddocks for livestock

- plantar boxes and garden beds

- raised garden beds

- sporting grounds and ovals

- parks and recreation areas

- areas requiring erosion management/control

Our feedstocks include but are not limited to:

- Animal manure (s)

- Green waste including garden waste, agricultural green waste

- Food Organic and Garden Organic waste (FOGO) - coffee grounds, fish waste, fruit and vegetable waste etc

and our secret ingredient - Clay 

You can use our soils ammendments any time of the year; from transplanting your favourite plant to increasing the organic soil content of your garden soil, to improving your gardens dought tolerance; you can use these products at any time of  the year.

There is a vast array of what constitutes a 'compost' around the globe - after roughly 5% decomposition of organic matter you can classify this as compost, still a massive 95% of the decomopsition process yet to take place!

There is a variety of method's for producing compost (static aerated, static anaerobic, thermophobic aerobic). All of these methods have their positives and negatives. 

It is important to be aware that most 'composts' are likely still going through the composting process so are often semi-reactive, smelly and are bad for your soil, plants and the environment. These compounds are also likely to contain weed seeds, plant pathogens, chemicals and high levels of inorganic salts. 

So next time you are looking to purchase a compost make sure that it is NOT 'average'.

Normal composts are beneficial for the soil by what they 'contain'. it generally looks a little like soil and has some Nitrogen, Potassium, Calcium and some trace elements. 

Soil biology is the study of what living organisms (soil biota) exist within the soil and the interactions that they have with each other and the surrounding environment.

There are four groups of soil organisms or biota and these are purely based on size

- microflora (fungi, viruses and bacteria)

- microfauna (protozoa and nematodes)

- mesofauna (small arthropods)

- macrofauna (insects and larger arthropods ie/ earth worms)

Soil biota is imperative to a 'healthy soil'. Some studies suggest that there are up to 15,000 different species per GRAM of soil. 

Mycorrhizae have a unique relationship with the roots of plants - that is a symbiotic one. Mycorrhizal fungi are unable to survive in the environment on their own due to their inability to photosynthesise (meaning they cannot form their own carbohydrates). This means that the fungi completely rely on the plant and its root for their source of carbohydrate.

In return the plant is able to signal what nutrients it requires from the soil and the mycorrhizae absorb these necessary nutrients and pass them onto the plant. 

Why is this relationship so important? 

The roots of plants generally extend only a small amount of both the topsoil and subsoil. The 'hyphae' or hair like projections from the mycorrhizae have a much higher surface area allowing for a significant increase in the absorption of nutrients. 

'But the fertiliser that I use contains all of the necessary nutrients that my plants require!'  

This is something that we hear quite alot; and whilst it may be true for some scenario's its not either true or applicable for all.

- Synthetic fertiliser once consumed has to be applied again and again, year after year and generally at increasing volumes. This equates to a significant cost, year after year, after year. 

- Synthetic fertilisers are only able to help plants that they touch or are in close proximity to. What if an area is missed? Some plants miss out? Don't gain the amount of nutrients they require? Receive to much of one nutrient? 

With HUMUS compost application the plants are able to signal what nutrients they require, when they require them, how often they require them and how much of them they require. We aim to optimise the health of the soil to in turn optimise the health of the plant. 

The ultimate aim is to:

- increase the plants resistance to disease

- increase the plants resistance to changing weather conditions

- reduce artificial and synthetic inputs

- have a lasting benefit year and year

Regenerative or Eco-agriculture is a shift in mid-set from the traditional gardening and farming metholodogies.

Traditional agriculture was born in the 1920/30's to address the world's growing demand for food; unfortunately some of the practices developed were unsustainable. These methods managed to meet this increased demand however over the long term has had a detrimental effect on the soil and surrounding ecosystems.

Traditional Agriculture: 

- relies on monocultures

- uses synthetic fertilisers and pesticides

- uses soil tilling

Regenerative agriculture is a shift away from the above three. The main principles of regenerative agriculture are:

- minimise soil disturbance (no till or minimal till)

- use of organic fertilisers

- plants in the ground all year around (cover cropping)

- crop rotation and diversification

The purpose of these principles is to restore soil biodiversity, maximise the quality of the growing plants, enhance the profitability of farmers livelihoods, higher yields and increased food security and better nutrition and human health.

In addition these practices slow and reverse the impact of soil degradation and will assist in combatting climate change. 

Did you know that the Earth's soil stores more carbon than all of the world's forests combined? 

Since the early 1920's with the development of modern agricultural practices we have lost a significant amount of soil carbon across the globe. This could be seen across the USA with the 'Dust Bowl' in the mid 1930's where the unrestrained topsoil of the great planes turned to dust; often turning into huge black clouds which deposited this soil across NYC and Washington. Closer to home in Australia we occasionally see this phenomenon when topsoil from the Mallee (VIC) is picked up and deposited across VIC, NSW and sometimes even NZ. 

So why is decreasing soil carbon such an issue?

The decrease in soil carbon results in poor soil water holding capacity and a compromise in the nutritional supply available to the plants. This means the plant health is reduced, drought tolerance is reduced, ability to fight disease and grow nutritionally complete food is reduced.