50% Coco / Other peat / 30% Aeration / 20% Food/Nutrients... I dry out my Coco Peat after hydration for a few days, near a radiator, just to safeguard against rot. So all ingredients are dry and bug free at the point of potting, then give a good watering. Great video Erika, always cheer me up.
You didn't let the coir dry is that ok? I don't want mold. I am new to this and found another channel with base mixes. From trailers with small roots, I like it soft (Coco coir, perlite, pumice, vermiculite for variegated). To cover the holes, at the bottom of the pot and to hold on to my soil, I use LECA. For Hoyas and Philodendrons (Coco coir, coco husk, Orchard bark, Perlite, Pumice, small amount of soil for the Philo) I also add slow release fertilizer and I will be trying worm castings for the first time when I get some next week. This is such a fun hobby! I can't wait to start seeing results. I agree mixing it is great. All I have to do is dig in and pot my plants.
This was my first year really getting into plants. I already owned a few pothos but now I have 17 plants! Haha. Next year I will definitely be making my own soil. This early spring I used black gold organic and cactus mix to repot all my plants. They are great soil I just feel I can customize the soil easier for each plant making my own.
That is some good looking soil! It's fun playing in the dirt! I start with 60% cactus mix soil, then 20% pumice, 10% orchid bark, and 10% vermiculite. For my succulents I swap orchid bark with more pumice or perlite. Cool stickers on the soil container!!
Great video, thanks! You can use a container or something to measure your quantities. While it's not exactly needed to be perfect, but it's a way to measure proportions when mixing things up. For example, if you want to say that something should be 30% of your mix, then if you use 3 items and 1 container to measure things out, then it would be 1 container of that thing and 2 containers of other things, for a total of 33% and 66%, give or take, of the other 2 things.
Thank you for this video. I'm brand new to this, my sister in law told me what to get, and I've watched other videos of people saying what was in their soil, but you showed it! I've been back and forth to different stores trying to find pumice, castings, and a big bag of coco coir, I've looked on amazon, but none of that looked like the stuff in the garden center. 🤦♀️ Thank you for doing a video showing everything. I have the bricks, and pumice saved on amazon, but didn't know if that was right or not. This helped.
Really enjoyed this one, about to start with houseplants. So bit of a new thing coming from bonsai, but think it'll be great. wonderful video as always keep up the fantastic content look foward to your next on e. Have a good one.
This was such a great video! You're so cute and your explanations on the different components of the soil mix was so informative!🙏🏾I'm glad I came across this channel, now I feel like I have a better understanding of soil now and can't wait to make my own mix! Thanks🔥❤
I just got a dieffenbachia, but it got upset after I watered it too much. The home Depot soil just had cocoa coir and it was just soaked even though I only gave it a little water. I switched the soil after the leaves turned yellow to a potting soil with perlite. I kinda wonder whether I should switch my Chinese evergreen and pothos to a well draining soil as well.
Thank you so much for sharing your soil mix with us, I will definitely be mixing these together and adding them to my plants once I start repotting! 💚🌱🙂
The video you just did on dying plants... I have a lot of those plants and they are doing pretty good... maybe it is your soil!!! :) I use cactus soil for my house plants because I’m crazy!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL maybe try a more fast draining soil for those plants you’re struggling with?! Love your videos soooooo much so I’m just trying to help :3❤️
Question.... I just made a tub of soil mixture using your recipe! Looking forward to this since all I’ve ever used has been Lowe’s potting soil and pumice. Hoping this mixture will help get my plants thriving. My question is after I potted some plants. I watered them down. None of the water drained which I’m not used to. I feel I put plenty of water and it should of drained but it didn’t. Would that be a concern for root rot?
Hi Erika thank you so much for your videos. They are so helpful. I’m very new to plants so forgive me for the weird questions lol. I saw some coco coir at pet smart…it’s for reptiles. Could I use that for my soil mixture? 🤷🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️ lol
Great video! I like how you explained the purpose of each ingredient. The most common diy soil mix I've seen people use is equal parts Coco coir/peat moss, perlite/pumice, and worm castings. What do you think of that mixture?
