Can you compost flowers? The simple answer to this is- yes, you can.
Flowers are vibrant, colourful and do so well to brighten up the garden. Yet, flowers also have a lifespan. Eventually, those colourful flowers will die.
Most often, we will throw away the dead petals once a flower dies. But as I am a compost lover and an environmentalist, I thought to myself ‘can a flower undergo composting?’
After research, I can confidently say YES! The benefits of composting flowers, dead or alive, can help the conditions of the soil and nutrient uptake.
Hence why, I am eager to share with you the benefits of composting flowers, how to distinguish between “brown” or “green” material and lastly, finishing with a few tips on how to get the best out of your flower waste.
Let’s dive in.
Page Contents
Benefits of adding flowers to a compost pile
Provide essential nutrients
Plants require an uptake of nutrients for them to grow. Just as we eat three meals a day to carry out daily activities, plants are not so different. They rely on the soil to provide nutrients to carry out processes such as photosynthesis.
Compost is a great way to add vital nutrients to the soil. To get good compost, the organic matter that decomposes has to be nutrient-rich. Surprisingly, flowers, dead or alive, have many benefits.
This includes:
Flowers and their parts (leaves, stems) are good compost ingredients. They provide a rich source of nutrients when you add them to a compost pile. Both fresh or dead flowers can be recycled, as they break down under a natural decomposition process.
Get rid of waste
Leftover flowers can be difficult to get rid of. We often throw them away in bins or they are just left.
But do we have to? Is there not a more eco-friendly use for them?
In India, for example, there was time where approximately 2 tonnes of flower waste was discarded daily. The waste came from flowers left in temples, mosques and Gudhwaras for religious purposes. The flowers were thrown in rivers, but this led to heavily polluted waterways.
To combat this, parts of India now use their flower waste to make organic compost. The production of ‘black magic’ helps to increase their production of vegetables. They then feed these vegetables to the poor. As a community, we can all learn from this… it is a prime example of how we can recycle waste into something better (while also giving good charity).
Environmentally friendly
Any kind of waste thrown in bins increases landfill waste. SIMPLE. This is not good as it produces the potent gas, methane. This can have severely damaging effects on our atmosphere. To avoid this, governments across the world have introduced bins specific to garden waste. This waste has a more eco-friendly use when compared to dumping in landfills.
A better option we have is to re-use floral waste. Flower petals, stem and buds are nutrient-rich. Hence, they are great organic material we can add to a compost pile.
Are flowers a “green” or “brown” material
Compost has a balance between greens and browns. What I love about flowers is they can either fall into ‘greens’ or ‘browns’:
Green
Fresh flowers are “greens” and are full of nitrogen. Nitrogen plays an important role in the composting process. They give energy to microbes so they can grow quickly. These same microbes then break down organic matter to catalyse the decomposition process.
Other green materials we can add to a compost pile include kitchen scraps such as banana peels, tea bags, leaves and moulded fruit and vegetables. I have found onion waste; be that peels, cut or moulded onions to be a great addition to a compost pile.
Brown
Once a flower is dead or dry, it is a “brown”. “Browns” are rich in carbon and they give a steady source of energy to microorganisms. These microorganisms can then break down organic matter for the duration of the composting process.
Examples of brown materials include leaves, twigs and branches.
Overall
Need a good mix of both. Generally, a ratio of four parts brown to one part green is good. Add water to keep the pile and moist and turn the pile once a week to allow aeration. This will give you a healthy compost pile.
Deadheading vs composting
Deadheading refers to the removal of dead flower heads from your plants. This helps to remove seeds from flower heads and this prevents reproduction. The plant will take up less resources. This allows energy and nutrients to allocate to the roots and stem of a plant that are healthy and have better potential to grow. .
As a result, roots will be stronger and healthier. The stem grows thicker and is more likely to shoot. This makes the plant more likely to capture light and store carbon.
This process is simple… pinch off the dead blossoms and collect.
The debris you collect from deadheading can then be added to a compost pile.
If you want extra reading material in relation to deadheading, RHS give great advice and tips.
Good Tip!
Flowers also grow in certain vegetables such as spinach and radish. Pinch off the flower buds can help vegetables to keep their flavour and texture.
