nor education 10 min read

By TerraCare

What Nutrients Are in Terramation Soil? A Nutrient Analysis of Natural Organic Reduction Soil (colloquially referred to as human composting)

Terramation — also called natural organic reduction (NOR) — converts human remains into nutrient-rich soil through the same microbial processes that power all healthy ecosystems. The resulting material, known as Regenerative Living Soil™ when processed through TerraCare’s standard, contains a balanced supply of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur, along with high levels of stable organic carbon and a living community of beneficial microorganisms. Soil testing from commercial NOR operations shows that the compost typically falls between a pH of 6.5 and 7 — the sweet spot for most garden plants — and shows high nitrate content indicating thorough, advanced decomposition. This article explains what those nutrients are, what they do, and why they matter.

What nutrients are in terramation soil?

Terramation soil contains balanced amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur — the same macronutrients plants need to thrive. It also contains high levels of stable organic carbon and a living community of beneficial microorganisms. Tested pH typically ranges from 6.5 to 7, which is ideal for most garden plants, and high nitrate content confirms advanced aerobic decomposition.

  • Terramation soil is rich in nitrogen (from soft tissue proteins), phosphorus (from bone mineral), potassium, sulfur, and stable organic carbon.
  • Tested pH of 6.5–7 makes the soil compatible with the widest range of garden plants, shrubs, and trees without amendment.
  • High nitrate content in finished NOR soil confirms advanced decomposition — nutrients are already in plant-available form.
  • The soil contains living microbial communities that continue building fertility after application, unlike sterile synthetic fertilizers or cremation ash.
  • Cremation ash contains virtually no nitrogen or carbon and has a highly alkaline pH (10–12), making it largely unusable by plants without extensive amendment.

How the NOR Process Creates Nutrient-Rich Soil

To understand the nutrient profile of terramation soil, it helps to understand how that soil is made.

During natural organic reduction, a person’s body is placed in a vessel with several cubic yards of plant material — typically wood chips, straw, and alfalfa. Microorganisms naturally present on the body and in the plant material begin to break down organic tissue. The vessel maintains warmth and oxygen levels to support this microbial activity. Over the course of several weeks, the body’s proteins, fats, and carbohydrates are converted into stable soil organic matter.

This is the same biological process that has built fertile topsoil over millennia, compressed into a managed, accelerated environment. Bones and teeth, which do not fully break down on the same timeline, are mechanically reduced to powder and reincorporated into the finished compost — contributing minerals including calcium and phosphorus back into the soil matrix.

The result is approximately one-half cubic yard of finished soil per terramation of material ready to support plant life.

For a broader explanation of the full soil journey after terramation, see what happens to soil after terramation.

The Nutrient Profile: What’s Actually in Terramation Soil

Nitrogen (N)

Nitrogen is the nutrient most closely associated with leafy, green plant growth. Plants use it to build chlorophyll, proteins, and enzymes. In conventional gardens, nitrogen is often the first nutrient to run low — it leaches quickly from sandy soils and gets consumed rapidly by actively growing plants.

Terramation soil is nitrogen-rich by nature. Human tissue is high in protein, and protein is essentially nitrogen held in organic form. As microbial decomposition proceeds and those proteins break down, nitrogen is released first as ammonium and then, as decomposition advances further, as nitrate — the plant-available form. Published testing from commercial NOR operations shows that finished compost contains high nitrate content, a direct indicator that the decomposition process has reached an advanced stage and that nitrogen is available to plants in a usable form.

This is one of the characteristics that sets terramation soil apart from cremation ashes, which contain essentially no nitrogen. Fire destroys organic compounds completely, leaving behind primarily calcium phosphate — a mineral powder that lacks the nitrogen and carbon that define biologically active soil.

Phosphorus (P)

Phosphorus is critical for root development, flowering, and fruit production. It is the nutrient that helps plants establish themselves, transfer energy, and complete their reproductive cycle. In soil science, phosphorus availability is closely tied to pH: at a pH between 6 and 7, phosphorus is most soluble and accessible to plant roots.

In terramation soil, phosphorus comes from two sources: the breakdown of soft tissue, and the reincorporation of powdered bone material. Bone is largely composed of calcium phosphate — the same mineral that makes bones structurally strong. When bone powder is mixed back into the finished compost, it introduces a slow-release phosphorus source that gradually becomes available to plant roots over time.

Published NOR soil profiles describe the nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium-sulfur content of finished compost as “balanced” — meaning no single macronutrient dominates to a degree that would damage plants. This balance, combined with the near-neutral pH of 6.5–7, positions the soil as compatible with a wide range of established plants, shrubs, and trees.

Potassium (K)

Potassium regulates a plant’s overall physiological health: water uptake, disease resistance, stem strength, and the opening and closing of leaf pores (stomata). It is sometimes called the “quality nutrient” because it affects the overall vigor of a plant rather than a specific growth stage.

Potassium is present in human tissue and, like other minerals, remains in the finished soil after the organic components have decomposed. The plant material added during the NOR process — wood chips, straw, and alfalfa — also contributes potassium to the mix. Together, these inputs produce a potassium level sufficient to support plant health without requiring supplementation in most applications.

Carbon and Organic Matter

Carbon is the backbone of all organic matter, and organic matter is the foundation of soil fertility. Soils rich in organic matter retain moisture more effectively, drain better during heavy rain, resist compaction, and support greater microbial diversity. Conventional fertilizers deliver nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium but contribute nothing to organic matter — which is why fertilizer-dependent soils can degrade over time.

