Best Soil for Indoor Plants
Indoor plants have the ability to change a living area from ‘just okay’ to amazing, and it’s fast becoming a choice for many gardeners. Asides from its beautifying purpose, these plants could also have other benefits like air purification; leaving the spaces they occupy with cleaner and fresher air. Sounds good, doesn’t it? Still, they do have a down side somewhat. Unlike the outdoor plants, these ones need a closer eye. They need to be watched and taken care of because they do not receive the same motherly love that nature gives the outdoor plants. Hence, choosing the best soil for indoor plants is essential if you want your plant to grow strong and pretty despite its limitations.
Fortunately, there are soils for indoor plants sold in bags in-store and you can just walk in and get some off the shelf. It’s important to know though that these soils are mostly peat based – made more nutritious with fertilizers – and because of the nature of peat, a fast-decomposing material, these soils are not sustainable for long periods even with proper care. So, it’s good to repot your plant yearly or biannually depending on its needs.
Perlite
Perlite is a naturally occurring substance like glass that comes from volcanoes. When heated, it expands due to the expansion of water within the rock, and this creates the light perlite suitable for gardening. Mostly, it is used for aeration and drainage as it has high air and water holding capacities; they prevent your soil from getting dry or soggy. In addition to these, they are great for stimulating quick plant growth. You can use them in just about any potting mix since they are quite sterile and don’t pose any risk to the plants. They are quite popular as well, and can most likely be gotten in your local gardening store, or in a volcano around you.
Houseplant Compost
Probably the most common soil mix out there, the houseplant compost ensures strong roots and plants with high nutrient values. It has great water retention and drainage, keeping plants appropriately moist. The best part is that it is very easy to get. Note though, that there is a wide range of compost used for different plants so you might need to have a discussion with the person over the counter to make sure that you are getting a mix suitable for the plant you have chosen to grow.
Vermiculite
Vermiculite is just like it sounds, tough. It’s a mineral that is extracted from the ground and turned to a soft worm-like material under the action of high heat and pressure. The popular silvery material is mostly used for regulating water absorption in soils, but it also traps nutrients and improves soil texture, causing your plants to grow healthier and look a lot greener.
Which Is Better To Use, Perlite Or Vermiculite?
This is usually a topic of discussion or argument between gardeners, especially newer ones, and it usually never has a straightforward answer. If you’re here looking for one, then you’re at the right place. Which of these materials helps create the best soil for indoor plants? Easy, both of them.
Perlite and Vermiculite have a whole lot of similarities. They are both light, inert, have neutral PH – meaning they wouldn’t affect the soil’s PH, they are heated during processing and don’t contain any nutrient of their own. Yet, they are different, and although they can both be used in most soil mixes, one is usually preferred to the other, depending on the plant.
Vermiculite on one hand is preferred when the plants dry out quickly as it is considered a better water retainer than Perlite. It is known for holding up to four times its own weight in water, making it one of the best water retaining materials available. Gardeners also prefer vermiculite for seed starting and root cutting. Perlite, on the other hand, is preferred for plants that need very good drainage, for example, cacti.
How To Maximize The Soil Of Your Indoor Plants
Now, I know I did say peat-based soils decompose quickly despite the care, but does that mean you shouldn’t care for the soil? Of course not! Proper care of the soil would make it last longer for you, and allow your plants to grow healthier and beautifully. How can you care for your plants? Here are a couple – not so secret – secrets to having the best soil for indoor plants.
Repot Annually
It’s most likely that you are using a peat-based soil because it’s the most common and cheapest. One way to ensure that your plant remains healthy is making sure that you repot every year. Keeping a decomposing mix would mean that your plant wouldn’t receive as much nutrients, which would begin to stunt its growth. And if left even longer, your plant may flatline.
Use Additives
Vermiculite, perlite and composts are great materials for improving your soil mixes. Not only do you not have to worry as much about drainage and aeration, your plant would grow better because they have good nutrient retention, and compost adds nutrients of its own to the soil.
Watch the Top Layer
Over time, you might notice that the top layer of your soil begins to grow whitish or might attract insects. This could mean that your soil is deteriorating, probably due to dampness. Using Vermiculite or horticultural grit should absorb the excess water, and solve the problem.
Fertilize regularly
Soils need to be fertilized, and when the plants are indoors and in a pot, even more so. There’s only so much nutrients a pot can hold and the plants can quickly use it up. Usually, plants use up all the nutrients available in their pots in six weeks, and after that would need to be fertilized. It is advised to do this regularly, mostly depending on the needs of the plants and instructions on the fertilizer.
