Good Medium For Snake Plant

Houseplants traditionally grow in a nutrient-rich “growing medium,” which can be compost or soil, although it’s usually a peat or peat-free mix. It’s not like you have to write an exhaustive article on how to use these products. If you know how to use them you’ll probably be able to achieve great results right away. Most indoor gardeners prefer to have some control over the “mixes” they use, especially because not everything likes the same thing.

You may want to get to know the differences between Perlite and Vermiculite, or maybe you enjoy creating their own “blends” from scratch. Any way you cut it, your houseplants will only be as healthy as their roots, which means it is imperative to properly look after and encourage them to be healthy. The first step here is to understand the materials surrounding and supporting them.

Different types of growing mediums

Most house plants will usually grow quite happily in several different types of growing mediums, so there is rarely a single magic medium for every plant. The growing medium for all houseplants should be sufficiently “open” and “loose” to provide its roots the ability to grow in smoothly, but not so open that the plant is unstable.

Water needs to flow through it freely but not to the extent that water can just run out the bottom otherwise your plant will not be able to drink. Moreover, a growing medium must allow air into it while retaining a certain amount of water, in order to enable microorganisms to flourish and to provide essential nutrients for plant health and growth. You can achieve the above with a good indoor potting mix.

What is the best potting mix for houseplants?

Houseplant growers commonly use 100% pure peat, a peat-free mix, or their own homemade compost for the plants. However, there are several other commonly used potting mixtures that you can also use.

1. Peat

2. Peat Free

3. Home Made Compost

4. Top Soil

The Peat

Many countries have noticed a rise in opposition to the use of Peat in recent years. The ideal moisture and nutrient retention make for an excellent growing medium for almost any houseplant, and the medium breaks down quite slowly. The most likely soil mix you will find in the pots of your newly brought plants is soil mix, which is cheap and readily available in the majority of supermarkets and garden centers. There is an issue that Peat comes from a naturally forming peatland, which is the most efficient carbon sink in the world. Peatland harvesting causes the environment to be destroyed and allows more carbon dioxide to be in the air, resulting in a rise in global temperatures. It isn’t renewable since the formation process takes too long, so we cannot rely on it for long-term use.

The fact remains that Peat is a fantastic growing medium and will facilitate plant growth with the result being increased photosynthesis and a healthier natural cycle than those who burn peat as a fuel source. Although not brilliant, it is still not perfect, which is why our personal preference is to use Peat-free or at least reduced Peat products, where possible.

 How to use it

In general, you can start using peat the moment you open the bag. It often comes with nutrients already included and provides nourishment to your plants for months on end (regardless of how fast they grow). After reading the previous section, it is clear we will encourage you to consider adding other materials to your peat purchase to stretch your peat purchase to the maximum.

Peat-Free

Several organic materials need to be mixed in peat-free compost, including coir, green compost, shredded bark, and sharp sand, and then inorganic materials need to be employed as well, such as rock wool. This combination of coarse and fine particles is required to form a compost that can hold nutrients and water, but also allows air to enter the mix. All this is essential for root development.

Peat-free products are becoming more and more popular, but since it’s a relatively new market there is not one dominant competitor or perfect “product”. This means that some products perform better than others and there is plenty of material included in your Peat-free bag. Look inside the bag and take a look at what’s inside the plant. You’re looking for something pretty high-quality and that will smell nice.

How to use it

You may wish to experiment a little if you have selected an unknown peat-free compost to find out if it is suitable. Certain mixes can be very bulky and can contain large amounts of components, making it hard to find the right mixture for your houseplants that have smaller roots and pots. All things considered, you should be able to use this straight out of the bag, just as you would with a 100% peat mix. Mix with other growing mediums if desired, otherwise, you can start growing once you open the pack. Vegetables like Venus flytraps, which originate from peat bogs and do best in peat, should not be grown in products made without peat.

Homemade Compost

The process of making your own compost is very simple and often free (or near-free). To begin, you will need a composter and a place to put it in your garden. It will also need to be buried so invertebrates can have access to the material inside.

After you’ve done so, you’ll need to add green and brown waste and turn the mixture every once in a while. This will turn your waste into a humus nectar containing nutrients derived from your waste.

How to use it

Compost that has been well rotted can be substituted for 100% peat and can be used in the same way as the peat-free mix you buy from the store (in fact, some peat-free mix is actually compost!). It’s important to ensure that your homemade compost is completely decomposed, which means it shouldn’t have taken too much of the nature of the surrounding soil. A composter placed over clay soil will result in a compost that contains clay, ideal for planting outdoors, but perhaps too heavy for indoor plants.

Topsoil

In some cases, indoor plants are grown using “dirt” that’s scooped up out of the yard or garden. This is brilliant stuff, but it’s not uncommon for people to refer to the stuff on the outside of their soil. The nutrient-depleted soil lacks nutrients and the capacity to hold water as a result of being exposed to the elements.

Under ideal conditions topsoil can be 8inches / 20cm deep and provides an ideal growing environment for outdoor plants at this level. It is the most abundant and concentrated concentration of natural organic matter and microorganisms, most of which are responsible for the biological activity occurring in the soil. This stuff is the business.

How to use it

While being a soil that is packed with nutrients, topsoil should not be used as the only ingredient in an indoor growing medium. aside from being expensive, it’s prohibitively heavy, making it difficult for plants to grow roots through it, making it no different than potting soil. In addition to being heavy due to its small components, topsoil also packs easily not providing air for the roots, which also causes it to hold water well, but too well by itself. to utilize the wonderful properties of topsoil, you need to mix it with other materials to keep it “open”. Combining it with peat or peat-free products is common; the amount of topsoil in an indoor potting mix should range between 0% – 30%.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

There are still many recent and interesting articles about Snake Plants..

..as well as other unique information from All Things Gardener..

For further information and other inquiries..

..you can contact us here