How long do the worm castings retain their nutritional value? Do you add more to the top after a certain amount of time or anything like that? I hope that makes sense. Thank you for this video! I’m going to start making my own soil from now on! ☺️
I just use this mix as if it were a soil I bought, so I fertilize during the growing season as usual. I keep them in the soil for over a year, but I kind of repot often 😅 instead of liquid fertilizer, you can also use the worm castings as a top dressing & it will be more of a slow release type of fertilizer
Erika I tried to make my own mix and use it right away for potting. All of a sudden my violet had powdery mildew and DIED back very quickly. I think it was the orchid bark I used in the mix. The orchid bark arrived and I noticed a little bit of light condensation inside the bag, but the material was far from soggy or anything like that. Still I think the mildew came from these exotic ingredients. What do you have to say about the quality of each individual component going into the soil mix? Sterilize? Dry out completely? Mildew risks?
Thank you for this video!! I’m a soil newbee but just made my Own mix yesterday when repotting my monsters deliciousa. Can potting soil be used in substitution for coco coir?
Great video thank you :) The only thing is that your percentages don’t seem correct when we look et the volumes in the box. Still very useful to see thank you !
Awesome video, I just started doing some home gardening and this helped a lot! Definitely subscribed! Now I have to go and watch all your other videos haha
Just came across your video hun, do you ever make a Liquid Plant Tea fertilizer mix for your plants? or do you just do a soil mixture only? --- I do my Own Plant Tea Fertilizer Mix at home Organically. That way I don't have to run to buy any artificial store mix for my house plants. Which works really great and saves a lot of money too, I do my own Soil mixture as well and I use the Wood ash which works wonders too. I notice you have a lot of Small plants but mine are huge compare to yours so I need to always have something on hand to keep them nice and healthy otherwise I would go broke going to the stores too often, lol. Great video.
Hi Erika! Great and easy to follow video. Thank you! How do you feel about using organic compost in your plants? I have my own compost bin outside and use it for my outdoor plants, but never tried it for my indoor plants. Do you think it would be a good replacement for worm castings or not?
Do you have a video on fertilizing? I bought worm castings as well as liquid organic fertilizer but I'm nervous to use them because I don't want to over fertilize my plants especially when they where just repotted a little while ago. I have pretty common houseplants but still nervous.
Hey Erika ! First time trying to make my own mix for my indoor plants. The worm Castings you’ve recommended are definitely sold out😂. Is there any other brand you may like? I saw others on amazon but some comments say they already came with bugs inside or it was killing their indoor plants. I’m afraid of my soil attracting fungus gnats. 🙁
I attempted mixing my own medium and it turned into a disaster. I used a 1:1 ratio coir and perlite, and a dash of castings after watching another video and the medium turned into a thick, heavy sludge after watering. I'm so scared to try again!
For better drainage/aeration, you need to add more nonorganic/gritty ingredients such as pumice, more perlite, volcanic rock, orchid bark or reptibark (fir bark sold in pet stores for reptiles), coarse sand NOT play, beach, or fine sand). HTH someone
Hi Erika!!! Thanks for the informative video! I'm super new to owning houseplants so sorry for the noobie question here... Q: is this basically equivalent to what retailers sell as "potting soil"?
I think that retail soil has more or various different fertilizers & nutrients in it. This one only has the worm castings, but I’ve seen fertilizer pellets in other soils & differing amounts of nutrients
And almost all the commercial potting soils around here in local stores are peat moss based. I've only found one that isn't, & it's a cactus/succulent mix (Kellogg). I hate peat moss for house plants because fungus gnats love it. 😣
What if mold starts to grow in the container? I added mosquito bits to mine and keep the lid sealed in my closet which is pretty cold. Not sure if that’s why it happened.
Is this how I see so many people with lots of indoor plants and no bugs cause they are making their own soil? Have you found any bugs in the worm casting or bark?
I would wait until the roots start coming out of the bottom of the container. If they have too much extra soil, it might not dry fast enough & they could rot 😪
I’ve just started using a mixture of: 50% organic coco coir 16 2/3% horticultural pumice 16 2/3% horticultural charcoal 16 2/3% organic worm castings I’m nervous about the new plants I’ve just transferred from their original 2” pots to their new 4” planters with the new mix. Very nervous. But I guess since my mixture is so close to your mix I shouldn’t be so worried. Right?
