Sharing my two favorite super simple DIY well-draining soil recipes.
I started making my own soil mix pretty early on in my houseplant journey.
I’ll stat by saying, the only readily available soil in my local nurseries and hardware stores have a high peat makeup. Peat is not ideal for a couple of reasons:
- Compresses the soil, creating high risk for it to become hydrophobic
- Keeps soil wet longer, increasing risk of root rot or fungus gnats
- It’s bad for the environment
You’ve heard this many times before, water, or overwatering, is the number one houseplant killer. With that bit of information, it should come as no surprise that adding soil amendments that promote drainage and airflow are the way to go.
Moisture Retention vs. Draining
Without getting scientific, and an easy way to distinguish which is what; the moisture retentive part of the soil mix will be those that are compact like: dirt, worm castings and moss. Ingredients that are well draining will be chunky and create air pockets.
Level 1 DIY Soil Mix
So easy to make and great for most common houseplants. I use this mix on pothos, monsteras, ficus, snake plants, zz plants, and more.
You will need equal parts:
- Houseplant soil mix
- Perlite or Pumice
- Orchid Bark
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Level 2 DIY Soil Mix
Just two more ingredients from level 1 and this can be amended with ratios suitable to each of your plant’s needs. For example, for a scindapsus, Hoya or ficus, I would use about equal parts; while for a calathea, I would I would do 2:1 on the moisture retention ingredients.
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