Add New Soil
Sometimes, due to money constraints or any other reason, it’s not possible to entirely repot your plants. In this case, you can take out a bit of the old soil and then introduce a new one. The new soil holds fresh nutrients that can be distributed to your plant and keep your soil healthy overall. If you think repotting would be a problem, maybe it’d be nice to mix your own soil in large quantities and store them for later use. It’s probably even better as you’d be able to make better quality soils than just buying already made ones from the store.
Make Friends with Fellow Gardeners
This one looks a little strange, doesn’t it? How does being a social butterfly help to improve your soil? Well, it does. Having a club improves the all-round well being of your plant.There are many problems you might encounter as a newbie gardener or even a seasoned pro that other gardeners may have already experienced and solved. Having a knowledgeable friend to advise you through difficult times is always a plus. Plus, it makes gardening all the more fun.
Best indoor plants to beautify your living area
The indoor plants you decide to use, and how you decide to use them are a reflection of your personality and creativity. When someone walks into your living area, decorated with your plants, they kind of see you, and I don’t mean when you’re standing right there.
These plants bring life to any room with vibrant colours and unique scents. Sometimes though, we are lost and it is not as easy to find ourselves. This holds true for the kind of plant we might appreciate. If you are in this category right now, don’t be afraid. What you need is a little guidance, and that’s what you will get.
Bird Nest Fern
One of the lower maintenance indoor plants, the bird nest fern is a beautiful bright green plant that pretty much grows on its own. Its thick, bright leaves trap moisture longer than most other ferns, so it doesn’t require a lot of watering. In fact, if you only water when you begin to notice the tip of the fern drying, then you’re good to go. The bird nest fern would look stunning on a window sill or arranged neatly on a veranda.
Prayer plant ‘Beauty Kim’
The prayer plant is perfect for beginner gardeners because of its planting and rearing ease. The green plant, just like the praying mantis, gets its name from the leaves folding at night into what looks like praying hands. It has broad leaves and long uneven stems, and a really beautiful design on the leaves. As a plus, it doesn’t exactly need as much light as many other plants would.
Zamioculcas Zamiifolia Plant
The ZZ plant is a tropical plant found in eastern Africa and has become a force in the indoor plant space for beautification. The green leaves are long and look exotic, and are quite hard. It’s not only great for decorations but is also known for detoxifying the air; removing toxins like toluene, benzene, xylene and even carbon dioxide. As for placement, the ZZ plant is not a fan of direct sunlight, so maybe do not put it close to a window. Most people prefer to put it in the bedroom, or on a center table in the living room. If your room is painted white, a couple of these plants would make the room pop.
String of pearls
Have you ever seen a plant that doesn’t exactly have leaves? If not, I introduce you to the string of pearls plant. Instead of leaves, it has bead-like seeds that are attached to a flexible stem and can grow very long; looking somewhat like a pearl necklace. It kind of has an ancient look, and looks amazing if potted in a vessel that allows the beads to flow perfectly out the sides. The plant appreciates a good amount of indirect light, so somewhere around the window, where the sun doesn’t directly heat the plant, is perfect.
Sweetheart Wax Plant
A perfect gift for that girl you have been ‘accidentally’ bumping into at the library, or your spouse on Valentine’s day. Coincidentally, it is also called the ‘’Valentine’ plant for obvious reasons. This plant is unique in its look as it has just one broad, very thick leaf shaped as a heart. The plant is mostly found in the southern part of Asia and if you are a fan of Asian movies, you might have noticed them a couple times. For decorations, one piece can be used or a couple of them, neatly arranged together – in different pots of course. They are fans of bright direct light, so adding them to your window sill will be just perfect.
Also, it doesn’t take too much work to keep it alive as it does well to retain water. Watering it every three weeks is more than enough, so If you’re the type to forget your kid at daycare, then this plant is your soulmate, or can get you one.
Algerian Ivy
A plant from the northern parts of Africa, beautiful to look at with its bright green and broad leaves. Before we move ahead, you should know that the plant is somewhat harmful to the skin. It contains saponins and falcarinols which could cause skin and stomach irritation, especially in kids. So, if you have a child indoors, it’s advised to go for another option, or keep out of their reach. Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, we can get to the good stuff.
The beautiful leaves are great under the morning sun, reflecting its bright green light around the room, and it doesn’t exactly require taking care of. Watering is enough to keep the plant strong and healthy. The only grooming it might need is pruning its leaves regularly as it grows really fast. But according to gardeners who have invested their time in nurturing the plant, it’s totally worth it.
Finally
Even though sometimes you might run into a ditch or two when it comes to gardening, remember that practice makes perfect. Learning from your mistakes and improving on them is one of the things that makes gardening fun, that is besides seeing your handwork fully blossom.
if you want to know about how to maintain a garden you can read this.