Best Soil For Indoor Plants: Potting Mix & Amendments
After 50+ years of houseplant gardening, I’ve found the best soil for indoor plants and recommended amendments. Here’s what I use.
Healthy plants need the right foundation to thrive, and one of the crucial steps in this horticultural adventure is selecting suitable soil and amendments. What you choose lays the groundwork for the health of your indoor plants. I refer to some of these in various blog posts and wanted to do a round-up so all these materials were in one place.
Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just getting your hands dirty for the first time, this aims to guide you through the aisles of possibilities, helping you make the best decisions for your indoor gardening needs. Let’s dig in!
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A Summary Of Soils & Amendments
Here’s why I like what I use:
- Happy Frog: Happy Frog and Ocean Forest, listed below, are my go-to potting soils. Both are Foxfarm products, rich in nutrients and high-quality ingredients.
- Ocean Forest: This is my other favorite. I use one or the other regularly, and sometimes I mix them together.
- Pumice: Well-drained soil is a houseplant’s best friend. Pumice is an additive aiding in that and ensuring good aeration. I add it to all my indoor potting mixes to lighten and provide proper drainage.
- Perlite: Perlite is used interchangeably with pumice. I prefer pumice because it’s chunkier and less dusty. I use perlite for my DIY seed starting mix because the smaller particle size makes it easier for seeds to germinate.
- Coco Chips: These also aid in drainage and aeration. I use them in my DIY cactus and succulent mix and when repotting orchids, bromeliads, philodendrons, ferns, and monsteras.
- Coco Coir/Coco Fiber: This serves a purpose similar to peat moss, but it’s a more environmentally friendly option.
- Worm Castings: This is one of my favorite ways to nourish the soil, as they contain nutrients and minerals. I add this to all repotting mixes and use them as a top dressing.
- Clay Pebbles: These really up the ante on the drainage and aeration factors. I add them to mixes when repotting plants in larger pots. For instance, my Rubber Plant is in an 18″ grow pot, and these help ensure this large soil mass doesn’t stay consistently wet and is well aerated.
- Charcoal: I don’t use charcoal often, but it does aid in drainage and sweetens the soil, which is helpful if you tend to be heavy-handed with the watering can. I use it when making terrariums.
- Vermiculite: I debated adding this one, but I use it in my seed mix. It’s lightweight and aids in water retention. It would be good to add to fern or African Violet potting mixes.
- Bonsai Jack Succulent & Cactus Mix: I make my own mix for succulents, but buying one would be easier and more economical if you only have a few small plants. They do best in a special potting mix, and this one is the real deal.
- Orchid Mix: Orchid bark is used as a growing medium for orchids. Most notably, the popular houseplant orchid, the Phalaenopsis.
- African Violet Mix: If you love African Violets like I do, you’ll want to consider this. They need excellent drainage and a slightly acidic mix to flourish and bloom.
- Bromeliad Mix: They love rich, organic matter and need excellent drainage. I make my own bromeliad mix, but this one is a good option.
- Transplanting Mat: This technically isn’t soil or an amendment, but it sure comes in handy when repotting. I have a potting bench in the garage, but when I’m filming YouTube videos on my kitchen island, I use this to keep the mess all in one place.
If you’re a beginning houseplant gardener, you’ll want to check out our repotting guide. Our repotting category details the procedure for specific plants. If you’re interested in repotting succulents, we have you covered there too!
Shop Best Soil For Indoor Plants
1) Foxfarm Happy Frog Soil
Amazon
This soil is well-draining with beneficial microbes to encourage nutrient uptake. It’s a great potting mix for indoor plants. Jumpstart your container plants with this mix.
2) Foxfarm Ocean Forest
Amazon
Foxfarm has some of the best potting soil on the market. This is another one of my absolute faves!
3) Bonsai Jack Pumice
Amazon
Many regular potting soils are too heavy for houseplant gardening, so increase the drainage factor by adding pumice to the mix. Remember, too much moisture and excess water can kill your plants in a heartbeat, so pumice is always a great addition.
4) Horticultural Premium Perlite
Amazon
Your plant’s roots will thank you when you add perlite to your potting mix. The soil aeration will instantly increase and help avoid the dreaded root rot.
7) Organic Earthworm Castings
Amazon
Earthworm castings are packed with essential nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, making them fantastic natural fertilizers for your garden. Worm Bliss improves soil structure by enhancing its ability to retain moisture and nutrients. It’s a great way to feed your plants!
8) Organic Clay Pebbles
Amazon
Expanded clay pebbles are natural, organic, porous, and lightweight. Made of organic material, these up the ante on drainage and aeration. They’re also used in hydroponic gardening.
9) Horticultural Charcoal
Amazon
Horticultural Charcoal filters harmful and odor-causing bacteria. Small to medium size pieces keep soil from compacting on the roots of potted plants and causing root rot.
10) Burpee Vermiculite
Amazon
This fine-grade lightweight soil amendment enhances water retention, binds nutrients, and facilitates nutrient exchange, promoting faster seedling and transplant root growth. It’s a great addition to seed starting and propagation mixes.
11) Bonsai Jack Succulent and Cactus Soil
Amazon
Bonsai Jack succulent soil mix enhances bonsai and succulent plants, including Echeveria, Haworthia, Crassula, Lithops, Jade, Aloe, and Crassula. Your plant roots will thank you for this chunky mix.
12) All Purpose Orchid Mix
Amazon
Orchids have unique needs when it comes to a growing medium. Orchid Bark is good for holding water, so it won’t drown your roots!
13) Potting Soil Mix for African Violets
Amazon
This organic potting soil mix for African Violets is a rich blend of sphagnum peat moss, humus, perlite, and yucca extract. This blend helps promote healthy growth and flowering.
14) Bromeliad Potting Soil
Amazon
Provides fantastic drainage while absorbing ideal amounts of water. Perfect for your bromeliads and indoor plants that have different needs.
15) Extra Large Repotting Mat
Amazon
This potting mat is easy to assemble by simply snapping the four corners together. Quickly pour potting soil or potting mix back into the container when you are done using it. It folds up small for storage. With this mat always on hand, you will be like a one-person garden center. This is one of my favorite purchases of 2023!
To sum it up, choosing the right soil mix is key to a successful indoor garden. Investing in high-quality ingredients sets the foundation for healthy and robust growth. By understanding the unique needs of your green companions and incorporating the proper amendments and the best soil for indoor plants, you pave the way for vibrant foliage.
Thanks for shopping our fave soils and amendments; we hope they will soon be your faves, too!
Happy gardening!
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- About the Author
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Nell, the founder of Joy Us garden, was born into a gardening family and grew up in Connecticut’s countryside. After living in Boston, New York, San Francisco, & Santa Barbara, she now calls the Arizona desert home. She studied horticulture & garden design, working in the field all her life. Nell is a gardener, designer, blogger, Youtube creator, & author. She’s been gardening for a very long time & wants to share what she’s learned with you.
