Soil is essential for the healthy growth of plants. What you blend with it influences the production of blooms, foliage, and fruits. Compost can help your soil regain its strength and allow more plant nutrients.
The plants will grow well with plant-based compost mixes that follow organic gardening practices. The compost helps potting soil to hold in water and nutrients. Synthetic compost mixes will also work, but growing the plants with natural compost makes a great difference.
You can buy bagged compost mix from a local garden center or create your own. However, with so many choices available, you might get overwhelmed while choosing. So, we have listed 15 options of plant-based compost mixes to help you decide.
1. Old Potters Organic Compost
This plant-based potting soil comes from decomposed organic material. You can use this as a complete food for indoor and outdoor gardening or agriculture. With this compost mix, you help speed plant growth and encourage healthy blooms and leaves.
Click here to buy this product on Amazon.
2. Wakefield Premium Compost
This compost combines all-natural untreated wood feedstock with beneficial fungi and bacteria. The compost is perfect if you are following organic gardening practices. You can use the compost mix for all types of plants and gardens.
It is ready to use and will work well if you mix it with other organic matter. This compost will boost and improve soil health if you plan to make compost kits.
Click here to purchase this product on Amazon.
3. Black Gold Garden Compost Blend
The Black Gold compost blend helps outdoor annuals, perennials, and container plants. Other uses of the compost include:
- Bedding plants
- Garden soil amendment
- Raised beds
- Trees and shrubs
It contains composted Canadian sphagnum peat moss, aged bark, and other forest products. The mixture improves soil aeration, drainage, and moisture retention.
Click here to see this product on Amazon.
4. Gardener's Gold Premium Compost Mixture
This all-natural premium compost enhances the soil's properties and reduces the need for fertilizers. The plant-based compost has no animal manure or industrial waste. The ingredients include the following plant materials:
- Grass clippings
- Shredded paper
- Straw
- Wood chips
You can apply this compost during spring or fall.
Click here to get this product on Amazon.
5. Gardeners Supply Company Organic Potting Soil Mix
This potting mix balances the soil by allowing better aeration and water-holding capability. Its SuperRoot Booster with MycoActive technology creates a living soil. The formula allows plants to grow healthier and faster.
The ingredients of this soil mix include:
- Canadian sphagnum peat moss
- Peat humus
- Mycorrhizae
The mycorrhizal microbes help plants to have more resilient and drought-resistant roots.
If your plants need more nutrients, this mix is a good choice. The mix has a wicking action to ensure the required water intake of the soil.
Click here to see this product on Amazon.
6. Purple Cow Indicanja
Most indoor gardeners love this ready-to-use plant-based compost.
You only need to water the compost mix, so you don't worry about the growth of your plants from seeding to harvesting. It has the essential nutrients and organic matter to help increase the water intake of the soil.
The compost comprises the Purple Cow compost with sphagnum peat moss and other nutrient-dense ingredients.
Click here to buy this product on Amazon.
7. Purple Cow Activated Compost
The Purple Cow compost formulation originates from composted leaves and alfalfa fiber.
The compost is an aerobically plant-based mix that includes helpful bacteria and fungi. You can use this compost for both indoor and outdoor needs. It is an OMRI-listed compost that you can use for horticultural crop production.
This product brings back existing soils by forming organic matter. Furthermore, the compost adds biological value to the nutrients included in the compost mixture.
Click here to see this product on Amazon.
8. Fafard Premium Natural & Organic Compost
The ingredients of this compost include Canadian sphagnum peat, bark, and other forest products. Aside from these ingredients, it also has perlite, vermiculite, and seafood/shrimp meal.
The manufacturer also notes that the bark used depends on the region. Eastern and central regions will have pine bark, while the west has fir. Aside from the bark, the formulation of forest products, vermiculite, and rice hulls will vary based on region.
Nonetheless, this compost is ideal for landscape planting and garden beds.
Click here to check this product on Amazon.
9. Heirloom Roses Natural Mint Compost
This product's only ingredient is mint compost, which is excellent for moisture retention in sandy and dry soils. Mint naturally repels aphids, spider mites, and other plant-damaging insects. Moreover, this compost helps in water retention and soil enrichment.
Click here to purchase this product on Amazon.
10. Soil Blend Super Compost
Another option is this certified organic and approved by the American Vegetarian Association compost. This Non-GMO plant food is a mix of alfalfa, composted beef cow manure, and worm castings. It has a 2-2-2 ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, as well as calcium and iron.
Click here to buy this product on Amazon.
11. Peaceful Valley Organic Compost
You can help improve the soil's texture with this high-quality and trusted organic compost from Peaceful Valley. The compost contains organic yard trimmings that allows beneficial soil microorganisms like earthworms.
Click here to get this product on Amazon.
12. Organic Mechanics Planting Mix Compost Blend
According to the manufacturer, use this compost blend as a soil amendment. This compost works well for raised beds to help maintain moisture around the plant roots.
This blend contains pine bark, coir, and worm castings. You can enhance the power of the compost by adding organic fertilizer at the right planting time.
Click here to see this product on Amazon.
13. Blue Ribbon Organics Natural Premium Organic Compost
This compost is OMRI-certified for organic production. It is safe to use at any concentration level and does not burn. Using this compost improves soil aeration and water retention.
The product only has all-natural and organic materials like composted vegetables and grass clippings.
Click here to see this product on Amazon.
14. Coast of Maine Organic Natural Garden Compost
It is best to add this compost for acid-loving low pH thriving plants. It has natural ingredients such as aged bark and sphagnum peat moss that are safe for nutrient-rich growth. This compost also helps revitalize sandy and clay soils.
You can use this compost for the following plants:
- Azaleas and rhodendrons
- Blueberries
- Camellias
- Ferns
- Hollies
- Hydrangeas
- Strawberries
Click here to get this product on Amazon.
15. Noot Organic Indoor Plant Soilless Potting Mix
With this pre-soaked mix with Noot bio-organic plant food, achieve faster plant growth with brighter blooms and lush leaves. It also helps prevent root rots and resist temperature swings.
The organic mixture contains the following:
- Coconut husks and coir
- Perlite (coarse)
- Wood chips
This compost has proven faster growth for indoor plants, such as succulents, bonsai, and kitchen herbs.
Click here to see this product on Amazon.
D-I-Y Plant-Based Compost Mix
You can create your own if you do not want to spend on bagged compost. Before you start, here are the elements you need:
- Organic material - Kitchen scraps, grass clippings, dried leaves, branches, and twigs
- Microorganisms - Animal manure
- Nitrogen - Ammonium nitrate, blood or bone meal
- Air
- Water
Once you have these ready, follow the simple steps below to create a compost mix:
- Prepare the location of your composting pile in your garden. You can also buy composting bins for convenience.
- Layer the composting materials starting from the bottom to the topmost layer:
- Coarse plant matter (e.g., branches)
- 6-10 inches of finer plant matter (e.g., leaves, grass clippings)
- 1 inch of manure
- Repeat the layers 2-3 alternatively until you get a 5-feet high pile.
- Turn the pile on a weekly basis in the summer and monthly during winter.
Creating the compost takes some time, but you can save money in the long run while nourishing soil.
In Summary
There is a wide variety of plant-based compost readily available in the market. Each will have different ingredients but are all beneficial to the soil. If you are keen, you can check if it is wholly plant-based or has traces of organic green matter.
Ultimately, choosing the suitable mix for your plants is up to you. You should align your needs so that the soil and plants benefit from the compost.
You can have healthy soil and abundant plants with the right compost mix.
If you found this post helpful, you can read more about composts from these articles: