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The Best Soil Mix For Container Gardening

If you are interested in container gardening, then you must first know about the ideal soil mix for container gardening. A plant gets all its nutrients and moisture from the sand. If you ignore such an important ingredient that makes your plant alive, you cannot expect healthy growth.

Most of us try gardening as a hobby but when we take it more seriously, we can really reap the true benefits of gardening. Growing your favourite vegetables helps you eat healthy homegrown foods. For that, you must know about the ideal soil mix for container vegetable gardening.

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Today, people living in metros can embrace the concept of growing vegetables or flowers in pots. It's easy and convenient. It is not possible to buy some empty land or garden near your house in the city to grow vegetables or enjoy gardening as a hobby. But if you know the right soil mix for container gardening, you can start trying things at home.

The Best Soil Mix For Container Gardening

Different Soil Mix Needed
The soil mix for container gardening is different. The regular soil from your garden isn't sufficient to nourish the plant's life in a container. Remember the fact that the soil in your container should be able to promote growth of the plant. The soil must be able to drain the water but still retain some amount of moisture.

The soil used in containers is called 'soilless'. It is nothing but a mixture of coir-fibre, bark, vermiculite and peat. The proportions of these ingredients would vary depending upon the plants that are to be grown in the containers.

Different Soil For Different Plants
If you plan to grow perennials, herbs or succulents, go for a soil type that doesn't retain moisture. The soil for such plants should contain more of sand, perlite and bark. The texture of the soil should be coarse. But if you are planning to grow foliage plants or tropicals, choose a soil which is less coarse but contains more of peat because these plants need more moisture.

Take Precautions
If you wish to use garden soil in containers, you might need to first modify it. One advantage of using soilless is that it doesn't contain weeds or insects. Also, you must remember to lave some gap at the top of the container when you fill it with the soil. Never fill the container till its tip. This helps the container to hold the water.

If you wish to save some money, you can either go for used containers or milk tins and use them as containers for your gardening. But you must always get the best soil mix for container gardening.

Story first published: Wednesday, December 10, 2014, 18:36 [IST]
Read more about: gardening tips