Our 6 Best Potting Soil Tips for Healthier Indoor Plants

There are so many potting soils out there for your indoor plants but knowing which one is best can be tricky. Potting soil is what feeds your plants and gives them a home for roots to grow freely so we want to be sure that we are using the correct ones, or amending them to suit your specific plant!

In this guide, we’re sharing 6 tips to help you choose the right soil for your indoor plants so they can thrive. They include:

1. Potting soil ingredients.
2. The right potting soil.
3. What potting soil your plant likes.
4. Customizing your potting soil.
5. Watering your potting soil.
6. Fertilizing your potting soil.

Let’s dive in to get you started on growing healthier plants!

6 potting soil tips to grow healthier indoor plants

You’re on your way to a strengthening your green thumb!

1. Potting soil ingredients

Knowing what’s in the soil your buying is key. Shoot for something that has ideally a mix of coco coir/peat moss, compost, perlite, and lime. These ingredients are perfect for a base soil that most plants can thrive in. Learn more about each ingredient here: https://modernfarmer.com/2018/02/potting-soil-labels-and-ingredients/

2. The right potting soil

Choose an organic potting soil as it won’t contain any harmful chemicals that can make it harder for your plants to grow in the long run. If you can find one with mycorrhizal fungi it’s a bonus! https://www.pthorticulture.com/en/products/pro-mix-bx-mycorrhizae/

3. What potting soil your plant likes

Plants like a variety of soil types. For tropicals, they prefer a loose well-draining soil with lots of organic matter (peat moss, cococoir, compost, etc.). Cacti prefer a well draining soil with more sand than organic matter. Research your plant and find out what it likes.

4. Customizing your potting soil

Now comes the fun part. Once you know the soil type your plant prefers, you can do some customizing. Soil amendments are endless and you can really hone in on exactly what your plant needs. Perlite helps increase drainage & aeration, while vermiculite helps to increase water retention. Compost, kelp/alfalfa meal will increase organic matter and nutrient availability!

5. Watering your potting soil

Watering is oh so important and you may need to water some mixes more often! We love the bottom watering method (buttchugging) as it prevents the soil surface from becoming too moist, and ensures the root zone is getting watered. For cacti we recommend top watering as it should contain more sand and won’t as efficient at absorbing water.

6. Fertilizing your potting soil

As your plant grows it will require fertilizer to keep it healthy. Our favourite fertilizer is BIOS as it contains organic matter, essential minerals, and beneficial microbes that feed and protect plants 24/7. Otherwise we recommend sticking to a granular natural fertilizer so it remains in the soil, or a good quality local compost.

Start using these 6 tips for healthier plants!

You’re ready! You’re now able to go out and grab a bag of potting soil and customize it with confidence so that your plant babies will have everything they need. Refer to this blog if you ever need a refresher.