Post by admin on Oct 20, 2006 13:45:48 GMT -5
Making your own Basic Potting Soil
This is not hard to do. In fact, it is kind of fun. The recipe for a standard potting mix is simple: 2 parts peat moss; 1 part sterilized potting soil; 1 part perlite. Mix these ingredients together and you will have a clean, porous, moisture retaining, nutrient filled potting soil. By diluting the packaged potting soil with the peat moss and perlite, you will also reduce the excess soil salts that I mentioned above. Including garden soil in your potting mix is risky because it is too heavy and probably contains bacterial and fungal pathogens that can infect plant roots.
Cacti and Succulent Potting Mix
Succulents have fine root systems that have evolved in nature to absorb moisture quickly and efficiently move that moisture to the plant for storage. This allows them to withstand drought conditions in their native habitats. Their roots are not adapted to stay in constantly moist soil. Thus, they must be potted in a very porous mix that will not retain water for very long. A good succulent mix will have lots of sand or perlite in proportion to soil or peat moss. You should notice that the water runs through this mix easily and quickly. There are packaged cactus potting mixes available or you can mix your own.
Fern Potting Mix
Ferns are the opposite of succulents. Ferns grow in areas that are constantly damp for most of the year. So they need a soil mix that has more moisture retaining matter and less porous material. This mix should have little or no perlite in it. The perlite can be replaced with vermiculite. Many people like to add some leaf mold to this mix, as well.
Epiphytic or Orchid Potting Mix
Epiphytes or air plants (orchids, bromeliads, anthuriums) don't grow in the ground like most houseplants. In nature their roots attach themselves to tree branches. Why is this important? Because many epiphytes cannot be grown in regular potting soil or their roots will rot. They should be grown in a mix of very porous, lumpy material such as sphagnum moss, bark chips, lava rock or vermiculite & perlite. These mixes do not retain water very long so the epiphytic roots will not rot. Epiphytic potting mixes are often available in packages labeled as Orchid Mix.
Conclusion
Unnecessary repotting is one of the most common plant care mistakes made. Plants flourish when their roots are tight and struggle when surrounded with excess soil. Never repot unless absolutely necessary and never repot an ailing or recently acquired plant. On those infrequent occasions that repotting is necessary, move your plant into the next sized pot and use only a good quality, sterilized potting mix. That is the root of the matter.
This is not hard to do. In fact, it is kind of fun. The recipe for a standard potting mix is simple: 2 parts peat moss; 1 part sterilized potting soil; 1 part perlite. Mix these ingredients together and you will have a clean, porous, moisture retaining, nutrient filled potting soil. By diluting the packaged potting soil with the peat moss and perlite, you will also reduce the excess soil salts that I mentioned above. Including garden soil in your potting mix is risky because it is too heavy and probably contains bacterial and fungal pathogens that can infect plant roots.
Cacti and Succulent Potting Mix
Succulents have fine root systems that have evolved in nature to absorb moisture quickly and efficiently move that moisture to the plant for storage. This allows them to withstand drought conditions in their native habitats. Their roots are not adapted to stay in constantly moist soil. Thus, they must be potted in a very porous mix that will not retain water for very long. A good succulent mix will have lots of sand or perlite in proportion to soil or peat moss. You should notice that the water runs through this mix easily and quickly. There are packaged cactus potting mixes available or you can mix your own.
Fern Potting Mix
Ferns are the opposite of succulents. Ferns grow in areas that are constantly damp for most of the year. So they need a soil mix that has more moisture retaining matter and less porous material. This mix should have little or no perlite in it. The perlite can be replaced with vermiculite. Many people like to add some leaf mold to this mix, as well.
Epiphytic or Orchid Potting Mix
Epiphytes or air plants (orchids, bromeliads, anthuriums) don't grow in the ground like most houseplants. In nature their roots attach themselves to tree branches. Why is this important? Because many epiphytes cannot be grown in regular potting soil or their roots will rot. They should be grown in a mix of very porous, lumpy material such as sphagnum moss, bark chips, lava rock or vermiculite & perlite. These mixes do not retain water very long so the epiphytic roots will not rot. Epiphytic potting mixes are often available in packages labeled as Orchid Mix.
Conclusion
Unnecessary repotting is one of the most common plant care mistakes made. Plants flourish when their roots are tight and struggle when surrounded with excess soil. Never repot unless absolutely necessary and never repot an ailing or recently acquired plant. On those infrequent occasions that repotting is necessary, move your plant into the next sized pot and use only a good quality, sterilized potting mix. That is the root of the matter.