A conservatory visit in March made me rethink potting mix

I was at the Franklin Park Conservatory in March and a docent mentioned they mix their own bark ratio for aroids, and my store-bought blend suddenly felt too dense. Has anyone else tried tweaking their mixes after seeing a public garden setup, or is that overkill for a small balcony?

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charlie2695d ago

Been down this rabbit hole myself after reading a thread on a plant forum about how most bagged mixes are cut with way too much peat and not enough chunky stuff. Someone did a side by side with plain bark, perlite and a little charcoal and the roots looked totally different after a few months. For a balcony though you don't need to go full docent mode, just grab a bag of orchid bark and mix it into what you already have. Even a small change like that can help with air flow and stop the mix from staying soggy. Worth a shot if your plants seem slow or the soil feels heavy when you water.

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