Hello I repotted all my plants about a month ago using soil for houseplants from my local garden centre. Since doing this the soil just seems rubbish. Whenever I water the plants, they don’t drain, the water sits on top and spills out and if I have a window open and it’s windy we end up with soil all over the house. Anyone know why that is? Thanks x
Hello Merry, Ah yeah, seems like your soil is extremely hydrophobic and that is why the water won’t drain all the way through. My guess is it’s almost entirely peat moss with a whisper of perlite added in. I hate to say it since repotting is so much work but I’d invest in some good quality soil online or amend yours with loads of perlite and coco coir and horticultural charcoal.
2 Me gustaI thought that may be the case. Thank you ❤️
1 me gusta No problem 😊hmmm there must be some sort of moss or moisture agent in there that your plants are not liking, most plant roots love to breathe and ease into soil since they’re delicate, if you think of swamps with their thick muddy areas not much grows there except for trees with their large robust roots.
0 Me gustaThis is the mix I have x
I got recommended to soak my hydrophobic plants in a bowl of lukewarm water. I just used a metal mixing bowl from the kitchen. Fill it with water to about half an inch from the top of the pot - do not let the water go over the edge of the pot. The plant will keep popping up because the soil is so dry. Keep pushing it down until the plant stops bobbing or you start feeling SLIGHT moisture (not a lot) at the top of the dirt where you keep pushing. This has brought back a lot of my plants and they are thriving. Even my fiddle fig grew new leaves about a week and a half after this. It’s saved my plants.
4 Me gustaThank you
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I have been making my own soil mix that is all over Instagram. It is Fox Farms Ocean Floor potting soil, perlite, and orchid bark. I mix it and keep it in a container I got from Amazon that fits the mix perfectly. In Planta, I choose “Tropical Soil” for this and you can see from the picture it uses the same three ingredients (although doesn’t show Fox Farms specifically for the potting soil part)
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