While everyone knows that compost is great for outdoor plants, there’s some hesitancy when it comes to using it for indoor botanical buddies. Here are some common questions:
Is it safe?
Will my houseplants still be healthy after it's used?
Can I use compost without much mess or fuss?
The answer to all of these questions is a resounding “yes!”
Should I Use Compost On House Plants?
When it comes to compost, its benefits are universal. Regardless of whether you’re growing an apple tree or maintaining an ornamental indoor garden, high-quality compost can help your plants thrive. The additional nutrients in compost provide every plant with the energy it needs to flourish, while the texture helps the potting soil retain moisture.
However, it may actually be more important to use compost on your indoor plants! Outdoor plants are constantly subjected to natural fertilization from fallen leaves, critter waste, decomposing bugs, and decaying organic matter. Plants kept indoors do not receive these additional boosts.
Many house plants remain in the same soil for the majority of their life. No matter how high quality that soil may be, it will eventually run out of enough nutrients to support healthy growth. This is when you should add some fertilizer or your own compost into your indoor plant's potting soil. In addition to rejuvenating the plant, a bit of compost can also bring life and health back into otherwise dried-out soil.
How To Use Compost Indoors?
If you’ve ever used compost outdoors, then you already know how to add compost to your indoor garden plants. If not, we’re here to help!
The most important thing to remember about compost is that too much can harm both your outdoor and indoor plants, but too little will have no effect. The correct measurement is determined by the size of your plant, the condition of its soil, and the strength of the compost. A general rule is to add one inch of compost to your plant twice per year.
When adding compost, you shouldn’t just let it sit. You’ll need to get a bit dirty! With your fingers, gently mix the nutrient-packed material into the top 3–5 inches of soil. Though it may seem logical to try and get the compost as close to the roots as possible, this is unnecessary and risky. Digging too deeply disrupts the earth’s natural state and poses the risk of damaging the plant’s roots.
Depending on the type of plant you’re growing, you may need to adjust the compost a bit. For succulents, such as the Christmas Cactus, adding compost that is pure may make the soil too dense to properly drain. In these cases, you can lighten up the mixture by adding some perlite, gravel, or clay drainage balls to the compost.
How To Avoid Compost-Related Problems
It cannot be stressed enough that you should carefully measure your compost. If you need help, don’t be afraid to ask a gardener!
Too much compost can cause a condition known as root burn, where the roots of your plant become sick and frail due to excessive phosphorus build up in the soil.
Signs of root burn include:
- Withering, dull leaves
- Brown leaves
- Wilting
- Slow growth
- Browning roots
If you see these signs and suspect your plant is suffering from root burn, then you should act quickly! To solve the problem, carefully uproot the plant and repot it in fresh, balanced earth. Do not add any additional fertilizer or compost to the plant until it has regained its usual health and appearance. If you’re ever in doubt, a good rule to follow is to play it safe and repot the plant. A mixture of 70% soil and 30% compost is perfect for almost any plant.
Where to Get Compost?
Considering its benefits for your plants, you’re likely wondering where to get your hands on some of this earthy gold. There are a few routes to choose from:
Purchasing Compost
The simplest way to obtain specialized and regular compost is to purchase it. Both compost and fertilizer can be found at any hardware or gardening store. A variety of brands and types are available to choose from, and the material is packaged in variously sized bags according to your needs.
This option is convenient, but it’s not necessarily the best. Store-bought compost can eventually end up being more expensive than a plant is worth, especially if you have many plants or one large plant in your home. Many commercially produced composts also have a strong and unpleasant smell. Regardless of where the odor may sit on the scale of “earthy” to “literal cow manure,” it’s likely that you don’t want that stench permeating your home.
Making Compost
The most economical way to get some compost is to make it yourself. In addition to its economic benefits, such as finding another use for vegetable scraps, home composting is a great way to give back to the environment. Any organic matter you compost is less material rotting in a landfill. There’s no packaging to throw away, and there are no carbon emissions from the product being shipped to the store.
Outdoor Composting Piles
The most commonly thought of composting method is the classic outdoor compost pile. The process for this is simple: after creating a designated space (often a section of the yard or a large, enclosed bin), you pile up your organic matter and turn it regularly. This can be done using a physical composting bin or a less contained compost pile.
Some common composting items are:
- Grass Clippings
- Coffee Grounds
- Fallen Leaves
- Plastic-Free Tea Bags
- Food Scraps
- Cardboard
- Shredded Newspaper
- Plant Matter - such as pulled weeds and end-of-life annuals
When done outdoors, this method often ends up blending with vermicomposting. While traditional outdoor composting is rewarding and backed by generations of proven results, it’s not for everyone. Some unique drawbacks include:
- Risk of attracting pests, such as rats, raccoons, and other critters
- Potentially dangerous in small yards with young children
- Seasonal maintenance, which may be labor-intensive for particularly large piles
- Neighbors may not appreciate the smell
Indoor Kitchen Waste Composter
For folks with a small yard or no yard, another solution is an indoor composter. This approach is essentially a repackaged and condensed form of the traditional outdoor compost pile that requires absolutely no outdoor space. This method is a small to large-sized compost bin filled with your kitchen scraps and compostable organic waste, like Karfo.
To speed up the process, some people choose to purchase inexpensive starter kits, which are packed with microorganisms and nutrients for their compost to thrive. There are a few different types of composters available, from simple DIY solutions to costly turnable rigs. All of these have roughly the same efficiency. Because they are indoors, they eliminate the need for seasonal maintenance.
Vermicomposting
A more lively form of indoor composting is vermicomposting. Using a bin composter, vermicomposting speeds up the process by adding natural organisms to eat and break down the material you put in. In most cases, this means that you’ll be adding a few worms as roommates. Springtails and isopods may also be used in lieu of or to supplement these worms.
Stacking onto the benefits of a protected indoor bin, vermicomposting adds its own perks. The worms inside help break down the material quickly, so turnaround time is lower. (Nonetheless, it’s worth noting that it’ll still be a few months before you see results.) Nonetheless, vermicomposting comes with a few drawbacks, many of which are shared with other forms of composting:
- Having worms wriggling around in your composter
- Possibility of attracting unwanted pests and critters
Composting with Karfo
A solution that addresses all these issues is Karfo, the modern kitchen waste composter. With just the push of a button, Karfo's powerful sensors mix, heat, and incubate your table scraps and bioplastics, transforming your waste into compostable organic matter within 2–5 hours. This process reduces the volume of kitchen waste by 90% without producing unpleasant odors or causing decay. It provides a solid foundation for better composting.
You may also want to know:
