High Quality Humus Compost

Cocoa Compost Components

Cocoa Compost is independently tested for biological, chemical, and physical factors, such as pathogens, heavy metals, pesticides, inerts, nutrients, pH, salts, moisture, organic matter, and stability.

Cation Exchange Capacity

Cation exchange capacity measures the soil’s ability to hold nutrients. Studies show that adding compost can increase the soil’s cation exchange capacity. The availability of micronutrients to growing plants depends upon soil pH levels and organic matter content. In general, if the soil pH decreases, the availability of most micronutrients increases (more acidic); If the soil pH increases (more alkaline) the availability of micronutrients decreases. Cocoa’s humic substances chelate, or form complexes with micronutrients. Chelated micronutrients are more availabe to plants, even at higher pH levels.

Cocoa helps aggregate and flocculate soil particles into little peds that improves structure and porosity. This results in better aeration, infiltration, root growth, water storage and biological activity. All these benefits add up to better soil tilth, increased crop production and lower inputs.

Humic Acid, Fulvic Acid and Humates

Humic subtances (humic acids, fulvic acids and humates) have been studied extensively and proven to enhance plant growth and increase crop yields. Humic substances are one of most active and important soil organic matter fractions because they bond with silt, clay, carbohydrates and nutrients to form soil aggregates. Aggregates form the crumbly soil structure responsible for tilth, water holding capacity, water infiltration, cation and oxygen exchange and serve as the major reservoir of plant nutrients. Humic substances also buffer the soil pH and mineralize nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) nutrients and trace elements into plant absorbable forms.

During the composting process, humic subtances are naturally formed from the decomposition of organic matter by bacteria and fungi. Cocoa’s composting system encourages diverse groups of microbes to thrive, multiply and build-up high concentrations of stable humic substances in our high-quality humus compost.

Plant Growth Hormones

Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) is a plant growth hormone which controls important plant physiological processes and stimulates plant growth. Independent studies have demonstrated that IAA increases plant shoot height, shoot and root dry weights, root activity, nitrate reductase and hydrogen peroxidase activities, as well as the uptake of N, P, K and micronutrients.

Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) promote plant growth directly and indirectly after application by multiplying and producing even more beneficial plant growth regulators, such as auxins, gibberellin, IAA, siderophores, cytokinins and antibiotics.

Cocoa Compost helps produce healthier soils, vigorous root and shoot systems and stronger, healthier plants.