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Purchasing Compost & Mulch Assessing Product Quality |
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Compost is an increasingly popular soil amendment with growers, landscapers,
and other end users. Compost consists of organic matter (such as leaves, landscape
trimmings, food scraps, or woody debris) that has undergone varying degrees of
decomposition. In California, commercial composters are required to meet specific
regulatory requirements on the compost process itself that protect health and safety.
However, because no state or national standards exist for rating the quality of compost
products, you must perform your own quality assessment or obtain
appropriate information from the supplier to ensure that
you’re getting a product that meets your specific needs within the price range that
you’re willing to pay. Before shopping for compost, determine your reasons for using compost. Once you have determined the performance requirements (e.g., for seed germination), look for a compost with appropriate characteristics. The Board has created an information table to help you assess compost products to suit your needs. You may also order a hard copy of this document, Compost: Matching Performance Needs With Product Characteristics, from our online publications catalog.
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Last updated: April 23, 2008 Organic Materials Management http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/Organics/ Brian Larimore: BLarimore@ciwmb.ca.gov (916) 341-6579 |