Pure compost,no.

Mixed with potting soil,yes but potting soil alone is better.

Mixed with topsoil,yes.

No to compost, no to topsoil and no to mixing potting soil with either!! Potted plants - indoors or out - need potting soil. Period. And a good quality potting soil will not contain anything like compost or topsoil, as they will alter/impede the proper drainage and aeration containerized plants require.

"And a good quality potting soil will not contain anything like compost or topsoil,"

Is Scotts a good quality potting soil? I had a broken bag that was kept moist by sprinklers and sprouted a bunch of Nutsedge. In the absence of topsoil and compost,where might the grass got into the mix?

I posted the question, so let me clarify: I make my own home-made compost - a mix of leaves and kitchen scraps - that I currently use in all my outdoor flower gardens. Someone asked if they could use it for their houseplants - with worms weeded out. I never thought of that. Good idea or no?

Worm castings is outstanding for topdressing houseplants. I've used castings in seed trays but never tried it as a growing medium. What do you mean by"I never thought of that"?

I have several 20+yrs old houseplants (yes, they are big and a pain to take out of the house in May and inside in september). They got originally garden soil and compost. every May I put new earthworms in each pot, and organic trash (typically soft residuals from the compost pile) which they will process. drainage is good, and over time the original garden soil has gotten lighter, because every now and again I had to take out the excess. plus they got mycorrhizae.

Of all the questions that come up on the Houseplants forum (or the Cacti and Succulents forum......or the Container Gardening forum) about 'why is my plant dying', 'why are my leaves yellowing' or 'why do I have fungus gnats', 95% of them are due to a poor choice in potting soils or potting soil ingredients and the subsequent struggles and stresses the plants go through!!

If you think that compost, garden or topsoil or worm castings make or help to make a decently durable, fast draining and well aerated potting media, more power to you :-) After gardening in containers (indoors and out) both personally and professionally for more than 30 years, I'd have to disagree. A correct media makes all the difference in the world in terms of plant longevity, health and productivity. But maybe so-so performance is all that's expected.........or required.

"But maybe so-so performance is all that's expected.........or required."

That is a profound statement, uncommonly reserved and respectful compared to the current norm on houzz. I'm a long time fan of yours GG. I wish we had more like you,not only on houzz but in our neighborhoods and positions of leadership. It appear's to me that OP's"someone"is searching for a silver bullet that alow's them to grow great houseplants without expending much effort. Even if Kim gave them an ideal soil they very well may fall short in other areas simply because they are not willing to invest effort to rise above"so-so performance". Most of us are equally guilty in one area or another of life. My achilles heel is furniture finishing. IMO,if a person isn't willing to invest the effort to do it right,they should just give grandmaw's rolltop to someone that will. Sit in the hall of any courthouse to see highly educated lawyers dressed two notches above a wino. In one thing or another,all of us are willing to except less than perfect,that might be true of this person when it come's to houseplants.

I don't get it. If the plants are 20+ yrs old, 8 ft tall, and resistant to indoors and outdoors abuse, this is enough for most houseplant owners. indoors abuse includes overwatering, and outdoors abuse includes drought. I think a myc. component (absent in artificial soils) is useful to houseplants, and the method described above effectively mulches the plant while earthworms produce vermi-compost in situ.

That's exactly what I wanted to know. Thank you Toxcrusadr! Makes sense.

I will have to mildly disagree with Tox. Initially, he is right. But over the years the soil is replaced by vermicompost and becomes lighter, and the micro-flora is all there. the whole soil-compost ball is shot through with earthworm channels, and drainage becomes excellent. at the very least, a handful of good soil should be added to the pot for micro-flora seeding. commercial soil is partially sterile.

Can't argue with that. I was thinking primarily of annual pots when I wrote that.