How:
A Controlled Environment:
Up to 10 times the amount of cured (stable) soil organic matter (humus) may be produced from the same amount of input material compared to standard practices by optimizing the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, temperature, and moisture level of the compost pile in order to support the greatest diversity and populations of beneficial microbial life and also minimize carbon loss to the atmosphere through oxidation.
Water-holding:
Compost can hold up to 6 times its weight in water, depending upon the fraction of humus that it contains.
Humus: soil organic matter with a charge:
Humus is negatively charged and is thus able to hold on to water, which is positively charged, and also to positively charged soil nutrients of: NH3+1, K+1, Ca+2, Mg+2, Na+1, Zn+2, Cu+1, Mn+2, Fe+2. Plants absorb water through their roots in order to take in needed dissolved nutrients present in the soil. Plant water requirements can be reduced by as much as 75% in soils that contain sufficient, well-balanced nutrient levels and sufficient soil organic matter levels to hold these nutrients in the soil.
Healthy plants from healthy soil life:
Increased beneficial soil microbial life is supported by the increased soil organic matter levels that result from proper composting. These beneficial soil microbes provide antibiotics for plants and increased nutrient availability, which leads to plants with increased resistance to disease and insect life. Beneficial soil life also competes with and decreases the populations of disease-causing soil organisms.
Soil Structure Improved:
Exudates from soil microbes bind sandy soil particles together into larger aggregates and help separate compacted clay soils into smaller aggregates, creating pore space for air and water that plant roots and beneficial soil microbial life need to survive.
