Buy humus: costs & sources

How can you buy humus and what does humus cost? Here are the answers for all new garden owners, raised bed investors or flower box planters.

Anyone who needs high-quality humus quickly, for example to plant a hole for bushes or perennials fill, fill flower boxes or pots or simply improve an entire bed, you can buy humus instead of To produce humus yourself. You can buy humus in many ways, the origin of the humus can be very decisive in your choice: You affects what humus costs, how good its quality is and whether it makes ecological sense to use it use. This article gives you an overview of humus properties and humus prices, but also the correct application, i.e. the application of humus.

Humus origin: everything you need to know at a glance

As is well known humus formed from organic material. You can read about exactly how this happens here. Various materials can be used as the starting material for humus. In the following we list the materials that are used for the industrial production of humus.

Recycled waste

One possibility is waste that ends up in recycling and recycling centers. This waste is made up of the contents of your organic waste bin and the green waste from gardening and landscaping, green space or large tree maintenance. The source material is therefore mixed up and represents a reuse of our waste, very similar to running a compost heap yourself. One should keep in mind: The raw material from which the compost is made at recycling centers varies. As a result, the nature of the end product is also not uniform. The composition and nutrient content can sometimes vary greatly. However, the production of compost is subject to controls, so that one can expect to receive neither “too fat” nor “too lean” compost. Nevertheless, it may be necessary to fertilize or dilute, depending on the quality you get.

Some users have bad experiences with pests, especially if the compost is too fresh. Because of the high heat generated during composting, this is more the exception than the rule.

Tip:At some recycling centers, nutrient-poor green waste is composted separately from the nutrient-rich organic waste. The result is compost with completely different nutrient contents: the green compost is low in nutrients, the organic compost is very rich in nutrients.

peat

A widely used raw material is peat. Peat is already a so-called "damp humus". Its properties can still be changed through further decomposition and aggregates. The usual peat-containing potting soil is produced using peat as the starting material. This is of course not yet real humus: potting soil is made up of humus and slightly or not at all decomposed material as well as fertilizers and additives. However, the material will turn into humus over time. The industrial production of the potting soil guarantees a constant, defined quality.

Alternatives to peat

As environmentally friendly Alternative to peat In the meantime, other materials are often used: coconut fiber, wood fiber, bark humus and rice husks are possible raw materials for humus. The same applies to peat-free potting soils: They consist of humus as well as slightly or not at all decomposed material, fertilizers and additives. Finished compost is also added. The organic part can be completely converted into humus over time. The fertilizers used are usually organic due to the sustainable approach of the peat-free soils.

Aggregates

With aggregates are meant materials that are added to the soil in order to improve its properties in various ways. They don't make up the lion's share of the mix, but they often have a large impact.

These additives are found in both peat-containing and peat-free potting soil:

• Coconut flour (to increase water capacity)
• Sand, perlite, or pumice (to improve ventilation and stability)
• Clay (also in the form of granules; to improve water and nutrient storage).
• Xylitol (as a substitute has properties similar to peat)

Buy humus and humus prices

Compost or humus from garden waste can be obtained from local recycling or waste disposal centers. Depending on the offer, delivery may or may not be possible. Find out beforehand the volume that the amount you need will take up so that you can estimate how to move the humus. The costs start at a manageable 10 euros / m³, so one euro per 100 liters.

Buy humus as potting soil

Humus in the form of peat-containing or peat-free potting soil is available in every hardware store and garden center. The green-experience garden centers, the Bellandris chain, Hagebau, Obi, Hornbach and Raiffeisen markets all carry peat-free potting soil. Depending on the product, the pH value, the nutrient content, the form of the nutrients and also the degree of decomposition can vary. It is very worthwhile to study the goods declaration. In order to assess the quality of this potting soil, one should particularly consider the starting materials: The more stable these are, the slower the material will break down and the more likely it is to develop Humus. A table and an explanation of this can be found here. Some products do not contain any fertilizer at all, so that they can be fertilized as required. An example of this are "humus bricks", which consist only of coconut fiber and are made to swell with water.

If you have an idea of ​​the needs of the plants that you plan to grow with the help of the potting soil, you can choose the most suitable product with the help of the given data. Inferior fertilizers are often used, especially for cheap products, pay attention to whether they contain organic or mineral fertilizers. Organic fertilizer are preferable to the mineral ones, as they are released more slowly and thus lead to the formation of humus. The costs are around 8 to 25 euros for 70 liters of potting soil, the peat-free alternatives are no longer much more expensive than their environmentally harmful predecessors.

How to use humus and when to apply humus?

Depending on the purpose for which you purchase humus, you will need a different product. Below you will find the three most common uses for humus and our recommendations for use.

Bed improvement

• In spring, it is advisable to spread organic compost or fertilized potting soil in combination with material that is difficult to decompose. Organic fertilization is always possible.
• In autumn, less nutrient-poor humus in the form of green compost should be used. It is also possible to use nutrient-free materials (humus bricks, soil for cuttings) with a little organic fertilizer - the potassium-based one, for example, is well suited Plantura organic tomato fertilizer.
• Spread the humus over the entire surface and work it into the surface, but do not dig too deep.

Buckets and boxes

• When planting tubs, the choice of soil containing humus depends on the plant.
• Plants with high needs can be planted in organic compost and pure, fertilized potting soil. Should a later fertilization be necessary, it is ours Organic flower fertilizer a good choice.
• Plants with little need should be planted in green compost mixtures or mixtures of nutrient-free potting soil. The use of organic fertilizers is always possible. We recommend the more potassium-accentuated Organic tomato fertilizer from Plantura.

planting

• The nutrient requirement of shrubs and perennials is relatively low, but seasonal plantings with annual plants can have a higher nutrient requirement. You can also use the Plantura organic flower fertilizer are supplied.
• Planting in spring can be done with nutrient-rich humus: organic compost or fertilized potting soil are ideal. In addition, we always recommend the use of organic fertilizers, which is also ours in this case Organic universal fertilizer a good choice.
• Planting in autumn should be made with nutrient-poor humus: green compost, nutrient-free potting soil or humus bricks. In this case, too, we recommend using the tomato fertilizer. It contains more potassium, which prepares your plants better for winter by increasing their frost resistance.

Get humus

If you have purchased humus, you will enjoy it all the longer if it stays where it is needed. You can find out what promotes the formation or degradation of humus in our special article on Humus economy read up.

The advantages of the Build-up of humus in the garden for the environment we explain in this article.