Make Your Own Soil For A Fraction Of The Cost Of Store Bought Mix
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ย. 2024
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Thanks again. Great tip.
Heya, been watching your videos as I got into gardening and keeping houseplants lately. Last week was infestation week all of a sudden. Fumgus gnats, spider mites and cottom lice on plants. Seems like I have been watering way to much. Currently trying to organicly safe my plants. I also was thinking of changing my soil. I currently use bio soil which is filled with biomatter like woodchips for example which might attract pests as well. I've seen you mention cinnamon on the channel, and was wondering of it would be valid to mix cinnamon in a potting soil mix in advance. Do you think that might work?
@@damienmichiels4119 give it a try and see what happens
Great video, Richard! I was still buying bagged potting mix and adding some more perlite to it and noticed a big difference the way my plants looked, especially my hoya. I will definately be investing into making my own now. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us.
Thanks for watching 😁
Put the perlite in a bin bag or those free charity bags you get thru the door and hang it up on your shed. Less moving it around to access your bike if u access it regularly. I also store mine in a small blue shed! I've had the same bag of perlite for amost a decade! I also add a little worm castings.
I used to add rock dust till my parents decided to toss it out as they thought it was sand (when I stored stuff in their place). They also tipped out a bag of worm castings into the flower border thinking it was soil. I wanted to cry but took solace in the peonies being spectacular. They sold the house and the new owner paved it over so under there are their amazing peonies with super fertile soil screaming to be let out!
My gosh what a disaster!
i worked for a "plant influencer" who had her own nursery before i got into plants myself (i got into plants by rescuing broken prop pieces + she let me take home unsellable stock lol)... she was big on mixing her own soil mixes so that's just what i've always done + it works fantastic! it's worth the initial upfront investment to have the ingredients all on hand for almost any plant you may need soil for! cool to see your cost breakdowns to see what a massive difference it can make on the wallet
Lol. I’ve also got into plants rescuing fallen leaves off my coworkers succulent. Now I have too many😅
Thanks!
Would you be willing to share what mixture you use if different from the one shown here?
@@KatarinaS. sure! a lot of times it's just what i have on hand but is generally coco coir, vermiculite, pumice, perlite +5-10% worm castings. i also add in orchid bark for aroids. the exact mix will depend on the plant i'm potting of course! Sheffield's mix seems great + simple too!
i should note i use a very diluted liquid fertilizer (dynagro foliage pro) with each watering since my soil isn't very nutritious on it's own aside from the worm castings.
@hesherette Thanks so much for sharing your mix recipe and for the fertilizing tips!
Very true! My most expensive items are neem oil concentrate and the once a yr systemic granules. I don't use compost, but buy $6.00, 8 qt bags of tropical and moisture control miracle gro soil, Orchid bark, and perlite to mix my own. Basically, for indoor gardening, this means I spend abt $25 every 3-5 mos on soil and I haven't had to buy new box of fertilizer since a yr ago as my plants don't need it very often to thrive.
What can one do with orchid bark if one no longer has plants that needs it? Can I just put it on top of outdoor containers as mulch?
💯
Here I thought I was ahead of the game😂 I buy them small bags of cactus and houseplant dirt plus an equally sized bag of perlite. Worm castings to taste. Slap em all in a container, mixy mixy and shazzam. I only have 12 plants at the moment, so it lasts for ages.
That'll work 😁
i use the same method but with sand instead of perlite. never found a good perlite source
Yay!!! Another Sheffield video!
😁
Little tip is to spray water on your perlite. It traps the dust.
Oh, when you say compost, you mean potting soil. I know compost as an additive to the garden that is usually manure or my own composted kitchen scraps.
The people in the UK use the word compost for potting soil. No worries because America English is usually very inaccurate in the way words are said.
It's normally made from decaying organic matter and contains nutrients available to the roots.
I mostly have tropical plants in my house, my plant addiction started only a few months ago and I can't seem to stop buying new ones. I'm so grateful I found your channel, it helped me a lot, I think even my plants love you 😊. I just wanted to ask your opinion, my mix for tropical plants is 1 part coconut coir, 1 part perlite and 1 part all purpose soil. Do you think that's ok or should I change anything? And also, what kind of mix do you suggest for succulents and cacti?
