Potting Plants 101: Choosing the right soil
You’ve picked the perfect pot for your plant, or decided that it just needs a soil refresh, now you’re almost ready to get started. The most important thing when it comes to repotting your plants is choosing the right potting medium to meet your house plants needs. Not all plants are the same in what they need from their soil, so it would be wise to do a little research on the specific houseplants you’re wanting to repot before getting started.
Most potting mediums you purchase will contain peat, coco coir, compost, perlite, vermiculite, shredded bark, and worm castings. While it’s more convenient to purchase prepackaged soil mixtures, you should never assume that its claim to be a universal soil is true. Yes, it may be a well-draining mix, but many houseplants require a little more drainage than what standard potting mix has to offer. Let’s talk about how to adjust your store bought soil to fit your plants needs or even make your own potting medium!
Once you’ve chosen a peat or coco coir base for your moisture component, you can choose your drainage components. Peat holds a lot of moisture, but coco coir holds just as much with less medium required. It is also a more environmentally-friendly, less acidic option. Peat moss is a little more acidic than what most of our houseplants prefer, and it is mined rather than produced as a by-product like coco coir. However, peat moss is a little easier to find, so it’s okay if that’s all you have. It tends to become a little more difficult to soak when watering once it has dried out too much, so be sure to add plenty of perlite or vermiculite for drainage.
If you’re unsure what ratio of moisture to drainage medium you should be using, start with 60% moisture medium and add your drainage medium until you think it has the right consistency for your plant. With so many different houseplant varieties, it’s best to personalize your potting medium for each plant. If your plant likes to go longer between waterings, you can keep the 40-60 ratio. If your plant requires frequent watering and doesn’t like to sit with wet feet, you can add more drainage material. For added drainage, you can supplement vermiculite and perlite with lava rock for houseplants.