Nutrients "Used Up" in Decomposition

Adding organic material to soil

Because microorganisms use nitrogen in soils to decompose the sawdust, the process of decay can temporarily lower the amount of available nitrogen in the soil. Remember that the loss is temporary, and that proper application of Weekly Feed will almost always eliminate any deficiency.

The only other potential problem is that sawdust typically has a low pH, and so the addition of calcium is important. We do this in the Pre-Plant mix.

There can be some benefits to adding organic matter to your soil. Benefits include the fact that it can:
a.. Increase the soil's ability to hold water.
a.. Create pores in the soil to improve soil oxygen.
a.. Loosen clay soil, making root growth easier.
a.. Help moderate soil temperatures.

The nutritional value is over-rated, however, and you never know how much of anything you're getting, so we do not recommend you count on compost for feeding your plants.