Thanks! That mix sounds pretty good. Air succulents you need more perlite or maybe some bark or something
Thank you for your idea. Do that kind of mixing soil also suitable for outdoor garden flowers?
Yep
Phew! Simplified...😊
HAhahah I am So STUPID, sometimes!!!! I was puzzled to see 'our' queen your bills ! hahahahahahaah
Another excellent video, Sir Richard!!🪴
Thank you 😊
Richard. Can you teach us about fertilizer???? Please ❤
What do you want to know?
Hey sheff, thanks for the great video!, I have a question: Why do you use a compost instead of a generic garden soil with perlite? When should you use one over the other?
Because it saves him money. In the UK, they call soil mix, compost.
@@Gkrissy I think i wasn't clear with my question. By garden soil i mean the common garden soil they sell in stores, not the fancy stuff like he mentions in the video.
But If compost is your typical garden soil in UK then its clear.
Garden soil is called top soil here and is much too dense for houseplants. Water doesn't drain well and the it becomes compacted even with perlite. Compost is decaying garden matter and is generally quite light. There's all sorts of bits and pieces that haven't broken down yet, like bits of bark etc.
@@SheffieldMadePlants Thanks for the explanation, this cleared it up for me.
Could you not perhaps put the perlite into one of your propagation style tubs? Then you could store it easier as they can go outdoors or inside without risk of puncturing the bag?
Yeah I definitely need to get one
Love this...thank you! A small bag of soil here in Canada can be up to $20 or higher. It's crazy. 🫣
Jeez 😬
@@SheffieldMadePlants yep ..your video is timely.. haha.
🙂👍
Melanie, do you mean a bag of potting soil? Or do you buy the compost soil? I didn't realise we sold compost in the stores until I looked it up tonight. I see Home Hardware sells Alltreat Plus Compost (25L) for $6,99. I usually end up buying from Canadian Tire (succulent and cactus soil) .
Is that a calathea rufibarba in the background? 😍
On the right? A Calathea Elgergrass
Nice shering 😊
Thanks for visiting
I like to buy cactus soil if it's cheap enough, otherwise I just buy either the cheapest houseplant mix or even compost and mix it with perlite or cheaper equivalent.
That being said I only buy the cactus/houseplant mix if it's less than £1.5 per litre
I only do that because my plant collection isn't big enough to warrant having a massive bag of dirt in my tiny flat
Makes sense 👍
great mix for peace lilies and marantas, not so good for aroids. Aroids dont thrive in such dense soil, most aroids do require a very chunky soil to stay healthy long term because of the type of roots they have.
Can you use cat litter instead of pearlite?
Non clumping yes
Is it okay to use this recipe for cacti and succulents?
Yes but up the perlite qty a bit
I get mushroom compost by the yard. Would this be suitable to use as the compost ingredient in your recipe?
Yes I think so
Is compost and soil the same thing? Because I know compost to be a collection of biodegradable waste material that is being broken down by decomp. -usually in someone’s backyard or at a school. Soil, is the everyday premixed stuff you’d buy at the store.
Compost is the biodegraded garden waste sold in our garden centres. Soil is finer and heavier and not really good for plants
super goodness!!!!!!}
I made this mix for the first time and gave a good watering to the plant after repotting. But it was draining through very very slow. I'm thinking becuse the compost was wet already? Do you let your mix dry out in the box or it should be sealed until I use it?
Must be a heavier compost. Try adding some more perlite. I keep the lid on to keep bugs away
Yeah probably it is heavier, thanks!
The only thing im not too fond of about this comparison is that all prices you've shown are from Amazon... We all know amazon is not that cheap.
Tell me I have a Composter and I have worms in it. Its called a Worm Compost so I’m making my own compost. This is a good alternative to me buying it . Right ?
Work casting is great!
Okay cool! I just potted a lot of Jade and Lady Fingers Cactus that my friend aka my neighbor gave me . They aren’t rooted yet but I made a soil mix of Cactus/Succulents soil, worm compost and Perlite. Hope they root quickly. I haven’t watered them yet as it was late yesterday and the sun went down. Should I bottom water them today ?! Let me know. Much appreciated
@@BerylBerry I'd give them a good drink when repotting a plant
@@SheffieldMadePlants but they aren’t rooted yet !