I use EB Stone. I found this site that sells it idiggreenacres.com/products/e-b-stone-organics-volcanic-pumice But I’m not sure how much shipping is & whatnot. If you have a nursery nearby, they might carry it
Couple of questions 😳 Where'd u find that container with the blue lid? Also I noticed you have the Pitcher plant behind u. Was that plant always around or did it just start popping up at nurseries. I ask because I've never seen it before but now it seems like everyone has one....thanks for the video 😂
It looks to be a dog food container, which is perfect in size, and since they are typically airtight. If Homegoods is out, I would try your local big box pet store.
I've been looking all over the internet for a good potting mix recipe. This has been by far the most straightforward. Thanks!
the video we didnt ask for but the video we needed
I got a few questions about it 🥺 hahahaha
50% Coco / Other peat / 30% Aeration / 20% Food/Nutrients... I dry out my Coco Peat after hydration for a few days, near a radiator, just to safeguard against rot. So all ingredients are dry and bug free at the point of potting, then give a good watering. Great video Erika, always cheer me up.
I see people putting it in the microwave lol
You didn't let the coir dry is that ok? I don't want mold. I am new to this and found another channel with base mixes. From trailers with small roots, I like it soft (Coco coir, perlite, pumice, vermiculite for variegated). To cover the holes, at the bottom of the pot and to hold on to my soil, I use LECA. For Hoyas and Philodendrons (Coco coir, coco husk, Orchard bark, Perlite, Pumice, small amount of soil for the Philo) I also add slow release fertilizer and I will be trying worm castings for the first time when I get some next week. This is such a fun hobby! I can't wait to start seeing results. I agree mixing it is great. All I have to do is dig in and pot my plants.
I use the same mixture, but without the charcoal. I also love that bin with wheels, it's great!
I went and ordered the bin as soon as I saw hers 🤣
What container is this?
Soil mixing looks like so much fun! But I kinda wish there were soil mixtures like this already made
Someone could get rich.... especially because these items are all from different stores... so hunting them down is annoying af
Try Soil Ninja they are ready made for different types of plants.
I do 50/50 cactus & potting soil. Then I add 50% perlite. For aroids I do 1/3 cactus, potting, orchid back. Then 50% perlite.
Always wear a mask when using perlite!
This was my first year really getting into plants. I already owned a few pothos but now I have 17 plants! Haha. Next year I will definitely be making my own soil. This early spring I used black gold organic and cactus mix to repot all my plants. They are great soil I just feel I can customize the soil easier for each plant making my own.
That is some good looking soil! It's fun playing in the dirt! I start with 60% cactus mix soil, then 20% pumice, 10% orchid bark, and 10% vermiculite. For my succulents I swap orchid bark with more pumice or perlite. Cool stickers on the soil container!!
I’ve never tried using vermiculite before 🤔 haha thank you! The storm troopers are starting to come off so I might super glue them down or something 😬
Where do you find the pumice?
@@mwoods4608 my local nursery carries it. I even bought a bag from Amazon recently.
Finally!! A good soil mix video! 🙌🏽 thank you!!
Life saver! Just came upon your video and subscribed
Okay, this video has been very helpful. Going to the store tomorrow after watching this
Great video, thanks!
You can use a container or something to measure your quantities. While it's not exactly needed to be perfect, but it's a way to measure proportions when mixing things up.
For example, if you want to say that something should be 30% of your mix, then if you use 3 items and 1 container to measure things out, then it would be 1 container of that thing and 2 containers of other things, for a total of 33% and 66%, give or take, of the other 2 things.
Thank you for this video. I'm brand new to this, my sister in law told me what to get, and I've watched other videos of people saying what was in their soil, but you showed it! I've been back and forth to different stores trying to find pumice, castings, and a big bag of coco coir, I've looked on amazon, but none of that looked like the stuff in the garden center. 🤦♀️ Thank you for doing a video showing everything. I have the bricks, and pumice saved on amazon, but didn't know if that was right or not. This helped.
