Pothos is a flowering plant that can survive in adverse conditions, which makes it the perfect plant for people who require something low maintenance. The plant can hold onto its green color, even if it has access to nothing but indirect sunlight.
However, a Pothos plant can be toxic to animals. It can cause vomiting, breathing problems, and irritation in animals. Finding a Pothos soil is challenging, but the right mix of pothos soil is important.
The best potting soil mix for a pothos plant will simulate the natural habitat of these plants. In the following paragraphs, we will discuss the factors a person must consider when making their own pothos soil and the commercially available soil mix.
What Does a Pothos Plant Need in Its Potting Soil
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Pothos belongs to Mo’Orea, a volcanic island situated in French Polynesia, which is situated ten miles away from Tahiti. The area has a tropical and humid climate that supports thick vegetation, and Pothos is one of them.
It is always a good idea to make your own potting soil or mix, as it enables you to control the quality and quantity of ingredients quite easily.
Having a new potting soil mix allows you to put in a bag of an entirely different plant, without a huge amount of leftovers.
Let’s discuss the right soil type for Pothos plants.
Drainage
It is important to have well-draining potting soil because the pothos roots don’t like being submerged in excess water. However, they do need the right balance of moisture and proper drainage. You can use some perlite to improve the potting soil for your pothos plant.
Moisture
Moisture goes hand in hand with drainage, and while the pothos plant isn’t typically fond of moisture, it does need moisture to stay healthy. You can use vermiculite and similar amendments to hold moisture and prevent the need for frequent watering.
Nutrients
Pothos belongs to a family of fast-growing plants from tropical regions where the soil is nutrient-rich. A good potting soil for pothos contains a sufficient amount of compost, fertilizer, and other sources of nutrition. In general, a pothos plant will perform well with a fertilizer ratio of 15-15-15.
Signs You’re Using the Wrong Soil for Pothos Plants
If you are new to pothos plants, it is important to know they won’t die completely if they are in the wrong type of pothos potting mix.
However, if you use the wrong soil mix, the plant will lose its luster, develop fewer leaves, and grow slower than usual.
If you water your pothos plants regularly, and the growth is still less than satisfactory, the mix is to be blamed for it. Scale infestations are common, and these pests can hide under the surface of the mix while affecting the root system of your pothos plants.
There are several issues haunting the life and health of your pothos plants. Sometimes it is root rot, while sometimes, it is a lack of nutrition and moisture.
Sometimes it is poor drainage or garden soil or pest infestation. Regardless of what happens to your pothos plants, you must take these issues as signs and mix some fresh soil with your pothos soil mix.
Let’s discuss these issues in detail to keep your soil mix and the pothos plants in good shape.
Yellow and Brown Leaves
Yellow leaves aren’t uncommon with other plants, but yellow leaves allude to root rot in pothos plants. Root rot is a fungal pathogen that needs wet soil.
To avoid root rot in your pothos plants, it is important to make sure your soil mix is draining well and you are watering it at regular intervals.
Fungal Growth
If your soil mix has become a hotbed for fungus gnats, chances are the soil mix isn’t draining properly.
Therefore, it is better to add more perlite to your soil mix or invest in a container with a better drainage system.
Stunted Growth
Stunted growth is a real issue with pothos plants and mustn’t be ignored. If you see your pothos plants not growing as you expect, it is important to add some nutrients to the pothos soil mix. The best thing to do would be to use a 15-15-15 fertilizer, as we have discussed earlier.
Droopy Plants
Sometimes, you might find your pothos plants wilting. It’s a sign the soil is too dry. Make sure you water your pothos plants consistently, and especially when the mix is dry to the touch. You can also add some vermiculite to the soil.
What Is the Best Mix for Pothos Plant
To make your own potting mix for your pothos plant, there are a few simple ingredients you must always have. As far as the soil builder is concerned, you should avoid peat moss as much as possible.
Peat Moss is an unsustainable product responsible for destroying global wetlands. Coco Coir is a good alternative to peat moss. Not only does coco coir perform better than sphagnum peat moss, but it is also readily available at your local nursery.
The exact amount of each ingredient will depend on the soil you need for your pothos plant. Here’s the recipe for you to get your ratios right.
Coco coir-10 parts.
Perlite-five parts.
Shredded bark or vermiculite- four parts.
Compost or any suitable plant food-one part.
STEP#1:
First of all, choose the pot you’ll be using for your plants. It is worth noting the pot type affects soil greatly. Your container should be twice as big as the plant you are about to plant. Moreover, it should have a good drainage system. Once you have chosen the right pot, it will become easier for you to determine the potting mix you will need.