@@BerylBerry they need damp soil to root in
Won’t the compost burn the roots, sorry am new to all this
Not at all
@@SheffieldMadePlantsok cheers keep the good work amazing videos
Sorry if I missed it what’s the ratio 50 -50 ?
@@peggy4293 5 parts compost 2 parts perlite roughly
@@SheffieldMadePlantsok Great I’ll try that definitely
💜💜
Others seem to have a complex mix. It's nice to see something simple that has given you proven results. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for watching 😁
Yeah if you have good soil, probably all you need is extra perlite.
I overdid it and saw my seedling die...
You can wet the perlite to reduce dust before mixing.
If you want to add charcoal, just buy regular natural lump charcoal for grilling it. It's the same thing, you just have to crush it up yourself.
Thanks for the video! I no longer need this information but boy would this video have helped me six months ago when I was pulling my hair out trying to understand how soils and mixes work! My mom has always just used soil and nothing else and I had no clue how or why I was supposed so get my hands on these fancy mixes. It seemed so complicated to me. Now my go to is equal parts soil, perlite and orchid bark. Sometimes I mix it up with some leca or coco choir if I'm feeling a little wild. Lol.
Great stuff 👍
Omg, when I pour my perlite, I wear a mask, hold my breath, and then run away while the dust settles lol!
Yeah the dust is crazy!
@@SheffieldMadePlantsperlite is volcanic glass and that dust is silica dust. It is very dangerous and I'm surprised we don't take better percautions for it in the gardening community.
This is pretty much my base recipe too … And it is easy to toss into a smaller bucket to amend for other plants that require slightly different potting mediums … such as my succulents….
My variations include:
adding coarse builders sand for plants like rosemary and thyme. Coarse sand, NOT play sand… play sand is too fine and will not drain as well as coarse, rain of risk of root rot on succulents.
Adding more perlite for my succulents for the added drainage and faster drying
Adding more coco coir than compost with my tiniest of baby succulent props (grown in empty coffee pods)
I AVOID peat moss these days…. I use coco coir instead. The issue with peat moss is that it becomes completely hydrophobic once it dries out.
As always, Mr. Richard, great video with useful, straight forward info…. You are right up there with the planterina and epic gardening channel!!! Five stars 😁😊
Thank you. Good company to be with 😁
Hi, ive spent the last few days getting myself into a bit of a paranoid state. After doing lots of research online ive noticed lots of people reporting the compost they've bought for themselves has led to fungus gnats and fungi. Is there any specific compost you would recommend and any tips on how you keep your plants pest free when using shop bought compost? (I am new to houseplants and would appreciate any help, thanks) :)
That's always a risk with buying any potting soil but because compost has broken down material it tends to be a great place for gnats to hang out.
How can you be sure that the multi purpose compost doesn't harbour pests/bugs? I'm dubious about the quality control process with the cheaper composts..
They can have bugs so a tip is to use boiling hot water. Some people use a tiny bit of hydrogen peroxide and water. And some people bake their homemade mix it in the over for 20 min.
I've not noticed the bags containing bugs but it is possible!
you're going to get bugs later on anyways
I make my own potting mix as well for the savings. It’s good to put hot water on it because recently I have found my peat moss had cut worms in it. And they were killing off all my seedlings for my garden.
Oh no that's no good!
Thank you so much for this video, I'm a beginner gardener and these simple yet efficient instructions are absolutely priceless! Sending you and your plants green blessings 😊🌿💛
Thank you 😊
You have a doggy? I've never seen one in your videos. Show us your dog. Please? I love plants and pets! ❤
Is perlite okay for spider plants? I read something about fluoride content harming them.
As far as i know
Smaller rock is purely for drainage; the nutrients leech out too slowly to matter. Perlite, lava rock, vermiculite, decomposed granite, pumice, zeolite, and coarse sand essentially do the same thing. Heavier or larger rocks are good for structure. Again, the type of rocks don't really matter.
Moss is for drainage while still holding on to water, unlike rocks where nearly all water drains away. Coconut coir does the same thing but with higher drainage and less retention. Bark is even higher drainage while retaining less water. Compost doesn't retain much water and may drain poorly, making mud. Potting mixes are just compost, moss, and bark.
