Namaskar Desi Gardeners. We all know about compost, right? It is the next most important potting ingredient after soil. Plants love compost, it is their food and comfort. When we think of compost, we usually think of some kind of manure. While that is true, there is a lot more to it. There are various types of compost. It can be prepared by different methods. Sometimes a particular type of compost is required by a particular plant. For example, plants like azalea thrive mostly in leaf-compost. Mushroom growing needs a special kind of composting and potting media that has to be sterile.