My old potting soil routine was a disaster compared to how I do it now

I used to just grab any bag of soil from the garden center and call it good. About 6 months ago I started mixing my own for my indoor plants after my peace lily got root rot three times in a row. Now I do a blend of 2 parts coco coir, 1 part perlite, and a handful of worm castings from a bin I keep under my sink. I also sift it through a mesh screen to get the chunks out because my pothos roots were suffocating before. What finally tipped me off was a woman at a plant swap in Portland who told me her soil mix was like a recipe, not a guess. Since I switched, my monstera put out 4 new leaves in a month. Has anyone else had to completely redo their soil game after a plant nearly died?

3 comments

3 Comments

brian_hart1d ago

Sifting seems extra but hey, whatever works for you.

jackson.max1d ago

Buddy of mine tried it once. Spent two hours sifting flour for cookies and ended up finding a pebble that somehow got mixed in. Haven't bothered with it since.

adam1861d ago

Sifting soil... that sounds like something I'd do if my plants were giving me ultimatums. "Fix my dirt or I'm out," said my schefflera after dropping half its leaves. I respect the dedication though, especially when a pebble shows up in your cookie dough like a tiny betrayal. Brian over here acting like sifting is some kind of gardening hazing ritual... wait till he finds out about pH testing.