Compost N Release Continues Throughout Decay???

[Smallaxe]

We always hear about a low N content of compost etc. but as the stuff continues to break down, isn't there protiens and mineral elements that are converted back to constituent form???

[Smallaxe]

Let's look at it another way as in Compost Tea... The food value for plants that the Tea provides is generally from the dead bodies of the microbes...

Compost provides a great food source for a variety of microbes that will eventually die and give up energy to the plants.

Is it reasonable to say that until the compost is completely digested that there is a long lasting supply of dead microbes on a particular bunch of compost???