A compost and perlite mix can be anywhere from very poor draining (almost all compost) to very well draining (almost all perlite). But, it will have poor water retention, which can actually be good if the environment is not very hot and not dry since you don't want the soil to take too long to dry out. But, adding coir would help it retain water if it dries out to quickly.
From this, a coconut coir, compost, and perlite mix can do pretty much anything. You could add some heavier rock for structure if needed, and the type doesn't matter. I like the aquarium rock because it is pre-sifted to a good size, and it is fairly easy to reuse, which offsets the cost.
This is suuuuuper helpful! I was just about to re-pot most of my collection and this will save me a lot of money!
Great stuff 👍
Always Mixing my own nowadays!!
That sounds frustrating to say the least!
Blimey, I’ve just spent an hour loitering in the garden centre houseplant section, trying to replicate sybersoil, the assistant thought I was barking mad not to just buy a cheap bag of Westland and be done with it. But what about my ZZ!? 😱 So I bought a small expensive bag of orchid blend, some perlite and a bag of houseplant compost. This has worked out more expensive than Waitrose muesli …🤦♀️😂😂😂
😂😂😂 you’re plants will be happy you spent so much money on them
New to the plant world I purchased 12 succulents in 3 inch pots, I have indoor potting soil can I just add pumice instead of perlite I heard the perlite dissolves is that correct ? Thanks for sharing your video 😊 love from Canada 🇨🇦
perlite is good, but pumice is actually better! So yes, you can. 😊
Perlite doesn't dissolve but the choice is yours!
@@SheffieldMadePlants thank you so much for your help, so should I do 50/50 then soil and pumice ? All my succulents are from a box store. Should I repot them ? Take care and have a great weekend
@@CleoGravel if they’re doing fine in their pots I’d leave them be
@@CleoGravel 1:1 will be fine
Bro, here it costs €1,50 / 2,00 per liter of premium aroid mix. I started making my own (with literally everything in it like perlite / coco / bark / pumice / worm casting etc.) and it costs me.......€0,38 per liter. Literally can get 5 times as much for the same price and its basically 0 work. Order stuff --> dump it in the barn --> mix in a bin when needed, done. The markup on premium soils is RIDICULOUS. Their profit margin must be 50%+. Even contemplating to start my own store and sell it all for €1 per liter to undercut and drive prices down country wide here.
The main issue with your soil is that it still contains a lot of normall "soil". Soilless mixes can be re-used and you just add new worm castings to it. Pushing price even down more.
Spot on! I've been tempted to too
Find a friend/neighbor that has cats and uses kitty litter that comes in those giant lightweight (but durable) plastic jugs/totes. They make excellent storage containers for soil/perlite.
Edit: and they stack/store in shed/garage so nicely to keep out moisture
And...you can get them free!
The big yellow tubs have lids that feel like they are welded on. Sometimes a little tricky to snap off. Put a foot inside the tote and stand in the tote and pull up on the lid. This makes it easy to give yourself a wide mouth bin to work with when filling. Then snap the lid back on when done and just use the flip lid feature to take what you need when planting.
And those white jugs with just a giant screw top lid. Find a canning funnel. Those are wide mouth and work great for pouring into the bin. A plastic canning funnel is usually just a few dollars.
Great, thanks for the tip 👍
Ive been using all of those ingredients except compost.
I’ll definitely include that in my soil mixes going forward.
Thank you for your good advice and keeping it simple.😊
My pleasure 😊
How do we incorporate vermicompost in your mix? What % is best? We stopped using any commercial compost because one year, all our seedlings failed or grew weak, disease prone plants. The bag said it contained 'Municipal waste' and it was clear that the waste contained residual weed killers (my husband has been growing for years so very experienced) we started our own wormfarm instead which produces all the seed mixes that we need but it needs to be mixed with other things, it's great at germinating but the seedlings shoot up and lack strength
Sorry i've not experience with vermicompost
My main mix is about 70% pine bark (fine-ish mulch), 15% perlite and 15% volcanic rock. I don't actually use regular soil anymore.
