Want the PDF guide that we include in our soil mixing kit, but without the kit? We've got you!

This 8-page guide (not including title pages) includes information about the ingredients included in our kit as well as an overview of what to consider when creating a custom soil mix for your plant. 

Includes 6 customizable recipes, each with 3 example variations!

- Thirsty Fusspots

- Desert Dwellers

- Climbers

- All-Purpose (ish) Mix

- The Daily Waterer Mix

- The Forgetful Waterer Mix

 

Please note, this is not intended to be a full class on soil ingredients, soil physics, nutrient information, or any of the more technical parts of creating great soils. Our Soil Mixing Kit contains our Turbo Habitat Blend to remove the guesswork from mixing a great soil. This kit and PDF were created to give you the confidence to play with soil, and the guidance to get you off to a fabulous start.

For information on our upcoming complete Soil Mixing Course, please follow @ohhappyplants on Facebook or Instagram, join our email list (https://ohhappyplants.com), or join the OHP Member Community (https://members.ohhappyplants.online) to stay abreast of course announcements :)

Similar to bark chips, coco chips are a superior product for many applications. They absorb a bit of water, are more lightweight (smaller carbon footprint), and can create air pockets better than bark as well. Created from a waste product of the coconut industry that is typically sent to a landfill.

Rice hulls are a great, sustainably sourced material for drainage/aeration. Unlike coco chips, rice hulls are very fine in texture, which makes them great for plants with fibrous roots like begonias. The concave shape of the hulls allows the soil to maintain aeration due to small air bubbles trapped in the hull.

Please note: these hulls are not boiled and contain occasional grains of rice which may sprout. We don't use boiled hulls because they break down too quickly in soils.

A natural byproduct of the coconut industry, coco coir is an ideal growing medium for plants. The natural pH is between 6-6.8, great for most plants. Also, it is hydroscopic, which means it actively attracts and holds water. Peat moss repels water when it dries out unless a wetting agent is added. 

These cookies and bricks are convenient and compressed for light, easy shipping and storage. We also offer shredded, hydrated coco coir.

Rehydrated volume: 4 to 6 cups per cookie or 2.5 to 4 gallons per brick

Sold loose (no bag)

Use 5-7% charcoal in your soil mix to improve drainage and decrease soil funkiness. This charcoal is chunky with pieces between 0.5"-1.25". Great for aroid mixes and other chunky-soil-loving plants.

Please adjust your recipe if necessary - they often call for 10-20% charcoal, and if you start with a coco coir base this will raise the pH of your mix too much. Charcoal is basic (high pH; about 9.6), coco is slightly acidic and perfect for plants (between 6-6.8), and peat moss is too acidic for plants at about 3.5. A coco-based mix with 5-7% charcoal is a perfect ratio.

At my previous workplace, we noticed that certain types of plants would arrive potted in a medium containing mostly lava rock, and these plants would always remain healthier far longer than their counterparts potted in standard soil. This is another medium that provides additional weight, helping to hold heavy and tall plants in place. We source our lava rock locally, from a specific mine. Use caution - some mines produce lava rock that contains too much nickel for use with plants.

Similar in function to perlite, pumice is a naturally-occurring volcanic rock that works to aerate and allow for drainage. Unlike perlite, pumice is quite heavy, so it can help to hold top-heavy plants in the soil. It also doesn’t come with the fluoride or fluoride retention issues common in perlite.

Because the nutrients taken up by plants are largely cations, we add vermiculite both to break up the soil, decrease density, and provide a ‘magnet’ for these nutrients (either in your watering solution or as broken-down particles from a rich soil). Vermiculite’s high CEC holds these nutrients in place until the plant uses them.

Superior to fir bark, Pinus radiata bark is splinter-free and has a uniform shape and size. It also breaks down more slowly. Use to increase drainage and give plant roots something to cling to. This size is perfect for fine-rooted plants such as calatheas and begonias. Piece size: 1/10"-1/5"

A natural byproduct of the coconut industry, coco coir is an ideal growing medium for plants. The natural pH is between 6-6.8, great for most plants. Also, it is hydroscopic, which means it actively attracts and holds water. Peat moss repels water when it dries out unless a wetting agent is added. 

This shredded coco coir. We also offer compressed coco cookies.

Tree fern fiber is quickly becoming a popular substrate choice for plants like hoyas, orchids, and other epiphytic and semi-epiphytic plants. It holds water well, will not become hydrophobic, and maintains a loose, airy structure due to the strands of fiber maintaining separation from each other. It's quickly becoming a favorite here at OHP!

You may have heard about sustainability concerns in terms of tree fern harvesting. We share these concerns. Our tree fern fiber is sourced sustainably from New Zealand growers on private land. They are harvested by hand and air-lifted out, ensuring no damage to the forest floor below.  None of our fiber comes from protected species in other parts of the world.

Use 5-7% charcoal in your soil mix to improve drainage and decrease soil funkiness. This charcoal is very fine textured - size varies but it's the size of a grain of rice: approximately 1/2" long x 1/8" wide x 1/8" tall. Great for fine-textured roots (begonias, succulents, etc). 

Please adjust your recipe if necessary - they often call for 10-20% charcoal, and if you start with a coco coir base this will raise the pH of your mix too much. Charcoal is basic (high pH; about 9.6), coco is slightly acidic and perfect for plants (between 6-6.8), and peat moss is too acidic for plants at about 3.5. A coco-based mix with 5-7% charcoal is a perfect ratio.

Superior to fir bark, Pinus radiata bark is splinter-free and has a uniform shape and size. It also breaks down more slowly. Use to increase drainage and give plant roots something to cling to. Piece size: 3/8"-1/2"