How to Use Vermicompost on Your Plants

As a Seed-Starting Boost

Vermicompost is a terrific amendment for starting seeds, as it’s nutrient-rich and helps support the young plants’ growth. If you’re starting seeds indoors, simply add a little bit to the seed-starting medium. For outdoor seed planting, just sprinkle it along the trench or into the holes that you dug for your seeds.

As a Top Dressing

My favorite time to add soil amendments that are high in nutritional value is while plants are actively growing. Not that I would stop you from adding it to the garden bed at any time, but that’s when it makes the most sense to the plants. During the spring, summer, and fall both vegetable and ornamental plants can also take advantage of the excellent water-holding properties of vermicompost.

To use your garden gold as a top dressing, just apply it to the drip line of any plant. The drip line is around the circumference of the plant that starts at the longest outward branches. Picture it as if someone was at the top of a plant or tree and was spraying water onto the branches — the drip line is the area where the water would “drip off” and land onto the ground around the plant (or tree). A lot of water and nutrition is taken up by the tiny roots in this area.

Vermicompost and Houseplants

Houseplants are an ideal vermicompost recipient because you can amend these guys year-round. Remove a small amount of potting soil from the plant’s pot and replace it with some vermicompost. Sprinkle 1/4 to 1/2 inch into the pot to replace the soil you took out. Offer this little treat every other month and you’ll have your houseplants eating out of your hands (and they probably didn’t do that before).