When it comes to houseplants, there are several factors that can kill your plants: wrong sun exposure, too much or too little water, the wrong size pot, or the wrong soil.
Choosing the right soil is really important. Recently, for general repotting use, I’ve used Rosy Soil for my spider plant, snake plant, philodendron, fern, and pothos, and they’ve all been doing very well.
Because Rosy Soil looks as dark and rich as peat-based soil I was afraid there might be a problem with drainage because that’s a problem I have sometimes experienced with peat-based soils. Therefore, I added 10% perlite to Rosy Soil before potting my houseplants. Thankfully, I have not experienced any drainage problems while using it.
I always use cactus and succulent soil for my cactus, aloe vera, and succulents, so I asked the Rosy Rep if I could also use Rosy Soil for those plants. This is how she responded: “You can definitely add an aeration amendment to the mix for cacti succulents. We’d recommend 10-20% by volume of an aeration amendment like pine bark fines, rice hulls, or perlite. You can also add a bit of sand to the mix if you’d like, but don’t need much – 5-10% by volume.”
Although Rosy Soil drains quite well, I am sticking to using my regular cactus soil for my cactus and succulent-type plants, with the exception of my snake plants, which are thriving in Rosy Soil mixed with perlite.
I view Rosy Soil as a high-quality nutrient-dense soil to use instead of the general use peat-based potting mixes one usually purchases in garden centers. Except for adding a little perlite to Rosy Soil, I didn’t feel the need to add soil amendments such as compost, coconut coir, or wood ash. Rosy Soil is already rich with the fungi and microbes that plants such as ferns need to thrive.
I will definitely use Rosy Soil as a general potting mix for most of my houseplants, as well as using it as a seed starter for herbs. Every plant that I’ve potted in Rosy Soil is healthy and happy. When my plants are happy, I’m happy.
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