Use Compost as Mulch??

[andy2019]

So Compost and Mulch are different things. One is to make the soil better and mulch is being used to hold moisture.

But can I use Compost as mulch? In other words, if I just spread compost around my fruit trees, does it hold moisture and prevent dry out of my soil or I have to put mulch on top of compost also?

 

[DirtMechanic]

Yes you can. I do. I have to apply it more often though, as compost is further along the degradation cycle than mulch and it physically disappears faster. This means more work, but I am using it as a form of fertilization as well, and that has to do with my clay soil. Your needs may vary if your soil already has a lot of organic content compared to a sandy soil or my barren clay.

 

[Chuck]

Absolutely you can. Compost works better than mulch. The reason why we use mulch is water retention, soil temperature and weed preventer. Compost does the same thing if applied thickly enough plus compost has much, much more, nutritional value. All compost is, is decomposed mulch. The only thing is that one normally doesn't have enough compost to use in more important things, much less using it as a mulch. I know I don't.

 

[SeniorCitizen]

We're nearly unlimited for material that can be used as mulch to retain moisture.

You may raise your eyebrows but even sand can be a mulch. botany experiment : place some of your dark rich soil in 2 glass jars and saturate both really wet. Cover the soil in one jar with an inch or two of sand and compare the dehydration progress with the lids removed.

With some farming methods, farmers have known this for centuries I suspect. No, they don't cover their whole 1,200 acres with sand but make a dust mulch of the native soil by doing the correct thing at the correct time with the correct piece of machinery.

 

[DirtMechanic]

We're nearly unlimited for material that can be used as mulch to retain moisture.

You may raise your eyebrows but even sand can be a mulch. botany experiment : place some of your dark rich soil in 2 glass jars and saturate both really wet. Cover the soil in one jar with an inch or two of sand and compare the dehydration progress with the lids removed.

With some farming methods, farmers have known this for centuries I suspect. No, they don't cover their whole 1,200 acres with sand but make a dust mulch of the native soil by doing the correct thing at the correct time with the correct piece of machinery.

I notice that when I use stones such as in a walkway, moisture retention is markedly higher around the stones. I would think many minerals and forms of minerals would be useful since they are impervious to the sun.