How to Add Compost to Existing Plant

Adding finished compost to your garden plant isn’t a difficult task, but you need to do it properly. There are ways to add fertilizer directly to your plant, and you need to be familiar with the process if you are going to get the best out of composting. 

The main reason for starting a compost bin is to convert your household waste into useful nutrients for your plants. It will be of no use if your plants don’t get the most out of all the effort you put into the whole process. 

It doesn’t matter if it is your lawn grass or garden bed, adding compost is easy and doesn’t require any specific training. Once you know when to add compost to your garden, and how to do it; you can now get the best out of all the many months and stress of composting. 

How to Add Compost to Plants? 

The soil characteristics and climate conditions of your area go a long way to determine how often to apply compost. If you live in regions with cold weather and a single growing season, it is best to add compost once during spring. 

If you are in a region where it is possible to plant crops all year round, you can add compost twice or thrice a year, depending on how many times a year you plant on your garden. You should do this especially when you plant vegetables, herbs, and flowers; to replenish the lost nutrients after each season. 

There are a lot of ways you can add compost to your existing garden plant, but we suggest that you should try any of the methods below for safe practice. 

• Using Compost to Amend the Soil 

You can add compost to your soil by slowly using the compost to amend the soil. Since you can’t make use of forks around the roots of your shrubs and vegetables, the safer alternative will be to use your hands. With your bare hands or pair of gloves on, you can spread your compost in layers of up to 4 inches around your plants. You should leave a foot space between the stem or trunk of your plant and the fertilizer, to prevent rotting of plant parts. You can finish off the process by using a rake to mix the compost on the top of the soil, and spread it uniformly for deeper penetration into the soil. 

• In the Form of Compost Tea 

Compost Tea is also a great way to feed your plants all the nutrients that are beneficial to their growth and development. You can do this by taking a pillowcase, and filling it will ready-made compost. Once it is full, dip it in a bucket of water, and allow it to settle for a few days. After two or three days, the compost should be ready for use. You can tell by looking at the compost tea; if the color is dark brown, it is ready for use. Fill the compost tea into a spray bottle for easy application to your plant leaves and roots. You want to make sure that you apply the compost tea evenly to all parts of your garden. 

• As a Mulch 

You can also apply compost to your garden plant as a mulch. Before you begin the process, you want to ensure that you remove all weed and grass from around your plants. You want to do this to avoid them competing for the nutrient with your garden plants. You will need to convert the compost into smaller pieces to be able to use them as a mulch. You can do this by using a mesh to sift the large sizes from the smaller ones. You also want to be careful not to waste too much of the compost during this procedure. So you should do the sifting inside a wheelbarrow, to avoid wastage. Spread the compost uniformly on the surface of the soil, you want to be careful to avoid contact with the stem of the plant. 

• As a Top Dressing 

Another method you can use to apply compost to your garden is as a top dressing. This method works best for lawn grass since you have to spread the compost and cover it with grass. You will have to make use of a rake to spread the compost into your lawn roots and water your garden afterward. 

It is best to top-dress your lawn at the onset of spring and the end of fall. 

Before Adding Compost to Your Garden 

You want to ensure that you use only high-quality compost in your garden. You want to avoid using compost that contains ingredients that are toxic and can harm your plants. If you are going to be making your compost bin, you want to ensure that you make use of the right materials and follow the best composting practice. 

You also want to ensure that your garden is free from weed and grasses to prevent competition for the available soil nutrients. 

Compost is only safe to use on garden soil when it is fully decomposed, so you want to ensure that you check that there are no lumps or materials in the compost when adding it to your soil. 

FAQ’s

Why You Should Add Compost to your Garden 

Using compost in your garden is as effective as adding organic fertilizers. Compost is household waste that has undergone biological breakdown and is safe to use on all garden plants. You should be aware that it is unsafe to use human waste in edible garden plants. It will be best to make use of kitchen waste instead and save the humanure for your lawn grass. 

Now that you know the various methods on how to add compost to existing plants, you shouldn’t have a hard time making use of all that compost in your backyard pile. If you have any more questions or will like to contribute, feel free to make use of the comment section. We will love to hear from you. 

Josephine Brown

Josephine is an enthusiastic gardener who loves to spend her spare time tending to her garden. She is passionate about growing her own food, and aspires to one day have her own vegetable garden. Josephine is also an animal lover and often takes in stray cats and dogs. She enjoys spending time with her pets in the garden, and is often seen playing with them or watering her plants. Josephine is an avid reader and enjoys learning about new gardening techniques and plants. She is always looking for ways to improve her garden and make it more beautiful. She is a great friend, always willing to lend a helping hand when needed. Josephine‘s passion for gardening and love of animals make her a wonderful addition to any garden.