Mix compost soil yourself: Instructions & procedure

You can process your own or purchased compost into compost soil by mixing it with other ingredients. We provide suitable tips and instructions.

Anyone who owns a compost heap or can purchase compost cheaply can produce compost soil flexibly and according to their needs. We give you the following instructions for compost-based potting soil for summer flowers, vegetables, cuttings and seeds as well as herbs and woody plants. You can also find more here Advantages of having your own compost heap and in this article you will learn all about the properties of compost.

tip: If mixing yourself is too much effort, you will find high-quality products in our shop Organic potting soil for a wide variety of plants.

Do you have your own compost and would like to use it to mix potting soil? With a view to the needs of different groups of plants, we have put together a few mixes for you that you can easily make yourself. You can sterilize your own compost before using it to kill pathogens and weed seeds. This can be done either in the preheated oven (10 to 20 minutes at 200 ° C) or in the microwave (10 minutes, 800 watts). However, only heat three to five liters of compost at a time so that the entire amount is evenly sterilized. If sterility is not very important to you - for example for growing young plants - you can safely skip this step. Eventually, by doing this, you will kill any other useful life in the compost as well.

All information below is to be understood as a volume percentage, so that you can mix with a very large measuring knife or simply with the green thumb and a feeling for quantities.

Mix compost for summer flowers

Summer flowers on beds and borders are usually annual and are used to a consistently high supply of nutrients from their cultivation, which the substrate should offer them. You can apply this over a large area before sowing or planting and / or add each individual plant to the planting hole.

• 60% finished compost
• 20% fresh compost
• 10% shredded foliage from bog plants
• 10% bentonite or vermiculite
• Some Horn meal

Mix compost for vegetables

Compost soil for vegetables should not contain too much nitrogen in order not to hinder the fruit set through excessive vegetative growth. Since especially tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) and Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) have a high water requirement, a good water holding capacity is also useful to better survive hot summer days.

• 70% ready-made compost (alternatively: 50% ready-made compost, 20% fresh compost for crops with high nutrient requirements)
• 20% xylitol (alternatively: 10% coconut fiber and 10% coniferous wood chips or shredded leaves from bog plants)
• A little more organic Slow release fertilizer (if the compost was made from nutrient-poor material, then a little more)

Mix compost soil for summer flowers in the bucket

Potted potting soil should store water for a long time and keep it readily available without too little oxygen being available at the roots. Nutrients should also be available over the long term and evenly in order to minimize maintenance.

• 50% finished compost
• 20% wood fiber, preferably from coniferous wood
• 20% coconut flour (cocopeat)
• 10% bentonite or vermiculite
• Some organic long-term fertilizer (if the finished compost was mainly made from green waste, then a little more - if the finished compost was mainly made from organic waste, then a little less)
• Some horn meal

Mix compost for cuttings and for sowing

Compost soil for young plants must absolutely be low in nutrients and well air permeable. More frequent watering is necessary, but the roots that develop become strong and do not rot.

• 50% mature compost (alternatively: coconut flour (cocopeat) and bark humus)
• 30% perlite (alternatively: rice husks)
• 20% xylitol (alternatively: 10% coconut flour (cocopeat) and 10% coniferous wood chips or shredded leaves from bog plants)

Mix compost for herbs

Most herbs would grow satisfactorily on reasonably good, humus-rich garden soil. Ideally suited - especially for Mediterranean ones Planting herbs - however, it is a well-drained, somewhat poorer soil.

• 30% mature compost
• 40% sand
• 30% coconut fibers (alternatively: 50% ripe compost and sand each)
• Some primary rock flour
• Somewhat organic slow release fertilizer

Mix compost for woody plants

Woods like that Boxwood (Buxus) are occasionally grown in pots. For them, too, there is a very suitable and simple mixture with ready-made compost.

• 60% finished compost
• 40% broken bricks
• Somewhat organic slow release fertilizer

Tip:Make compost yourself

Would you like to make your own potting soil, but don't have your own compost? If you are still not entirely sure, this article may help you understand the benefits and workload of the Compost heap treated. Composting is an ancient principle that you, too, can do with a little background knowledge, practice and the right equipment. The principle is simple: composting is done by small and very small living things - Worms, Snails, bacteria, fungi and insects - carried out. However, good composting is only possible if their living conditions are sufficiently good. The right selection of the compost, any auxiliary materials, the right composter and the location are very important. And you will need a little patience, because the rotting to the ripe compost can take up to two years. Everything you need to know about "Compost properly“You can read about it in this special article.