Terramation soil is inherently carbon-rich. The plant material added during the NOR process — wood chips, straw, alfalfa — contributes lignocellulosic carbon that microorganisms partially convert to stable humus, the long-lasting organic carbon that gives mature topsoil its dark color and spongy texture. Rather than releasing this carbon into the atmosphere as CO2, the NOR process locks it into solid organic matter where it can remain for years or decades.

The EPA notes that finished compost “adds organic matter to the soil and increases the nutrient content and biodiversity of microbes in soil” — and that soils amended with organic compost retain moisture better, reduce erosion, and support higher crop yields. Terramation soil, as a product of microbially-driven organic decomposition, fits squarely within this category of beneficial soil organic amendment.

Sulfur and Secondary Nutrients

Sulfur is the fourth macronutrient documented in terramation soil’s profile. Plants use sulfur to form amino acids and proteins, and it plays a supporting role in the production of chlorophyll. Human tissue contains sulfur-bearing amino acids (cysteine, methionine), which are released into the soil as protein decomposition proceeds. Available NOR documentation includes sulfur alongside nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium as part of the balanced macronutrient content of finished compost.

Calcium and magnesium — secondary macronutrients that support cell wall integrity and chlorophyll production respectively — are also present, contributed in part by the bone material reincorporated into the finished soil.

Living Soil: The Microbial Dimension

What distinguishes biologically active soil from a bag of mineral fertilizer is not just chemistry — it is life. Healthy soil contains billions of microorganisms per gram: bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and nematodes that form a complex food web. These organisms decompose organic matter, fix atmospheric nitrogen, suppress pathogens, and exchange nutrients directly with plant roots through mycorrhizal associations.

Terramation soil is not a sterile product. The microbial communities that power the NOR transformation remain present in the finished soil. The microbes driving the process are naturally present on both the plant material and the body itself — meaning the resulting soil carries a diverse, living microbial community that can continue to function once the soil is applied to a garden or landscape.

This stands in sharp contrast to synthetic fertilizers, which deliver nutrients in soluble form but do nothing to rebuild the soil’s biological infrastructure. It also differs from cremation ashes, which are fully sterile and contain no organic matter or microbial life.

For a deeper look at how the NOR process produces a biologically active soil, see our article on nutrient density in NOR soil and terramation soil safety for gardens and plants.

How Terramation Soil Compares to Standard Topsoil

Standard commercial topsoil varies enormously depending on where it was sourced, how it was processed, and how long it has been stored or transported. Much of what is sold in bags at garden centers is a blend of mineral soil and low-grade organic material — suitable for filling raised beds but lacking the biological activity and nutrient density of mature, well-aged compost or healthy in-situ soil.

Terramation soil more closely resembles mature compost or well-amended garden soil than generic bagged topsoil. Its near-neutral pH, balanced macronutrients, high nitrate content, and active microbial community place it in the category of high-quality organic amendments rather than inert fill material.

NOR providers recommend using finished compost as a mulch layer or blending it at lower concentrations around young or tender plant roots, rather than using it as a pure growing medium. This is standard practice with high-nitrogen compost of any kind — very high nitrogen concentrations close to roots can temporarily stress seedlings. Around established trees, shrubs, and perennials, terramation soil can be applied more liberally.

What the Nutrients Mean for Your Garden

Put plainly, terramation soil contributes to a garden in the way that any rich, mature compost does — and then some:

  • Nitrogen supports leafy green growth and helps establish fast-growing plants in the early season
  • Phosphorus drives root development and flowering, helping plants anchor themselves and complete their life cycle
  • Potassium supports overall plant vigor, disease resistance, and water regulation
  • Carbon and organic matter improve soil structure, water retention, and microbial diversity over the long term
  • Active microbial life continues to work in the soil after application, extending the soil’s benefit beyond the initial nutrient delivery

Many families who choose terramation cite the ability to use the resulting soil in a meaningful garden or landscape as an important part of their decision. The soil becomes a way of continuing a connection to the natural world — returning nutrients that were built over a lifetime into a living ecosystem.

Families who receive terramation soil use it to restore gardens, sequester carbon, and renew challenged ecosystems.

Natural organic reduction is now legal in 14 states, including Washington, Colorado, Oregon, California, New York, and New Jersey. Washington was the first, legalizing NOR with SB 5001 in 2019. According to the National Funeral Directors Association, the projected U.S. cremation rate for 2025 is 63.4% — and as families move away from conventional burial, options that return something tangible and beneficial to the earth are drawing growing interest.

For the broader environmental picture, visit the terramation soil quality and environmental impact hub. To learn more about the process itself, see how terramation works.

Ready to Explore Your Options?

Terramation soil is one of the most meaningful aspects of choosing natural organic reduction — returning nutrients built over a lifetime into a living ecosystem. If you are considering terramation for yourself or a loved one, a knowledgeable funeral home can explain what to expect from the soil and what options are available in your state.

Ready to explore terramation options? Contact TerraCare Partners.

Find a funeral home offering terramation in your state — reach out to TerraCare Partners today.

Sources

  1. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Composting at Home. https://www.epa.gov/recycle/composting-home
  2. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Composting (Sustainable Management of Food). https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/composting
  3. Washington State Legislature — SB 5001 (2019): Concerning human remains. https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=5001&Year=2019
  4. National Funeral Directors Association — Statistics. https://nfda.org/news/statistics