Digging Deeper on Soil
Unfortunately, soil is not a one-kind-fits-all product. All plants need different types of soil to thrive and it is important to know what soil to use to ensure proper growth, drainage, and nutrient intake of your plants. Here are some of the different types of soil and what plants they should be used for.
First, we have outdoor soils
Garden soil
Garden soil should be used for planting plants in the ground and in a garden bed. This includes perennial and nursery plants/ trees, as well as annual plants that you want to plant in the ground. Many garden soils contain compost to provide extra nutrients and to improve plant health. Garden soil can also be used for top dressing for your lawn.
Outdoor potting soil
Outdoor potting soil should be used for planting annual plants in pots or containers. This includes annual flowers, vegetables, and herbs. Potting soil is usually lighter weight and provides better drainage and aeration, which is especially important when planting plants in pots. There are also usually specific potting soils that have different nutrients for specific plants. This can include potting soil that is specific for annual flowers, and potting soil that is specific for vegetables and herbs. It is also important to make sure that if you are planting vegetables and herbs, you use a soil that is organic and safe for edible plants.
Lawn Soil
The last type of soil is lawn soil. Lawn soil is ideal for repairing bare spots on lawns, and for topdressing and overseeding. Lawn soil is usually denser and more compact, allowing it to have better water retention and drainage. This can be helpful if you forget to water your lawn one day in the summer. Because of these specific characteristics, it is important to only use lawn soil for lawns, and not in a garden bed.
Compost Manure Mix
When planting plants outside, adding compost manure to the soil can be helpful to provide extra nutrients to the soil, and can help improve the soil’s water absorption and drainage, thus enhancing plant health. Common types of compost manure include cattle (cow) manure, chicken manure, and sea manure. Make sure though that if you are planting vegetables and herbs, you use a compost manure that is organic and safe for edible plants.
Next, we have indoor potting soils. There are many different types of indoor potting soil depending on the type of indoor plant you have.
Indoor Potting Mix
First, we have a regular indoor potting mix which can be used for a variety of indoor tropical plants such as plants with foliage, climbing plants, and indoor trees. Plants that this soil can be used for include alocasia, caladium, calathea, dieffenbachia, fig tree ferns, peace lily, peperomia, philodendron, pothos, and more. Indoor potting mix is made to help retain and release water when needed, and often contains an additive like coconut fiber to help with drainage.
Cactus and Succulent Soil
Cactus and succulent soil should be used for cactus and succulent plants. It is often a heavier soil that contains a mixture of sand, perlite, gravel, and peat moss, helping to provide proper drainage and aeration for cactus and succulent plants.
Orchid soil
Orchid soil can be used for orchids, as well as plants like anthuriums and bromeliads. It is less of a soil and more of a woody mixture containing bark and coconut husk chunks to help support these plants’ complex root growth, and allow for optimal air circulation, nutrient intake, and moisture retention.
We carry both the Fafard and Miracle-Gro soil brands. Please call us at 905-471-5630 to enquire about a specific soil we carry, or ask one of our greenhouse staff members in-store for more help.