Great Video! I use Pumice, Vermiculite and slow release fertilizer.🌿🌱
Iam a new plant mom...I love your videos so helpful thankyou!!!
Really enjoyed this one, about to start with houseplants. So bit of a new thing coming from bonsai, but think it'll be great. wonderful video as always keep up the fantastic content look foward to your next on e. Have a good one.
This was such a great video! You're so cute and your explanations on the different components of the soil mix was so informative!🙏🏾I'm glad I came across this channel, now I feel like I have a better understanding of soil now and can't wait to make my own mix! Thanks🔥❤
She’s adorable. 😊
Boing! ❤
I just got a dieffenbachia, but it got upset after I watered it too much. The home Depot soil just had cocoa coir and it was just soaked even though I only gave it a little water. I switched the soil after the leaves turned yellow to a potting soil with perlite. I kinda wonder whether I should switch my Chinese evergreen and pothos to a well draining soil as well.
Would you make any adjustments for succulents?
Thank you so much for this video! You explained everything perfectly.
Thank you so much for sharing your soil mix with us, I will definitely be mixing these together and adding them to my plants once I start repotting! 💚🌱🙂
Would be cool if you described the consistency of the coco bliss product.
Been meaning to ask for this soil mix!!! 😊 💚
Love your videos Erika! You're always so helpful! 😄🌿
Thanks girl! 🥰
The video you just did on dying plants... I have a lot of those plants and they are doing pretty good... maybe it is your soil!!! :) I use cactus soil for my house plants because I’m crazy!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL maybe try a more fast draining soil for those plants you’re struggling with?! Love your videos soooooo much so I’m just trying to help :3❤️
This is basically cactus mix. Missing some sand, but that's about the only difference
Question.... I just made a tub of soil mixture using your recipe! Looking forward to this since all I’ve ever used has been Lowe’s potting soil and pumice. Hoping this mixture will help get my plants thriving.
My question is after I potted some plants. I watered them down. None of the water drained which I’m not used to. I feel I put plenty of water and it should of drained but it didn’t. Would that be a concern for root rot?
Hi Erika thank you so much for your videos. They are so helpful. I’m very new to plants so forgive me for the weird questions lol. I saw some coco coir at pet smart…it’s for reptiles. Could I use that for my soil mixture? 🤷🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️ lol
Hi! I love your videos! Can I use organic fertilizer for my plants instead of worm castings?
Appreciate this very helpful, informative and detailed info on your potting mix🙌🏽💚
Thanks for the informational video. It is well explained. I was wondering we're did you get your bin from. Awesome idea!
Would Special Orchid from better Gro be a good substitute for the Orchid Bark? My ACE does not carry Orchid bark, and it’s 20 to ship! CRAZY IK!
I'm a bad plant mom, I just use miraclegro 😬😬😬😬 this seems so fun to do though!
I use miracle gro when I run out of mix haha if it does the job, it does the job 😁
Thanks so much Erika for these great tips❗️👍🏼🥰
Great video! I like how you explained the purpose of each ingredient. The most common diy soil mix I've seen people use is equal parts Coco coir/peat moss, perlite/pumice, and worm castings. What do you think of that mixture?
I would add so much worm castings, but I really like equal parts coir & pumice
Ive been wondering what worm castings was used for. I might look into adding that to my mixes.
How long do the worm castings retain their nutritional value? Do you add more to the top after a certain amount of time or anything like that? I hope that makes sense. Thank you for this video! I’m going to start making my own soil from now on! ☺️
I’ve been trying to figure this out too!! And also if you use worm castings in the soil mix, how long until you use liquid fertilizer
I’ve read that there’s such a thing as a “tea” made from worm castings. I bet you could use something like that when it’s time.
