Soo true! I live in a country where we have effectively 3 potting soils: “plant soil”, “cactus/seed soil” and orchid bark. Yes, we have things to add in - vermicellulite, perlite, charcoal, Leca, pon - but that’s it. And I think it is brilliant! I tell people on forums - just mix a bit of ANY of those into regular potting soil to help aerate it a bit and you’re golden for anything except orchids. To me, this is just a gimmick to get people to buy more — certainly 90% of plant owners wouldn’t know what mix to use anyway, nor do they pay enough attention to watering or light to ensure their mix is right. I keep my own mix (most of the above mixed together) and use it for everything except orchids and cactus.
A lady I used to work with had stunning houseplants and she kept them all in soil she dug from her flowerbeds outside. Whilst I wouldn’t recommend doing that it really shows that soil doesn’t matter if you know what you’re doing!
Soo true! I live in a country where we have effectively 3 potting soils: “plant soil”, “cactus/seed soil” and orchid bark. Yes, we have things to add in - vermicellulite, perlite, charcoal, Leca, pon - but that’s it. And I think it is brilliant! I tell people on forums - just mix a bit of ANY of those into regular potting soil to help aerate it a bit and you’re golden for anything except orchids. To me, this is just a gimmick to get people to buy more — certainly 90% of plant owners wouldn’t know what mix to use anyway, nor do they pay enough attention to watering or light to ensure their mix is right. I keep my own mix (most of the above mixed together) and use it for everything except orchids and cactus.
A lady I used to work with had stunning houseplants and she kept them all in soil she dug from her flowerbeds outside. Whilst I wouldn’t recommend doing that it really shows that soil doesn’t matter if you know what you’re doing!