The Best Soil Mixture for Potted Plants

• Commercial potting soil is available in combinations perfected for particular plants, but most plants will grow well in a general mixture. David Sacks/Lifesize/Getty Images

  A quality potting soil is the most important component to successful container gardening. Whether you choose to make your own or purchase a commercial product, always use new potting soil when planting or transplanting a new container. Old potting soil will be depleted of nutrients and may contain diseases or pests left over from the last planting. The best potting soil will be lightweight, nutrient-dense and able to retain moisture.

Compost

• Quality potting soil begins with compost, the finished product from decomposed organic matter. Commercial compost is available at most full-service garden centers and department store garden centers during the growing season, but you can make your own compost with some time, and a place to collect and cure the ingredients--carbon matter such as dried leaves, twigs, tea and coffee grinds, along with nitrogen matter, green plant matter, veggie and fruit scraps, eggshells and grass clippings. Given a few months to break down, the end product is compost, a nutrient-rich, soil-like material. An even-blended compost made of both carbon and nitrogen-based materials should provide an adequate amount of nutrients for the growing season, but some blends will also offer a slow-release fertilizer to the mixture.

Sphagnum Moss

• Sphagnum moss or peat moss is a dried material created from plants harvested from bog areas. Both types of moss help maintain a lightweight consistency that is well-draining and slow to break down. Sphagnum and peat mosses are both readily available commercially and also used to improve the drainage in hard garden soils.

Perlite/Vermiculite

• Perlite and vermiculite are two minerals that are used in potting soil, either together or interchangeably, to help retain moisture. Seen in commercial potting soil as white granules, these minerals also keep the soil aerated and prevent clumping.