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Switched from store bought potting mix to mixing my own last spring and never going back
I was killing my indoor plants with that Miracle Gro crap for 2 years, roots always rotting or soil getting hydrophobic. After 3 months of mixing my own with orchid bark, perlite, and coco coir, my monstera grew 4 new leaves. Anyone else notice a huge difference after ditching the bagged soil?
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blair_torres706d ago
Bagged soil turned to concrete? That's wild.
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The other thing nobody talks about with bagged soil is how inconsistent it is between batches. I bought two bags of the same brand three months apart and one was full of fungus gnats while the other had so much peat it turned into concrete after a week. Mixing your own you actually know what you're working with and can adjust for each plant's needs. My alocasia needed extra perlite while my snake plant likes way more bark chunks and you just can't do that with a one-size-fits-all bag. What kind of mix recipe are you running for your monstera?
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joseph_green136d ago
Agree completely with @the_lucas on the inconsistency thing. It drives me crazy when you open a fresh bag and it's either soaking wet or so dry it's like dust. For my monstera I just do a simple mix of cactus soil, perlite, and orchid bark in roughly equal parts. The bark is key for the aroids because they need that air flow around the roots. You gotta adjust it based on your climate too though. I run a dehumidifier in my basement so I add a little more peat to hold moisture longer, but if you're in a humid spot you'd want less of that.
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