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For instance, Organix makes a product called RePeet, which is made from waste from the cattle industry.
Fox Farm has earned a reputation for manufacturing products that contain earth-friendly ingredients, though some might have a large carbon footprint due to the amount of travel required to bring products in from across the globe.
If I could only recommend one variety of premixed potting soil, without question, it would be their Ocean Forest mix.
It is OMRI listed and contains all the perfect ingredients to make plants happy, plus they’re more sustainable than a lot of other potting mix ingredients out there.
If you’d like to try it out for yourself, pick up a 12-quart bag at Amazon.
For sustainable fertilizer, you can combine blood meal (to supply nitrogen), bone meal (for phosphorus), and kelp meal (to add potassium).
Don’t feel frustrated with trying to find the perfect sustainable, organic potting mix. Life is about compromises, so just pick the best one you can.
Choosing a Potting Mix
Before we jump into choosing a commercial potting mix, I want to point out that premixed potting mediums are a relatively recent development.
People have been creating their own mediums for centuries and you should feel empowered to do the same if it suits your situation.
That said, there’s nothing wrong with picking up a potting mix online or from the store. Many of them are carefully formulated to make your plants absolutely thrive.
The potting mix you choose will need to be selected based on the plant it will be supporting.
Remember, there is no one-size-fits-all potting mix. However, there are lots of excellent options out there that will suit a wide variety of plants.
Also, don’t be afraid to think of a commercial potting mix as a starting point.
Use it as a base and then amend heavily it to make it perfect for your plant. Here are the most common types that you’ll see:
Cactus Mix
Cactus mix is made to be extremely well-draining and not very water-retentive.
It won’t have much, if any, organic matter. Ingredients usually include sand, lava rock, perlite, pumice, grit, and gravel. It’s best for plants that need little water and have shallow roots.
Cactus potting soils are ideal for succulents, cacti, and even Mediterranean herbs like oregano, sage, and thyme. It’s also an excellent choice for starting most seeds.
If you work in some compost and peat (or a peat alternative), it’s also good for many epiphytes like hoyas and peperomias.
Tank’s-Pro Cactus & Succulent Mix
Grab a one-and-a-half-cubic-foot bag of Tank’s Pro Cactus & Succulent mix at Arbico Organics.
Orchid Mix
Orchid mixes are made to allow tons of air to circulate around the roots of your plant.
They usually include lots of chunky materials such as bark, moss, and coco coir. In addition to using it to pot orchids, it’s an excellent medium for growing most types of epiphytes.
Miracle-Gro Orchid Potting Mix
Walmart carries eight-quart bags of Miracle-Gro Orchid Potting Mix.
Standard Mix
Standard potting mixes are made to accommodate most houseplants. They usually combine compost, perlite, vermiculite, and moss.
These mixes work for just about any type of plant except cacti and succulents. However, I almost always amend mine a little to suit the specific plant that I’m working with.
Every species has unique needs, so you’ll need to do some research to determine exactly what will suit yours the best.
But broadly, I like to mix in lots of bark and rice hulls, along with some worm castings, for any variety of epiphyte except orchids.
That means pothos, hoyas, monsteras, ficus species, and philodendrons. Typically, I mix two parts bark, two parts potting soil, and one part rice hulls with just a dash of worm castings.
For ferns, calatheas, and alocasias, I add two parts compost to two parts potting soil, a dash of worm castings, and one part moss.
I just use the stuff that’s growing on the trees in my yard to keep it ultra-sustainable, but you can buy non-peat moss as well.
The Right Container Material
I wish there was just one perfect container material out there and we could all just use that for our houseplants and not have to worry about anything else, but that’s not the case.
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Kristine Lofgren
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