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Organic Gardening

Am I having a problem with soil that's to "heavy"?

10 years ago

I have two pots of geraniums living next to each other. The older one has a combination of soil from my backyard, worm poo, and the soil it came with, which has some perlite. The newer one has soil from my front yard, which is more clay-like, and worm poo.

The older one is looking nicer and it's soil stays "fluffy," while the soil for the newer one always seems hard, and it's not growing as well. It seems to dry out faster and need more water.

Should I repot it with perlite?

Comments (2)

Kimmsr
10 years ago
Generally plants in pots grow in a soilless mix, not regular garden soil.
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
10 years ago
Yes, growing plants in containers requires a medium that offers very fast drainage and good aeration (lots of texture). That eliminates using garden soil or even much compost. You need a designated "potting soil" for this purpose, which as mentioned above is usually referred to as a 'soilless mix'.
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