I just use this mix as if it were a soil I bought, so I fertilize during the growing season as usual. I keep them in the soil for over a year, but I kind of repot often 😅 instead of liquid fertilizer, you can also use the worm castings as a top dressing & it will be more of a slow release type of fertilizer
Thanks Erika😁 Great info 😉
Erika I tried to make my own mix and use it right away for potting. All of a sudden my violet had powdery mildew and DIED back very quickly. I think it was the orchid bark I used in the mix. The orchid bark arrived and I noticed a little bit of light condensation inside the bag, but the material was far from soggy or anything like that. Still I think the mildew came from these exotic ingredients. What do you have to say about the quality of each individual component going into the soil mix? Sterilize? Dry out completely? Mildew risks?
Coco coir also needs a calcium/magnesium added. Worm castings don't provide these.
Can you give measurements in cups rather than percentages so we can get the perfect ratio? Thanks.
5 cups coir/peat moss. 1 cup orchid bark. 3 cups perlite. 1 cup casting.
Thank you for this video!! I’m a soil newbee but just made my Own mix yesterday when repotting my monsters deliciousa. Can potting soil be used in substitution for coco coir?
Yes 😊
Hello! If I wanted to add compost , can I add this or would I need to skip worm casings?
Great video thank you :)
The only thing is that your percentages don’t seem correct when we look et the volumes in the box. Still very useful to see thank you !
Haha, I agree! In the bin it looked more like 60% coir. I think it looked a last a little more true to percentages mixed though 😅
Thanks for sharing Erika.😃
Do you use this soil mix for Hoyas too?
How much water did you use for one brick?
Awesome video, I just started doing some home gardening and this helped a lot! Definitely subscribed! Now I have to go and watch all your other videos haha
Thank you so much for sharing this Erica...how did you come about this magical mix?(;
Does that mix work with vegetables like sweet basil and tomatoes? I really wanna do what you just did there.
I know it old post but just to know we can use for all indoor plant
What fertilizer do you use for your plants grown in coco coir potting mixture?
Could I add regular potting mix with coco or peat as well, or is it only coco/peat?
Just came across your video hun, do you ever make a Liquid Plant Tea fertilizer mix for your plants? or do you just do a soil mixture only?
--- I do my Own Plant Tea Fertilizer Mix at home Organically. That way I don't have to run to buy any artificial store mix for my house plants. Which works really great and saves a lot of money too, I do my own Soil mixture as well and I use the Wood ash which works wonders too. I notice you have a lot of Small plants but mine are huge compare to yours so I need to always have something on hand to keep them nice and healthy otherwise I would go broke going to the stores too often, lol. Great video.
Hi Erika! Great and easy to follow video. Thank you! How do you feel about using organic compost in your plants? I have my own compost bin outside and use it for my outdoor plants, but never tried it for my indoor plants. Do you think it would be a good replacement for worm castings or not?
Very helpful and informative, keep it up. ☝👌👍
Do you have a video on fertilizing? I bought worm castings as well as liquid organic fertilizer but I'm nervous to use them because I don't want to over fertilize my plants especially when they where just repotted a little while ago. I have pretty common houseplants but still nervous.
How do you feel about mosquito bits?
Where do you buy the horticultural charcoal?
so. it's ABG mix. it is a great mix :)
Hey Erika ! First time trying to make my own mix for my indoor plants. The worm
Castings you’ve recommended are definitely sold out😂. Is there any other brand you may like? I saw others on amazon but some comments say they already came with bugs inside or it was killing their indoor plants. I’m afraid of my soil attracting fungus gnats. 🙁
Thanks for info Erica
Just hydrate the coco coir brick in the storage tub lol
Hii!! Do you repot all your plants when you first buy them?
What type of plants need orchid bark that you were mentioning in the video?
I attempted mixing my own medium and it turned into a disaster. I used a 1:1 ratio coir and perlite, and a dash of castings after watching another video and the medium turned into a thick, heavy sludge after watering. I'm so scared to try again!
For better drainage/aeration, you need to add more nonorganic/gritty ingredients such as pumice, more perlite, volcanic rock, orchid bark or reptibark (fir bark sold in pet stores for reptiles), coarse sand NOT play, beach, or fine sand).
HTH someone
Curios how long will this last you? I want to start doing this but I’m seeing with all the prices I’ll have to invest a few $
Can this be use as outdoor potting mix too?