I’d like to try that
I just figured out I spend about a dollar a liter and I get about 26 liters a year between the three things I buy. Your way is definitely cheaper but I live in a small town that only brings gardening stuff in during the early spring, in another month the garden centers will be closing up already and starting to bring in things to prepare for fall and winter. :( Next year I may need to follow your recipe and buy more bulk items as I am raising 4 birds of paradise right now and they will likely need separated by next year, I also have a big pot of monster and a very root heavy Thai Consetalation that will likely need up potted next year. Never mind everyone else. LOL. Who orders 4 baby birds of paradise? Me when I apparently see a good deal on them and I've taken a sedative... LOL Was quite the shocker to wake up to in the middle of fall! Perhaps I will be a bit of a jerk and give three away as gifts :P No one will know they arent a cute table plant until they are MASSIVE! hehehh
OOH I just remembered that this year I bought all my soil with store points i had collected so it was technically free! Free is a good deal :P
But you can still get soil and other bits and pieces right?! Can't imagine not always having access to stuff. 4 BoD in one sitting is definitely good going 😂
I am mixing premium potting mix with perlite for last half a year or so
However the mix on pot stays on wet (using wet metre) for weeks indoor, is this good or bad?
Sounds like a long time to stay wet
I don't understand, I heard all my life that compost was to strong and would burn the roots like too much fertilizer if not mixed with soil ...?
Not regular garden compost
I find if you water the. Perlite in the bag first cuts down on the dust. I spread my ingredients on a an old shower curtain on a calm day and just pull each side in turn no effort needed and easy to pour into a container after mixing.
So no garden soil. Except volcanic mineral, i have all in my stock but scared to completely remove garden soil from roots and put in soil free potting mix
Garden soil is heavy and houseplants like a light mix
Is there a specific type of compost that you have to use for indoor plants? Or can i use any type of compost from my local retail store?
I use standard garden compost from my local shop
Excellent video Richard! I just bought my Succulent & Cactus soil to mix with Orchid soil for my snake plants (I read to use 50/50). But the next time I need soil, I will look up your recipe for my snake plants. I live in a small apartment, so I can't really buy in large quantities. But I would love to give this a try. I didn't realise I could buy compost soil here in BC Canada until today. Cheers!
Thanks for watching 😁
compost = soil. people/americans are not understanding this
Yea the Americans in this thread don’t realize that.
What is soil made of in the US?
@@SheffieldMadePlants it's the word compost. we don't use that to mean soil. to americans, composting is adding food scraps and yard waste together and letting them 'cook' until they make a rich soil amendment. you do it outside, so that's why they worry about pests in the compost.
@@Gkrissy my bag of dirt says 'potting mix'
Perlite for drainage? I always thought perlite helps the soil to hold water....
Nope that's vermiculite
American followers for the win! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 🇺🇸
🤣
@@SheffieldMadePlants even if I’m here alone LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Thanks for this mix, would this be suitable for calatheas as well.
My current all purpose soil take close to a month to dry in a 8 inch pot.
Yep
@@SheffieldMadePlants Thank you 😊
I would love to hear more about the swaps and properties of those ingredients you talked about! Like coco coir, pumice, etc, etc.
Wanted to thank you so much for this tip! I ordered a 100 Liter perlite bag (Gosh it’s heavy!!!) so i can mix it with the soil I usually buy that’s super cheap and rich of fertilizer but quite a compact soil. and i have to say! The results are amazing!!! Not only is it so much cheaper, but my plants are absolutely thriving!
Glad it was helpful!
@@SheffieldMadePlantsYour channel helps a lot! I do have one question about this, can I use this mix for succulents too?
@@Clara-qi7vi increase the amount of perlite and you're good to go
Can you use grit instead of perlite as ive heard that perlite isnt v sustainable
Yep
Do not go to cheap on the perlite.
I got my self a bargain, for a 100 liters in 2020.
It was way cheaper then the 10 liters.
I guess, I am fine till 2030 or 2035...
Mixing your own mix is definitely superior! I used to use peat until I knew better. I also recommend sOme pumice as perlite over time tends to float up to the top.
Pumice is a good sub 👍
I agree. I love pumice. The fact perlite floats drives me nuts. LOL
Reptile keepers use play sand and top soil mix and add sanitized leaves for the clean up crew along with an organic bioactive booster safe for animals. I've actually had success with this mix for my succulents and adding Coco coir for my other plants. Even my vegetables get this mix now and they seem much more healthy.
