Introduction
Potting soil vs potting mix, what is the best opition for your gardening needs? If you are a Gardening enthusiast then you will have heard other gardeners talking about potting mix. What purpose does potting mix have and what makes it so different from regular potting soil. What would the benefits of potting mix have for your garden?
Whether you intend on using potting soil/mix for herbs, plants, or vegetables you will always want to use the best option providing you with good quality growth for your garden.
What is potting mix?
When someone is referring to potting mix, they are usually referring to the many different varieties sold in different packaging. There are many different uses of potting mix for any kind of plant. For example, a potting mix for flowers would be different than a potting mix for herbs, i.e. a potting mix that provides more potassium will be needed for growing flowers, whereas a mix for herbs would be needed for vegetables as they need more nutrients.
Potting mix – Ingredients and other benefits
Potting mixes can consist of many ingredients such as compost, dried and shredded matter such as leaves, pieces of shredded bark, moss, and fiber. There will also be non-organic ingredients such as sand and perlite. Products are mixed to allow a proper flow of water.
As the potting mix is used for items like small containers it is important for liquids and air to move as much as possible through the mix for overall better growth. A common problem when using ordinary soil for pots is the texture of the soil which can drastically reduce the flow of needed air and water which is where products such as a potting mix are more beneficial.
(Peat) moss – is an important element for improving airflow and drainage for the benefit of the growing medium, and will help it not to dry out.
Coir – has the same benefits of peat moss, however, coir is a lot more accessible these days than peat moss.
Vermiculite – has molecules that act like a sponge which will benefit the overall performance of your plant by holding more nutrients, leaving a more even distribution of water for longer periods.
Bark – like coir and peat moss is good for arrogation and drainage. However, it is a better option if the plant is a more mature plant that doesn’t need the same conditions that are needed for seeds.
Perlite – which is mined from volcanic glass is good for Irrigation and water regression. Although perlite is more expensive than sand it has some disadvantages, like floating in the water.
Soilless mix
We have we went through a quick overview of the potting mix above. Let’s now move on looking at soilless mix advantages.
Sterile
there are no pathogens or bacteria that will harm the plant’s seedling. At the same time, this could potentially be a disadvantage as your plant won’t get to benefit from the natural healthy bacteria and fungi.
Nutrients and water cycles
It is generally hard to get the right drainage, water holding capacity, and additional nutrients for your soil. With a soilless mix, these problems become less of an issue.
Soilless mix is lighter
Irrigated soils can become tightly compacted and as a result, can more quickly prevent and slow down the growth needed for the seed. The contents of a soilless mix make the medium more appropriate for the seed to get a better start.
Quick take
So potting soil vs potting mix, which is better? Both mixes have their own individual benefits which could potentially become a disadvantage for another element within the mix.
As natural garden soil is heavier and denser than potting mix means that you won’t be using garden soil for planting in window boxes or containers because of the environment created by these small contained areas as the plant roots and seedlings would become suffocated from lack of the oxygen needed to grow. Potting soil is more absorbent allowing the right amount of oxygen and water to flow to the seedling.