How to Use Compost for Healthier Plants

compost in garden — Credit:
Nobilior / Getty Images

Compost can kick your lawn and garden’s overall health into high gear. But to reap its many benefits, you’ll need to know how to use compost the right way. When applied to your lawn and garden beds, compost can speed up growth, suppress weeds, improve moisture retention, and enrich your soil. Ahead, we're sharing the many ways experts say you can use compost to give your landscape a boost.

John Faerber, director of horticulture at The Lake House on Canandaigua
Chrissie Handley, lawn care specialist at Online Turf

Combine Compost and Mulch

Combining compost with mulch is an effective way to combat pesky weeds and help retain moisture in your soil. Start by removing weeds from your lawn or garden. Then, apply the compost over the soil and add a 3- to 4-inch top layer of mulch, says John Faerber, the director of horticulture at The Lake House on Canandaigua. After applying the mulch, use a rake to even out all the bumps.

Place Compost Around Trees and Shrubs

Add a layer of compost around the trees and shrubs in your landscape, allowing it to seep into the root systems below, says Chrissie Handley, lawn care specialist at Online Turf. “Just make sure not to smother the plant with too much compost, so there’s still aeration,” she warns.

Look up your tree or shrub species for guidance on how much compost to add and how often. “For some, if you’re adding too much compost too regularly, this can harm rather than help by knocking off the PH balance,” Handley says.

Make Compost Tea

Compost tea is a great way to fertilize your plants. “When your compost has broken down into beautiful soil, you can make compost tea,” says Faerber. To do this, place 1 1/2 cups of finished compost into a bucket. Then, fill the bucket with a gallon of non-chlorinated water. Add a lid and let the mixture sit for about one week, stirring daily. Then, strain the compost tea into another bucket.

Pour the compost tea over the soil around the base of your plants to increase growth. You can also spray it onto the leaves as a foliar to help suppress diseases and pests.

Add Compost to Flower Beds

One of the best uses for compost is in flower beds. “For flower beds, compost helps aid super quick growth and fast blooms,” says Handley. As the compost breaks down, it will improve the flower bed’s soil, helping perk up your blooms. When planting flowers, add compost to the hole before backfilling. For established plants, sprinkle compost over the soil in early to mid-spring once the plants have grown a few inches above the soil.

Use Compost With Fertilizer

Mixing compost with fertilizer is a great method for boosting a specific nutrient in your soil. “Compost provides an all-around boost, but if you need to add a specific nutrient to your plants or lawn like nitrogen, then mix your compost with a fertilizer high in nitrogen,” says Handley.

Rejuvenate a Lawn with Compost

Compost works wonders for your lawn. “Compost provides a natural nutrient boost for your soil, making sure it’s the best quality to support healthy grass,” says Handley. Work a few inches of compost into your soil before seeding. For an established lawn, sprinkle a thin layer of compost over existing grass for a quick nutrient boost.

Add Compost to Vegetable Gardens

Spread a few inches of compost over your vegetable garden bed and gently till it into the soil to boost your plants' nutrients. Throughout the growing season, give heavy feeder plants, such as tomatoes, corn, and squash, 1/2 inch of compost monthly.