[Journal](https://thecomposta.com/journal) Guide # How much vermicompost to use: per pot, per square metre and per acre Rates from ICAR, TNAU and Kerala Agricultural University, turned into amounts you can measure out. 8 October 2026 · 6 min read _Illustration: A terracotta pot with a plant on a potting bench, a can, a scoop and a trowel resting beside it; the scoop tips castings in, the trowel mixes them into the top and the can waters, one at a time, and a wall calendar marks the monthly feed_ Key points - For a potted plant, 100 to 200 g (one to two handfuls) every 30 to 45 days, or 10 to 20 percent of the potting mix by volume. - For a bed, about 0.5 to 1 kg per square metre, mixed into the top 10 cm. ICAR's north-eastern hills centre gives 5 to 6 tonnes per hectare for field crops, which is 2.0 to 2.4 tonnes per acre. - For fruit plants, ICAR gives 3 to 5 kg per plant; the pit rates for mango, banana and cashew are in the table below. - More is not better. A 2026 sugarcane study found that vermicompost at 10 tonnes per hectare raised nitrate loss in clay soil after heavy rain, and pure castings can be high in salts. Published rates for vermicompost vary because crops, soils and feeds vary, but they cluster. These are the ones from ICAR, TNAU, the National Centre of Organic and Natural Farming and Kerala Agricultural University, with the arithmetic done for you. Treat them as a starting point and adjust with a soil test. ## Rates at a glance Published vermicompost rates | Use | Rate | Source | | ------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- | | Potted plant (6 to 8 inch pot) | 100 to 200 g per pot, every 30 to 45 days | ICAR NEH; The Composta how-to-use guide | | Mixing into potting soil | 10 to 20% of the mix by volume | The Composta how-to-use guide; extension guidance | | Terrace or kitchen garden bed | 0.5 to 1 kg per square metre, in the top 10 cm | The Composta how-to-use guide | | Field crops, cereals and pulses | 5 to 6 tonnes per hectare (about 2.0 to 2.4 tonnes per acre) | ICAR NEH | | Fruit crops | 3 to 5 kg per plant | ICAR NEH | | Chilli, brinjal, tomato top-dressing | 1 tonne per hectare (100 g per square metre), after 25 tonnes of FYM or compost as the base | KAU, in the NCONF package | | Mango planting pit | 5 kg, with 20 kg FYM | NCONF, from IIHR | | Banana planting pit | 2 kg, with 10 kg FYM or compost | NCONF | | Cashew, adult tree | 30 kg | NCONF, from IIHR | ## Worked examples - Twelve 8-inch pots on a balcony: 12 x 100 to 200 g is 1.2 to 2.4 kg per feeding, so one 5 kg Balcony bag covers about two to four feedings. - A 30 square metre vegetable bed at 0.5 to 1 kg per square metre needs 15 to 30 kg: a Garden sack of 25 kg, or one and a bit. - One acre of a field crop at ICAR's rate needs 2.0 to 2.4 tonnes, which is a bulk order and not a retail pack. The calculator on our How to use page does the same sum and suggests packs. ## How often Pots take a feed every 30 to 45 days in the growing season. Beds are fed at planting and topped up each season. Trees are fed at the start and end of the growing season, spread around the drip line, which is the circle under the outer edge of the branches. ## What too much does It is easy to think that a gentle material cannot be overused. A 2026 study put vermicompost on sugarcane at 10 tonnes per hectare in a clay soil with heavy rain and found that it increased nitrate leaching, by about 187 kg of nitrogen per hectare compared with untreated plots, because the soil could not hold the extra nitrogen. The University of Maryland adds that pure castings can be high in soluble salts, so use them sparingly and keep them away from seedling roots. Soil matters as much as the rate. A 2017 greenhouse study of tomatoes, at about 30 tonnes per hectare, found a 74 percent rise in yield in soil that had never grown tomatoes and only 28 percent in soil that had grown them for 20 years. The same dose does not do the same thing everywhere. ## Common questions ### How much vermicompost for a 12-inch pot? No published rate names a 12-inch pot. The usual approach is to scale the 100 to 200 g for a 6 to 8 inch pot in proportion to the soil the pot holds, and to start at the low end and watch the plant. ### How many kilograms of vermicompost per acre? ICAR's north-eastern hills centre gives 5 to 6 tonnes per hectare for field crops, which is about 2.0 to 2.4 tonnes per acre. Our how-to-use guide, which follows ICAR and university guidance, allows up to about 2 tonnes per acre for vegetables. ### Can I use too much vermicompost? Yes. A 