Soils and substrates – choosing and creating the right mix
🌱 Soils and Substrates – choosing and composing the right mix
Potting soil is the cocoon in which a plant takes root, draws its nutrients, and breathes. Too often neglected, it nonetheless plays an essential role in the health and growth of indoor plants. Choosing the right substrate means offering them living, aerated soil that is adapted to their needs.
The substrate is also linked to watering and light. Watering – understanding plant water needs
🌿 Why substrate choice is so important - Soils and Substrates – choosing and composing the right mix
Every plant has its preferences: some like rich, humid soils, while others prefer well-draining and light mixes. A good substrate allows roots to breathe, anchor themselves firmly, and absorb water and nutrients without excess. A bad mix, too compact or too poor, can slow growth, promote diseases, or cause rot.
🪴 Recognizing a suitable substrate for your plant - Soils and Substrates – choosing and composing the right mix
There isn't a single universal potting soil. The ideal is to adapt the mix to the nature of the plant:
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Tropical plants like rich, humid, but well-drained substrates. A potting mix for green plants, enriched with compost and lightened with a little perlite or coir, suits them perfectly. Find our tropical plants adapted to this type of substrate.
Philodendron – graphic green plants -
Succulents and cacti prefer very well-drained soils. A mix of potting soil, coarse sand, and small pebbles prevents their roots from sitting in moisture. Discover our resilient plants that appreciate very well-drained substrates.
Sansevieria – resilient indoor plants - Orchids need a very aerated substrate, often composed of pine bark, sphagnum moss, or charcoal. Their roots like to breathe and dislike stagnant water.
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Shade or undergrowth plants like ferns appreciate mixes rich in humus, fresh, and slightly acidic. Discover our indoor plants suitable for humid and shady environments.
Shade plants – low-light spaces
🌸 Natural components to know - Soils and Substrates – choosing and composing the right mix
To compose or enrich a good substrate, here are some gentle and useful ingredients:
- Universal potting soil: neutral base, often used as the main support.
- Vegetable compost: rich in nutrients, it nourishes the plant long-term.
- Perlite: small white beads that lighten the soil and improve drainage.
- Vermiculite: retains water while aerating the substrate.
- Coir: light, ecological, it retains moisture without suffocating the roots.
- Sand or gravel: perfect for plants that like dry soils.
- Pine bark: ideal for orchids and epiphytic plants.
Find all the elements to compose your substrates.
Accessories – tools and maintenance
🚫 Mistakes to avoid with substrates - Soils and Substrates – choosing and composing the right mix
– Using potting soil that is too compact or too heavy for sensitive plants
– Forgetting to drain the bottom of the pot (with clay pebbles or stones)
– Reusing old potting soil without regenerating it
– Choosing a substrate not adapted to the species (e.g., cacti in tropical plant potting soil)
– Overwatering a poorly drained substrate
– Not repotting a plant that has depleted its soil for several years
👉 Discover our plants according to their substrate needs in our shop:
Nursery-selected indoor plants
