All Potting Soils Are Not Created Equal: Part 2 in the Soil Series

There are potting soils on the market in almost every store you walk into, including supermarkets and sometimes gas stations. There are many varieties of potting mixes too. How do you know which one is right for your needs? What are the ingredients in potting soils and what is their purpose? Why is it important to your success in growing your favorite plants?

Through my 3+ years of trials and testing, I figured out how to make potting soil good for most any plants. The most important thing is the pH of the soil and nutrient availability to the plants.

As stated in Part 1 of this blog series, lime is one of the ingredients in most potting soils. Why is lime in potting soils? Acidity. 

Peat moss is an ingredient in most potting soils. Peat moss is very acidic. It is great at helping to hold water in potting soils but does need to be neutralized with lime.

In the PlantRight Elite Potting Soil, I have lowered the amount of lime in the soil so the pH of the PlantRight potting soil in the bag is around 5.5. This allows room for the pH to rise to a pH around 6.0-6.5, which is perfect for most all plants! What keeps it from rising farther? When plants are fertilized, the Urea in most fertilizers, when it breaks down to nutritional form plants can use, chemically reacts in the soil to aid in stabilizing and holding the pH in the low 6’s range. I have tested the pH in planters 6 months after they were planted here at Colonial Gardens, and the pH was still holding at 6.4!

I am not a chemist or scientist, but I do know in many cases what plants prefer. I have grown thousands of perennials, vegetables, annuals, and house plants in the PlantRight potting soil. I am confident that PlantRight potting soil will work for nearly any plants you want to grow! Just make sure you use the correct fertilizer for the type of plants you are growing.

My initial goal was to create an elite potting soil that could be used to plant most any plants and grow the successfully. This allows you, the consumer, to only need one bag of potting soil, and just a few small bottles of fertilizer for the types of plants you're growing. Which is much easier to store than multiple bags of potting soil! Save space!

PlantRight Potting soil is for you!

Written By "Rockin' Kev" Kevin Keilig