Step#2:
Next up, make sure you measure out the ratios. Then, take five-gallon buckets or something with lots of space for your ingredients to mix.
Mix away the ingredients. Use your hands if you don’t mind your hands getting dirty. Otherwise, you can use a hand tool or a little shovel.
Step#3:
Once you’ve thoroughly mixed the dry ingredients, add some water to moisturize the concoction. If you have a liquid fertilizer, make sure to mix it with water.
Step#4:
Now, add your moist soil to the container. Next, dig a hole in your container. The hole should be an inch thicker than the pothos root ball you are about to plant in.
Very gently, plant the root ball of your pothos plant into your pot and fill the hole. make sure you water the plant thoroughly.
Commercially Available Potting Mixes for Pothos Plants
Finding the best soil for pothos is challenging. Luckily, there are some amazing products in the market. To earn a place in the list of the best soil for pothos, the soil should contain certain ingredients that promote drainage but also preserve moisture while providing air pockets.
The mix should also have nutrients and fertilizers, as they are necessary for maintaining a healthy plant. Let’s look at some of the best soil for pothos plants.
FoxFarm Ocean Forest Organic Garden Potting Soil
This potting mix by FoxFarm is one of the best soil for pothos. It gives your plant a near-natural environment and a solid head start. It contains forest humus, peat moss, and sandy loam, thus giving your plant the drainage and moisture retention it needs while creating aerated soil.
This well-draining soil mix contains natural ingredients that provide nutritional support to your plant. It is enriched with fish, crab meal, bat guano, and earthworm castings.
The blend is put together to provide a strong root development and a growth habit. The soil pH levels for this mix are between 6.3 and 6.8, which is the optimal range for pothos growth.
The only downside of this mix is the small 12-quart bag that isn’t sufficient for the optimal growth of your pothos plant. You can easily purchase it at Amazon and Walmart or your local garden center.
Miracle-Gro Indoor Potting Mix
Miracle is known for producing the best gardening products. Their Miracle-Gro Indoor Potting Mix is one of the best mixes for pothos growth. This product contains the right blend of perlite, coconut coir, and sphagnum moss.
Like other products by Miracle-Gro, this potting mix contains products that help plants develop stronger roots. During the first six months of using this potting mix, you don’t need to use an additional fertilizer. The best part? This potting mix is affordable and readily available.
Because it is a dry mix, some ingredients, like peat moss, need to be moisturized adequately initially. To troubleshoot this problem, this mix comes with a wetting agent. Moreover, this mix is designed to prevent root rot and gnats. This mix provides aeration, drains well, and retains moisture.
You can find it on Amazon, Walmart, and also on Home Depot.
FoxFarm Happy Frog Potting Soil
Happy Frog by FoxFarm combines natural ingredients like composted forest humus, perlite, soil microbes, and sphagnum moss. This concoction helps retain moisture, provides little air pockets, and also supports rot growth.
It further contains humic acid, earthworm castings, and bat droppings. The humic acid comes from Leonardite, which results in slightly acidic soil. It also has dolomite lime and oyster shell, which help maintain the soil pH level between 6.3 and 6.8.
When repotting this plant, no extra fertilizer is required. However, after three months of potting, you will have to fertilize the soil.
It results in well-aerated and well-drained soil, and is packed with natural nutrients. The well-drained soil prevents root rot and results in healthy root growth.
The only downside of this soil mix for pothos is the fact that it is on the pricey side.
Mother Earth Coco Plus Perlite Mix
The Mother Earth Coco Plus Perlite Mix is one of the best soil mix for pothos. The perlite in it helps your Pothos plant retain its moisture. Moreover, the Mother Earth Mix isn’t airy or light and allows the root system to branch out in search of oxygen.
Furthermore, coconut coir isn’t compacting by nature, so you shouldn’t worry about your soil compressing with time. It also protects your plant against over-watering or aggressive fertilization indoors and outdoors.
Moreover, the coconut coir degrades slowly, and therefore, it lasts for a long time. Despite the big price tag, this mix keeps your pothos healthy and the roots rot-free. If you repot the plant with this new mix, it is better to add some fertilizer.
Bottom Line
Now you know exactly what soil mix for pothos is necessary for healthy pothos plant growth and what ingredients they should contain. If you are on the lookout for a good mix for pothos plants, always opt for the ones that provide aeration, proper drainage holes and moisture retention.
However, you must make sure the pothos soil mix recipe should be affordable and readily available. You must also remain consistent with your orchid soil mix and not experiment with different options.