The balcony boxes and flower tubs are replanted every year in spring. Then it is important to choose the right potting soil. But with the variety of plant substrates available on the market, the choice is difficult.
Potting soil offers balcony plants an ideal basis
What substances does potting soil contain?
Normal potting soil should provide ornamental plants with the necessary nutrients for some time, it should not contain any pollutants and should be as free as possible from pests. This is only the case with sterilized soil.
The soil should contain:
- compost
- possibly peat
- coconut fibers
- Perlite,(37.51€) volcanic rock for soil aeration
- Wetting agent for better water absorption of the soil
- Fertilizers that are slowly released to the plants.
Differences in potting soil
There are many different types of potting soil in the garden store. Almost every plant has its own soil with special ingredients that often have to be paid for dearly.
So many different types of soil are actually not necessary if you know the needs of your plants. In principle, three different compositions are sufficient for the potting soil:
- A potting soil is required for raising seedlings. It is finely crumbly, has a low nutrient content and contains little salt. With this composition, the seeds are stimulated to develop good roots.
- The soil for tubs or balcony boxes (€109.00) requires more nutrients and has a coarser structure. The planted flowers immediately receive sufficient nutrition and can root well in the coarse substrate.
- If you want to plant herbs on your balcony, you should use herbal soil. This is a soil composition specially tailored to herbs with more sand and lime.
Advantages of high-quality potting soil
Very different qualities can be observed in potting soil. The soil from the discounter is cheap, but contains a lot of peat. This is questionable in view of the disappearance of the valuable bogs.
The brand manufacturer advertises with nutrient-rich, high-quality soil and promises an irresistible sea of flowers on the balcony. The soil is of course much more expensive, but it actually contains much more nutrients than the cheap goods and has already been provided with slow-release fertilizer for some time. So here you can save on fertilizers, while you have to top up the discounter goods very soon, which in turn increases the amount of work.
The slow-release fertilizer allows the flowers in the box to develop slowly and well. They really are blooming.
High-quality potting soil in the balcony boxes is worthwhile because it means less work and more joy.