What’s in the mix?
A lot of people ask me about my house plants and what I use to them look so lush and healthy. The first thing I tell them is about the soil I choose for my houseplants. Like yourself, I have researched so much about houseplant when I first started. I even made the mistake of getting the cheapest potting mix from Bunnings. Do not get me wrong its not about the cost, its about what is in the mix? The first problem I had was with fungus gnats, oh my! I remember searching online and finding that hydrogen peroxide is meant to help, then off I went to Chemist Warehouse to get many hydrogen peroxide bottles. I even tried the sticky yellow traps as well. Any ordinary potting mix usually have compost or pine bark, these habour the fungus gants.
Then I thought about making my own soil mix, this was good once I discovered that the soil should not be dense, but should allow good drainage and aeration while holding adequate moisture. Coco coir or sphagnum peat are great for holding adequate water for the plants withous leaving the mix soggy. Peat and perlite are good for aeration, because they creates pockets allowing the roots to breath. Worm castings nourishes the plants.
But if you are like me and get busy sometimes, grab your self a good indoor mix, like the Scotts Osmocote Indoor Plants Premium Potting Mix from Bunnings. This reminds me of the verse in the bible which talks about the fruitfulness of the seeds that fall on good ground (soil).
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” Matthew 13:23
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