Which flowers NOT to add
Avoid plants that contain chemical-based pesticides or fertilizers.
Be cautious when you buy flowers from plant stores. If you buy from a local florist, ask if the flowers have had any contact with chemicals.
A commercial flower feed can be a problem. The feed contains certain ingredients that can kill off bacteria. Flowers that have had exposure to feeds can kill off microorganisms in a compost pile. Organic matter will not break down, rendering the compost pile useless.
Don’t add diseased flowers. This can spread in the compost pile and into the plant compost is layered in.
How to make compost from flowers?
Collect all your flower waste. This can come from deadheading, or trimming your flowers. If you have any unwanted flowers in your garden, can add them to your debris too.
Cut into smaller pieces– This includes flowers, stems and leaves. This makes it easier for microbes to break down organic material. Also, the compost pile will turn a lot easier.
Make a sandwich– Organise your material. Separate the layers of greens and browns.
Keep the compost pile moist. Microbes thrive in moisture. But, be careful not to add too much water as this can damage the compost.
Turn the pile– It is crucial to do this at least once a week. It keeps the compost aerated and allows bacteria to thrive. It also helps to make sure that every part of the compost decomposes.
You can make small adjustments to your compost based on what is grown. For example, if you are growing succulents, you add grit/sand/pumice to make suitable cactus compost. Hence, adjust according to what is grown.
Can you add flowers for hot composting?
This is a great idea as flower seeds are prone to regrow in a compost pile. But with hot composting, the high temperatures will kill the seeds. Thus, it is very unlikely for a flower to sprout in a compost pile.
Good Tip!
Remember to stir the hot compost pile to allow air to enter.
Top tips when you compost flowers
Composting flowers is straightforward. But, there are a few things to be careful of:
Make sure the flower is free of any disease
This is RULE NUMBER ONE. When you observe your flower, look out for any signs of mould, wilting or yellowness. Gardeners.com have a great article on common flower diseases and how to spot them. I would recommend having a read if you are not sure on this subject.
The last thing you will want is for a disease to spread in a compost pile. It will kill microbes and organic matter will not break down. The compost pile will be infected and will go to waste.
The last thing you want is to add infected compost to the beautiful Korean Succulents. They will get infected and eventually die!
Hence, small observations like this are crucial.
Try to avoid flowers that have had chemical based fertilizers or pesticides added to them
If you are growing flowers, you will know better if the fertilizers/ pesticides you add are chemical or not.
For those who buy from plant stores, there is a high chance of some kind of chemicals present. Hence, check with stores before you add brought plants to compost.
Good Tip!
Some people, get confused between compost and fertilizer. If you are one of those, have a read on one of my previous blog posts ‘Important! Understand the difference between Compost and Fertilizer’
Remove any inorganic material that comes with buying flowers.
Inorganic material in a compost pile will not break down. It will only add extra weight and take up space. Hence, remove any stickers, tags, or ribbons.
Other useful tips on composting flowers
Basic homemade feeds such as lemonade or sugar are fine to add. Homemade fertilizers from lemon or sugar will not affect a compost pile. There is no need to worry if flowers are grown in them.
Cut into small pieces. Once you collect your debris, it is best to break it down into smaller pieces.
Add vase water from cut flowers to your compost pile. Normally, vase water needs replacing every couple of days to keep it fresh. Rather than rinsing it down the sink, add vase water to a compost pile.
Thinking about it, it is also a good way to keep your compost pile moist too.
Stems and leaves can also be handy. It is not only the petals that are useful. We can also cut stems and leaves into smaller pieces. They are also full of vital nutrients and can help make a better compost pile.
Final words
It is amazing to think about how many materials we can add to a compost pile. Being able to compost flowers is a great example of this.
Dying flowers, buds, leaves and stems are resourceful. We can add them to a compost pile to make nutrient-rich compost. Fresh flowers make up the “greens” while decaying, dead flowers are the “browns”.
Just be careful not to add infectious flowers, or those that use a chemical-based pesticide or fertilizer. Remove inorganic material from flowers and cut the debris into smaller pieces.
To sum up, flowers including those unwanted or dying, do not have to be waste. Instead, use methods like this to be eco-friendly and cost-efficient. Ultimately, recycle your waste to make nutrient-rich compost for healthy plant growth.