👍👍👍
I've mostly been in the business of Aquatic plants, and let me tell you, selling convenience is a huge problem with the aquarium industry as well. So when I then upgraded my tanks to ripariums by adding terrestrial plants, and then finally going full on classic 'plant in soil', I had a funny feeling the same issues would be found here. Glad I found this video cause I LIKE my money want to keep it thank you very much!
My pleasure 😊
Aquatic plants are amazing. I love mine but I refused to buy the stratum. I used fox farms and capped it with 2 inches of sand and it it worked better than any aquarium I’ve ever had! I even had German rams breed in that tank.
@@austinhb99 same aye. Nice and cheap
7:15 before you shake I was thinking why don't you have a separate container you fill 1/4 of the way and mix by shaking then dump the soil mixed into a bigger container you want to store it in? Wouldn't the whole process be much faster
Yep
The real fun starts when you make 60% compost 20% coco 20% perlite for a couple of 120 litre growing bags :D But the upsetting part about having an opened big compost bag (or the mix) sitting around waiting and if you don't moisten it, in the next season you have a hydrophobic bag.
I recall Epic Gardening had a good video with a researcher of bog areas in Canada (biggest producer in the world) talking about peat moss farming. And also raised the point of coco coir having it's own share of issues. Personally I think the best we can do is making and using our own compost where we can (mostly outdoors gardening) and perhaps using a mix of compost and coco. You know how perhaps the real solution isn't the monoculture in anything but spread use of resources in moderation over all the options (which is also quite convenient since compost + coco + perlite is quite a neat medium). Gardeners also have a very smart method of filling the bottoms of their beds with branches and old poor soil etc because the plants they farm rarely grow roots all the way that deep. And just adding things like organic fertilizers, maneur on top of the bed to boost the old soil. Even growing in cycles like growing peas to insert nitrogen in the soil to extend the use. Unfortunately house plant potting can't quite benefit from these ideas, but who knows what all solutions we can come up with to lessen the resource load!
I think I saw that video too. It's a big grey area about what is sustainable or not so I stayed away from it! That all makes perfect sense for the garden 👍
Im so glad i subbed! These videos are what i needed to remember things i know and some new stuff ive never tryed!
Great stuff 👍
Thank you for the great information! I love how you created a workaround to mix it all in that small plastic container using a hand trowel. I will probably get out the wheelbarrow and long-handled shovel but then we have a little more storage space around here!
Great stuff 👍 thanks!
What else would you incorporate for a succulent mix?
Not much more. Could add some sand if you want
@@SheffieldMadePlants Okay, thank you so much for your reply I absolutely love your videos!!!
Could we use charcoal from the campfire?
Not sure. I’d avoid personally but not sure
For some reason I love listening to this guy. He's so sensible and reasonable. I like his voice. :)
Don't fight it 😂. Thanks for watching!
That compost is why you have a fungus gnat problem. That particular compost comes with its own fungus gnats. I really hope that Soil Ninja offers you a brand deal so that you can see just how bad that compost is for your babies. That stuff belongs in the garden not the house.
I fully agree. Compost is for the garden. I've been using soil ninja mixes for my plants for couple of years now. And even though they are on the pricier side the plants are a lot happier which means I save money on replacing plants.
I shouldn't do unless you get a bad batch. I've not noticed any bugs in the box when I open the lid and start using it. It's a good shout to be aware of it though so I'll pay extra attention.
Thank you so much for this, super helpful and insightful! Just out of curiosity: how long does one box last you on average?
That box lasts me 5 minutes as I mainly do gardening outdoors in larger pots and troughs or do many seed trays at once.
Probably a couple of months
@@SheffieldMadePlants thanks for the reply!
So funny because I was literally just doing research on this very topic over the last 2 weeks, being a newbie to my new house plant obsession, and of course I would find fantastic advice on my favorite plant channel! I’ve been watching your videos regularly! I really appreciate your grounded (😉), yet very effective suggestions! They’ve been a life saver for my plant babies! Thank you so much for making such seriously simple, yet thoughtful content! Much gratitude from California! 🙏🌱
Great stuff 👍 thank you!
I've just been on a course where one of the things I had to do was mixing my own compost - they always damp down the perlite before mixing - with a spray bottle is fine - it helps trap the dust so it dosn't get into the air as much
Good shout 👍
I enjoy your videos and have gotten really good info. For Cacti, Succulents and Snake Plants I increase your recommended 5 to 3 parts to equal parts Compost to Perlite. Thanks.