Extra love for the soil ♥️🌋
🪐💛💛💛
Cant find pumice anywhere. Can I just buy a pumice stone and crush it up?? Its the same thing right
Have you ever used vermiculite instead of pumice?
Would you still use fertiliser with a mix like this?
Would you say one brick gives you a gallon’s worth in hydrated form?
Is there an alternative to worm castings that I could use?
If you wanted to make this up using cup measurements instead of percentages, how would you make a recipe?
Hi Erika!!! Thanks for the informative video! I'm super new to owning houseplants so sorry for the noobie question here... Q: is this basically equivalent to what retailers sell as "potting soil"?
I think that retail soil has more or various different fertilizers & nutrients in it. This one only has the worm castings, but I’ve seen fertilizer pellets in other soils & differing amounts of nutrients
And almost all the commercial potting soils around here in local stores are peat moss based. I've only found one that isn't, & it's a cactus/succulent mix (Kellogg).
I hate peat moss for house plants because fungus gnats love it. 😣
What if mold starts to grow in the container? I added mosquito bits to mine and keep the lid sealed in my closet which is pretty cold. Not sure if that’s why it happened.
You can put it out in the sun too, I’m sure that will get rid of it 🌞
Erika Lodes thank you :)
Is this how I see so many people with lots of indoor plants and no bugs cause they are making their own soil? Have you found any bugs in the worm casting or bark?
I haven’t found any bugs in the soil 👀 fungus gnats will grow in there if you don’t seal it tho
Hey my 4 cactus have arrived..and there real small should I put them in a larger pot instead for growth??
I would wait until the roots start coming out of the bottom of the container. If they have too much extra soil, it might not dry fast enough & they could rot 😪
@@ErikaLodes thx so much E..
This is so much! 😩 There’s no soil that comes already prepared?
Are worm castings really that good? Isnt it just glorified dirt soil?
Where is the bin from?
How big is your tub?
I’ve just started using a mixture of:
50% organic coco coir
16 2/3% horticultural pumice
16 2/3% horticultural charcoal
16 2/3% organic worm castings
I’m nervous about the new plants I’ve just transferred from their original 2” pots to their new 4” planters with the new mix. Very nervous. But I guess since my mixture is so close to your mix I shouldn’t be so worried. Right?
I think they’ll be fine 😌✨
Erika Lodes Thank you. I’m like a mother hen with my plantlings.
How did you measure the 16 2/3% ingredients?
Where did you get the large container on wheels to store your soil? ( maybe pet store?)What are the dimensions of it?
I got it from Home Goods, but it is a pet food container. It's like 15"x10"x17"
Erika Lodes thanks so much. As soon as I feel safe to go into stores, this will be on my list. Great idea.
Great video! Thank you
Excellent. Thank you
Where is your soil container from?
Pumice or Perlite?
Thank you for the very informative video that i learned so much from.
Do you have an O.F. account?
what brand of pumice do you use? it’s really expensive online :/
I use EB Stone. I found this site that sells it idiggreenacres.com/products/e-b-stone-organics-volcanic-pumice
But I’m not sure how much shipping is & whatnot. If you have a nursery nearby, they might carry it
Couple of questions 😳 Where'd u find that container with the blue lid? Also I noticed you have the Pitcher plant behind u. Was that plant always around or did it just start popping up at nurseries. I ask because I've never seen it before but now it seems like everyone has one....thanks for the video 😂
I got it from Home Goods!
Hmm, I'm not sure. At least for the past year they have been around.
It looks to be a dog food container, which is perfect in size, and since they are typically airtight. If Homegoods is out, I would try your local big box pet store.
I need a container!!
Put in Mosquito Bits.
Thank you
Where did you get the bin?
I’ve see those kind at pet stores.. if you look it up on amazon as “pet food container” you will find them too! ❤️❤️
@@iluveliasherrera Thanks so much!
onice331 no problem!
Thank you for sharing that info!👍
Why did nobody tell me how bad perlite smells? I opened the Amazon bag and 🤮
I don’t think it has a smell!? 😱
Erika Lodes : Oh my heck I had to put the bag on the back porch because it smells like poo😂
I have a huge crush on you 🥺