2026 sugarcane study found that vermicompost at 10 tonnes per hectare increased nitrate loss in clay soil after heavy rain, and pure castings can be high in soluble salts. Stay within the published rates. ### How often should I add vermicompost? Every 30 to 45 days for potted plants through the growing season, at planting and once more per season for beds, and at the start and end of the season for trees. ### How much vermicompost for one mango or banana plant? NCONF's schedule, from IIHR, puts 5 kg of vermicompost in a mango planting pit with 20 kg of FYM, and 2 kg in a banana pit with 10 kg of FYM or compost. ## Terms in this guide - [Compost](https://thecomposta.com/glossary#compost) - [Farmyard manure](https://thecomposta.com/glossary#farmyard-manure) - [Leaching](https://thecomposta.com/glossary#leaching) - [Potting mix](https://thecomposta.com/glossary#potting-mix) - [Top dressing](https://thecomposta.com/glossary#top-dressing) - [Vermicompost](https://thecomposta.com/glossary#vermicompost) - [Vermicast](https://thecomposta.com/glossary#vermicast) ## Sources - [ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region: vermicompost production and practices](https://static.vikaspedia.in/media/files%5Fen/agriculture/farm-based-enterprises/vermicompost-production-and-practices.pdf) - [National Centre of Organic and Natural Farming: organic package of practices for horticultural crops (2022)](https://agritech.tnau.ac.in/org%5Ffarm/pdf/Horticulture5%5F231009%5F094153.pdf) - [Kerala Agricultural University: package of practices, vermicompost](https://pop.kau.in/vermicompost.htm) - [University of Maryland Extension: worm composting](https://extension.umd.edu/resource/indoor-worm-composting-or-vermicomposting) - [Oregon State University Extension: using compost](https://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pub/em9308) - [Wang and others (2017): Vermicompost improves tomato yield and quality and the biochemical properties of soils with different tomato planting history in a greenhouse study](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5702354/) - [Canning and others (2026): Vermicompost alters soil microbial communities and decomposition but increases nitrate leaching in tropical sugarcane](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12828582/) - [The Composta: how to use vermicompost](https://thecomposta.com/how-to-use) ## Keep reading [_Illustration: A balcony: a railing against the sky, a row of planters in front of it with a chilli plant, marigolds, a herb and a fern, and a hanging basket above_GuideThe best organic fertiliser for a terrace or balcony garden in IndiaA clear way to feed pots on a roof: the potting mix, how much vermicompost, how often, and what to check before you load a terrace.8 October 2026 · 6 min read](https://thecomposta.com/journal/best-organic-fertiliser-terrace-garden-india)[_Illustration: A balcony ledge with a window box being watered, a tall planter and a hanging basket, a bee visiting_GuideVermicompost for tomato, chilli, roses, lawns, mango and bananaWhat the Indian schedules say for each crop, and where they say nothing, so you know which numbers are firm.8 October 2026 · 6 min read](https://thecomposta.com/journal/vermicompost-for-plants-crop-wise-guide)[_Illustration: A terracotta pot with a young plant on a sunny windowsill in front of an open-shuttered window, a scoop tipping a handful of castings into it and an earthworm waving beside it_How toVermicompost in potting mix and seed starting: how much to useThe shares that extension services recommend, why they are capped, and a few cautions on salts and acidity.8 October 2026 · 5 min read](https://thecomposta.com/journal/vermicompost-potting-mix-seed-starting) ## Put it to work Fine, odourless castings, delivered to your door and quoted to order. [Get a quote](https://thecomposta.com/shop) _Illustration: A garden running the width of the page: a freshly packed pouch of castings sitting on a low wall beside a seedling in a pot, a trowel stuck in the soil at the foot of the wall and an earthworm pushing a barrow of castings toward it_ --- Source: https://thecomposta.com/journal/how-much-vermicompost-to-use The Composta is a brand of Nutrify Private Limited, 1st Floor, Plot No. B & B1, Vanijya Nikunj, Enkay Centre, Udyog Vihar Phase 5, Gurugram, Haryana 122016, India. Contact: contact@thecomposta.com, +91 90535 19734 (also WhatsApp). Quotes: sales@thecomposta.com. Importers and bulk buyers: export@thecomposta.com. More for agents: https://thecomposta.com/llms.txt