Potting soil is offered by numerous brands in different compositions. The price differences are just as big. Find out here how you can recognize good potting soil, what the difference is to bad soil and why the right soil is important for your plants.
How can you recognize good potting soil at a glance?
You can recognize good potting soil, for example, by aloose structure The soil surface remains finely crumbly even after watering and does not form a crust. Cheap potting soil clumps together quickly and creates a hard layer of soil. Water has difficulty penetrating into these and instead flows off the surface.
What are the components of good potting soil?
One of the most important ingredients in good potting soil isHumus. If this is decomposed by microorganisms, nutrients are released, which in turn feed the plants. In addition, artificially prepared potting soil can contain various additives, for example:
- Storage materials (expanded clay, perlite, etc.)
- Fertilizer (depot fertilizer, also phyto semolina, horn shavings, horn meal, guano)
Can you tell good potting soil by its pH value?
Potting soils are adapted to the specific needs of each plant:
- Universal soil (for potted plants, vegetables): relatively neutral, pH value 6.7
- Potting soil (for indoor, balcony or potted plants): slightly acidic, pH value 5.6
- coarse potting soil (as a soil improver for fruit trees and bushes): pH value 6 to 6.5
- Special soil (for heather and ericaceous plants, rhododendrons, hydrangeas): acidic, pH value 4 to 5
What are the most important criteria for high-quality potting soil?
- Stable, loose: Take the soil in your hand and squeeze it together. When you open your hand again, the substrate should fall apart loosely and not clump together.
- Permeable, ventilated: The earth should be able to store water like a sponge. At the same time, wet soil must also be well ventilated.
- Peat-free: However, when peat is mined, protected moors are irretrievably destroyed. In addition, a lot of environmentally harmful carbon dioxide is released. Good substitutes are compost, bark humus, coconut or wood fibers.
How do you recognize bad potting soil?
One of the most important features to identify poor quality potting soil is the smell. If the earth smellsmusty or putrid, you should become suspicious. For reasons of economy, coarser components such as twigs are often found. Cheap potting soil also becomes muddy very quickly and damages the fine roots.
Why should I use good potting soil?
With the right potting soil, yourplant will be well cared for and will thrive. High-quality soil stores vital water and nutrients and releases them to the plant when needed without overwhelming it. It also gives the roots sufficient support and is well ventilated to prevent root rot. Cheap potting soil dries out more quickly due to cheaper ingredients, does not contain the right nutrients in the right amounts and causes roots to wither.
Tip
Buy only undamaged potting soil bags
When buying potting soil in the store, make sure that the bag is not damaged and has ideally been stored under cover. If stored incorrectly or if the bag has holes in it, water can get in and accumulate. This can cause rot to form and damage the plants.
