If you buy plants for the windowsill, you don't have to worry about what kind of soil you need, because indoor plants are usually already potted. New potting soil is only needed when repotting. But what requirements should it meet?
Potting soil is usually quite suitable for indoor plants
contents of the potting soil
So that a plant can grow well in the potting soil, it should have the following ingredients, among others:
- humus
- compost
- fibrous materials, e.g. B. coconut, wood, algae
- volume
- sand
- Lime for the ph value
- long-term fertilizer
- Peat for soil loosening and water storage
The additive peat should be avoided for environmental reasons. On the one hand, valuable moor landscapes are damaged by the extraction of peat and, on the other hand, peat makes the soil acidic. Most indoor plants do not tolerate this very well.
Nevertheless, people do not want to completely do without the addition of peat, as there is still no substitute that has all of its good properties. Peat-free potting soil is already available in garden centers. They consist, among other things, of green compost, bark humus, coconut and wood fibers in order to obtain similarly good properties as potting soil containing peat.
The potting soil for indoor plants
This special soil is specially composed for potted plants. Houseplants only have a limited amount of space, their pot, and must therefore be supplied with sufficient nutrients in the smallest of spaces. Potting soil is therefore particularly rich in nutrients. Depending on the manufacturer, it contains more or less fertilizer. As a rule, the depot lasts for one to two months. Then you have to help with a suitable fertilizer.
Potting soil must be able to store moisture well so that indoor plants can always meet their needs. Special fibers ensure optimal storage capacity. The addition of clay granules is ideal. In addition to water, the clay also stores nutrients in the soil.
Potting soil must have a stable structure so that the plants can get a good grip and root properly. The soil must not compact even after a long period of time so that the roots can always be sufficiently supplied with oxygen. The potting soil becomes structurally stable with compost, coconut fibers and perlite (37.51€) (volcanic glass in the form of small grains).