I'll second that!
I've been making my own batches of soil for a little bit, but the last time I put slow release fertiliser granules in it (miracle grow ones). I normally use coco coir but this batch I used compost.
I had some soil left so I just put it in a medium food bag from Tesco, tied it up and put it in my cupboard (away from pesky gnats)
Went to use it yesterday to repot one plant and the soil reeked of ammonia and made my eyes sting when I went near it.
Any ideas what I did wrong or if that soil is now dangerous for plants?
Might have been a lack of air in the bag. If you get it out it should be fine
Richard your definitely THE PLANT EXPERT ❤. THANKS FOR ANOTHER ENLIGHTENING VIDEO. HAPPY SATURDAY TO YOU
Thank you 😊
🪴HAPPY Environment DAY 🪴 Sheff sir!
Compost is why you have fungus gnats. They feed on the organic decaying ingredients. “Gardening In Canada” is a soil scientist and has great advice on that. Love your videos.
I used worm castings in my indoor plants is that where I got them from with watering to much
simple to solve with mosquitodunks aka bacillus bacteria, safe natural bacteria
also no, we have had it in large indoor grows using coco, and also grodan.. so, way off
Thanks Richard for this outstanding easy potting mix guide. I too prefer making my own mix and I enjoy making it as much as I enjoy growing house plants. You have a great deal more control and flexibility to adjust for individual plant needs when making your own. 👍
Absolutely!
I personally mix cactus soil (which is usually peat and sand) + pine bark/orchid soil + sand + perlite. I vary the mix according to the plant. Works great for me! Especially love sand, as it is so cheap and creates great drainage and water retention!
I'm yet to use much compost, but want to make my own that is 100% plant based as I am a vegan and oppose the exploitation of animals in animal agricutlure. It's going to be great fun to try to set up my own system!
If any of you have any tips on homemade composting methods feel free to share them with me!
It's a great thing to get into but I've only done a tiny amount of it myself and not that successfully.
I'm very, very interested to know what you are using for "sand".
I've watched video after video, and only one person explained what sand was to them which is crushed granite in their succulent mix.
I was thinking of using pea gravel.
It's funny because I cann'T find any of the most common houseplant stuff in any store near me :( No perlite, peatmoss , coconut cair or anything like that only the same old soil mixed ;/
I cant get coconut coir either ☹️
I definitely have used pearlite without a mask,and i probably have breathed it in😮 oops 😬. How dangerous is it?😟
Nah you’ll be fine. Best not to make a habit of inhaling it 😅
Thank you for another great lesson in caring for our plants 🌱 and 🌎 planet! Enjoy your weekend.
Thanks, and you!
Where I am, compost is more expensive than potting mix...LOL...I wish I could get cheap compost. Organic fertilizers such as animal manure and compost are more expensive than potting mix and soil.
Where’s that
Some American gardeners swear by Vermiculite and list it as one of the important ingredients to add to compost along with top soil. What are your thoughts on that? Many Thanks
It’s used for water retention if you have that issue
Expensive and they all seem to contain fungus gnats, or little pieces of filler .
The pre-made mixes?
Yes that's what I mean the bags of potting soil that you can buy from the stores.
@@loriwoloshyn7266 👍
The perlite bags are sold with cuts in the bag here, don't know why, probably needs to "breathe" to not go stale or something.
And yes, that stuff makes you cough, be careful with it, use a lots of it (no need to be careful with the amount), wear a mask indeed is dirty volcanic rock.
I’ve not noticed the cuts in the bag here. The stuff would go everywhere!
Hello, I've been watching your clips for a while now, I have a lady of the night plant (Cestrum nocturnum). Its leaves started to have white and brown spots on it. I really care about this Plant and I don't wBe lose it. Do you have an email address so I can share the photos of its leaves. I would really appreciate it if you could help me out.
Thank you, Anoosh
It’s in my about section or I’m on insta
I get away with bark and some soil mix for my plants. Pine bark is cheaper than cedar. In USA you can load free compost from a landfill. Some people even use shredded paper from their office as ingredient in their mix.
Interesting idea