Before you get your hand's dirty in the soil, learn the basics of gardening, i.e. what plant you wish to grow, which plant suits your choices and how much you can care for it, where to get it from, what type of care will the plant require in order to grow and survive, etc. Once decided, here is how you can prepare the potting soil (for indoor plants)
- Take garden soil. You can get it from a garden around your home, from a nursery or your gardener can bring it for you.
- You will also require Cocopeat. Cocopeat is basically dried and compressed coconut fiber, which is required to hold the moisture in the soil for long. To prepare it, you need to soak the cocopeat in water. Add 1 brick to around 3 liters of water in a bucket.
- Within a minute, the cocopeat will soak all the water and increase in volume. You can take the desired quantity for your pot and save the remaining for later use.
- The third thing you will require is compost. This will be the source of nutrients for the soil and plant. However, it is optional at this stage. If compost is not available, you can add fertilizer later.
- You can also add perlite. Perlite is an amorphous volcanic glass. It is porous, which is why it absorbs water but also improves drainage. Although for regular pot soil, this too is optional.
- Now, mix the soil, cocopeat, and compost properly.
- Take a pot that has drainage holes. If the holes are big, the soil will be likely to run out of the pot. Thus, you can cover the inner base of the pot with gravel of any size. This will allow the water to escape, but not the soil.
- Now fill the pot with the prepared soil.
Your pot is ready to plant some seeds or to transfer a drying plant to a new and bigger pot. Water the plant carefully and remember not to overdo it. According to the plant you are growing, know its sunlight requirements, and ensure its sun exposure accordingly.
