Best Pothos Soil Mix Recipe – Complete Guide
Welcome to our guide to the best pothos soil mix recipe for pothos plants. I cover all you need to know about buying or making your own soil…
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Introduction
I propagate and sell pothos plants, as well as have a few in my home. I have a few different Epipremnum including some neon pothos, marble queens and some standard golden pothos. I mix my own soil for them, I’ll run down all you need to know. They grow naturally in South East Asia, but will do well in most homes. They’re a fairly tough and resilient plant, but their main enemy is root rot from over watering, so you want a chunky and well draining mix for them.
Pothos Soil Requirements
They grow in tropical forests where they have lots of organic matter and nutrients in the soil. They a need well draining and chunky soil mix that replicates their natural environment.
I use a mix of orchid bark, perlite and normal potting compost as my go to mix…
Why Perlite?
Perlite helps to keep the soil airy and lets air get the roots. This is great as if the water gets too soggy, the perlite can help it stop getting overly soggy and ensure air gets to the roots.
Why Orchid Bark?
Orchid bark keeps the mix chunky and aeriated, and stops it becoming too soggy and compact when watered too.
Why Potting Compost?
Potting compost provides the nutrients the plant needs from the organic matter. The problem with using just potting compost on it’s own is that it can become too compacted and soggy when watered and holds on to water for too long, which leads to root rot in tropical aroids. These plants love a chunky, airy and well draining soil mix. You want to mimic their natural environment as best you can.
A Step By Step Guide To My Best Pothos Soil Mix Recipe:
Here’s a step by step guide to mixing your own pothos soil mix:
Step 1 – Buy The Things You Need
I use a mix of:
- 1 part orchid bark
- 1 part perlite
- 1 parts potting mix
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Step 2 – Wash And Rinse The Perlite
Perlite can be dusty and have a white run off. So you need to rinse it and wash it.
I measure our how much perlite I need, then put it in a bowl of water. To soak. I tip the water out and refill it a few times. Then strain it off.
Step 3- Measure The Ingredients
The easiest way to mix them is to buy bags the same size: for example a 5 liter bag of orchid bark, a 5 liter bag of perlite and a 5 liter bag of compost. Then it’s easier. I normally have perlite and potting compost already, so I buy a bag of orchid bark, empty it in to a box or tub and then measure the perlite and potting compost out using the orchid bark bag. You can use a bucket or bowl to measure, it does not matter as long as you use the same amounts of orchid bark, compost and perlite.
Step 4 – Mix The Ingredients
Then I use 2 storage boxes or bowls – I put all the ingredients in one, then I tip it all into the other box slowly, then I tip it all back. I do this about 5 times or until it I can see it is really well mixed.
You can see in the images below mixing the ingredient by tipping them between two bowls..
Step 4 – Bag It Up
Then you’re done! Tag it and bag it! Keep it dry and sealed s it doesn’t get pests and use it when re-potting your pothos plants
Tip: add some worm castings for a richer soil mix.
Best Commercially Available Pothos Compost
If you don’t want to mix your own pothos soil you can go for a small-run bespoke mix, you can find some good pre-mixed pothos soil on Etsy. If you cannot find a specific pothos mix, look for an aroid soil mix.
For more on pothos see our pothos category with all our care guides including: Hawaiian Pothos, Glacier Pothos, How To Make Pothos Fuller, Variegated Neon Pothos, Giant Pothos, Pothos Varieties, Why Are My Pothos Stems Turning Brown?,
Best Pothos Soil Mix Recipe Frequently Asked Questions
They like a well draining chunky mix with organic material and perlite.
You can use most soils, but they’ll do best in a well draining mix with organic matter for nutrients and some chunky bark too.
They don’t have a huge root system, but you want a lot of soil in a big pot to support a long trailing plant.
Succulent soil is too coarse for a pothos, you don’t want sand, but some perlite is good to keep the roots aeriated.
For more on soil and soil propagation see our soil propagation category.
Other Articles You Might Like
You might also like our other soil guides: Alocasia Soil, Succulent Soil, Monstera Soil, Hoya Soil, Anthurium Soil, Philodendron Soil, Best Soil For Syngonium Plants. As well as our other pothos guides: Hawaiian Pothos, Glacier Pothos, How To Make Pothos Fuller, Variegated Neon Pothos, Giant Pothos, Pothos Varieties, Why Are My Pothos Stems Turning Brown?,
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