One inch of compost spread on top of dead soil triggers a 30-day biological cascade that no fertilizer bag can replicate — because fertilizer feeds plants while compost feeds the organisms that build the system plants depend on.
Day 1, nothing visible changes.
Day 7, earthworms from the subsoil detect the organic matter and begin migrating upward.
Day 14, fungal threads from the compost layer extend downward into the dead soil, creating the first nutrient transport channels.
Day 21, bacterial populations have doubled and the soil beneath the compost is measurably darker, softer, and holds water longer.
Day 30, the dead soil and the compost layer are no longer distinguishable. They merged.
You didn’t fix the soil. You restarted its biology.