Compacted Soil and Watering

Ever noticed the soil in your houseplants pulling away from the edge of the pot? The soil becoming airtight making it impossible for the exchange of gases? The soil is what houses the nutrients for your plants and it’s imperative to support the overall health of your growing children. 

In order to be the best parent you possibly can we must keep a close eye on two things in soil; water retention & drainage. The potting soil you find at your local plant shop may not include enough mix for the plants. It’s important to keep an eye on ingredients. It’s possible for the soil to contain mainly sand, which after being exposed to water becomes dense. The soil then basically entraps the root resulting in a slow death for your poor baby.

In order to prevent the death of a houseplant your soil mixture must be a 2:1 mixture of peat & perlite. For the most part you want to make sure these are the key ingredients in your soil and there’s somewhat of a 2:1 ratio. 

The purpose of peat moss is to help with water retention while perlite helps keep your soil fluffy, allowing air to properly pass through. For added overall plant health you can add bark chips to soil which helps with moisture & drainage! For the most part tropical house plants love water and moisture.

Oh and just a heads up… you might find your plant being able to retain more water than usual with either vermiculite or sphagnum moss in the mix! If you’re someone who tends to forget to water..which we all do sometimes this might help your plant in the long run. It’s a bit of a good thing to have in the mix for it slowly releases water that it retains throughout time. A must have key ingredient! 

May your plants live a long & prosperous life :)