Preplant compost application improves landscape plant establishment and sequesters carbon in compacted soil

Preplant compost application increased plant growth and visual appearance of a wide variety of perennial landscape plants. The positive plant growth response to compost was similar for com-post left on the soil surface or compost incorporated via rototilling. Compost application did not alleviate soil compaction. Plant growth response to compost in this trial was primarily related to N supply (and perhaps other nutrients). Biosolids compost acidified soil, this characteristic improved growth of an acid-loving plant species. Carbon sequestered in soil (5 to 18% of compost-C) was at the low end of C sequestration values reported in the literature.