The 10 Best Potting Soils
Special Honors
Container Gardening Reddit This community on Reddit can offer a lot of valuable information on growing plants in containers. You can find out which soil works best in what container, and share your information with others as well. reddit.com
Editor's Notes
May 06, 2020:
Having good soil is critical to your plant's health and can make or break its ability to absorb nutrients. Because these plants will likely be put into containers, they'll be in a limited environment, which means everything that can be done to promote their optimal conditions must be taken into account. Many soils have beneficial things like perlite and vermiculite mixed into them, which make the soil light and allow water to flow through easily, which also prevents compaction. However, these are non-renewable sources, which organic products do not use, opting instead for natural additives. Whatever option you choose is up to you, but be sure to do some research before you put your plant in its new soil home. When you're ready, grab your plant pots and a maybe a tool set and dig in.
If you have cacti or succulents, you'll definitely want to check out the Hoffman Cactus and Succulent Mix which has the blend required for these arid plants, as well as a better drainage ability which mimics their natural habitat.
If you want an all purpose soil that is pH-balanced for optimal nutrient uptake then check out Happy Frog Potting Soil or Black Gold All Purpose. The latter choice also has a fertilizer that breaks down over time so you can relax knowing that your plants are getting the added benefits they need.
Burpee Organic Premium and Espoma Organic Potting Mix are two great soils for those that want to use less water than traditional blends require, and want mixtures that use sustainable ingredients.