Last Updated on August 31, 2022 by Plant Mom Care
When you grow an indoor plant, the last thing you want to do is kill it with bad soil. The best way to prevent this from happening is by using a high-quality potting mix that will provide your plants with everything they need.
For indoor plants, a good potting mix usually includes peat moss, vermiculite, and perlite.
One of the best ones is Black Gold All Organic.
However, you need to make sure that you are providing them with the best soil possible. What are some good soils for indoor plants?
Read on to find out more!
Best Overall: Black Gold All Organic Potting Soil
Is a mix of organic ingredients that provide an excellent environment for your plants to sprout and grow. The rich loamy mix includes organic fertilizers, so you don’t have to worry about adding compost when planting.
Perlite and pumice have also been added into this which helps with water retention, drainage, air circulation, amongst other things that create a perfect planting spot.
The soil provides an excellent environment for plant growth in these applications due to the presence of organic materials that ensure proper water and air circulation within the mix.
This all-around, best indoor plant mix can be used in any garden application from sprouting seeds, growing seedlings, transplanting into larger pots and plants. From vegetables to flowers, this soil can be used for any plant.
Key Benefits:
- Perfect all-around plant soil mix for indoor/outdoor plants
- High-quality contains a rich blend of organic materials
- The rich mix of organic ingredients provides an excellent environment for sprouting, germination and seedling growth
Best specific mix for Indoor plants: Miracle-Gro Indoor Potting Mix
If your plants are indoors and in indirect light, they should have soil that is loose and drains well.
Is a well-balanced mix for all indoor plants. It has good water retention, high porosity, and an average pH balance to give your plants what they need to thrive.
High porosity means that the minerals are well-aerated to keep your plants healthy and growing. This is because it has an open pore structure, which allows oxygen to flow freely through to your plant’s roots while keeping out harmful contaminants.
Soil with low porosity holds too much water and doesn’t allow air to get to the roots. This mix contains the non-bark and non-compost formula that will not hold water, which means you won’t need to worry about fungus gnats.
If you’re potting a newly purchased or recently repotted plant, use this Mix for healthy roots and fast growth.
Key Benefits:
- Allows for fast root development and proliferation
- Specifically designed for indoor plants
- Doesn’t contain bark or compost for less work and worry about fungus gnats
Best for Water Retention: Espoma AP8 8-Quart Organic Potting Mix
Formulated to provide better water retention. It is recommended for plants requiring a high organic content and to promote strong root systems.
The Myco-Tone water saving formula helps retain moisture and reduce drought stress for indoor plants. This special recipe was created to enhance water absorption and retention.
Features peat moss and perlite for superior moisture retention and limestone to help regulate the pH of the soil. This organic soil mix provides long-term performance by encouraging vigorous root growth.
Packed in a zipped bag for easy convenience and storage, Espoma Is ideal for tomatoes, peppers, herbs and other plants that need extra moisture to thrive.
Key Benefits:
- Myco-Tone formula helps retain water, reducing drought stress
- Made with organic ingredients for increased quality and performance
- Promotes strong root systems and vigorous growth for healthy plants
Best for Starting Seeds: Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting Soil Mix
Growing plants in moist conditions, friable soil is good for root development and helps avoid mineral deficiencies.
Is the perfect choice by giving your plant a step ahead of growing advantage.
It’s made of sphagnum peat moss, coir, perlite, fertilizer, and a wetting agent. The ingredients allow the soil to retain the right moisture level, resulting in healthier plants and better performance.
This moist can be used indoors or outdoors for all types of plants, flowers, vegetables and herbs.
When you use Miracle-Gro Moisture Control, your plant will receive all the nutrients and water it needs for optimum growth.
Plants need a lot of moisture to grow. But too much can be bad for their health as well. Low-moisture soil causes stunted development and poor flowering.
If the conditions are too dry, the roots can’t absorb nutrients or water from the soil.
That is why moist potting soil is very important for plant development. It has just enough moisture to let your plants grow at their full potential but not too much that it could cause them to rot.
Key Benefits:
- Plants will flourish and grow well
- Quality ingredients for moisture retention
- Allows proper aeration of the root system
- Corrects over- and underwatering

How to repot plants
Repotting your plants is a good idea because it gives them more room to grow.
You should think about repotting your plants every 12 to 18 months. You can repot your plants any time of the year, but winter is ideal because they require little water and have reduced metabolic functions.
Here is a step by step on how to repot plants:
Step 1: Remove the plant from its old pot and remove any dead roots that are visible.

Step 2: Choose a pot that is the right size, big enough, about 10-15 centimetres larger in diameter than the old one. The depth of the new container must be at least 5 cm greater than that of the old one to capture enough of the mix in which it will grow.
Step 3: Get the fresh potting mix right for your plant and the amount of soil, and put an appropriate volume in the pot.

Step 4: Place the plant in the pot and fill it with soil. Put gravel on the bottom before adding soil if you want to keep it from having too much water.

Step 5: Water as usual, but make sure to moisten the soil thoroughly.

Step 6: Place the potted plant in a place where it will receive sunlight and adequate airflow.
Can I use potting soil for indoor plants?
Helps maintain the balance between air, water and nutrients that indoor plants need. Potting soil is different from outdoor soil.
Potting mix can retain more moisture than regular garden soil, preventing over-or under-watering. Provides support for developing roots.
In soil, plants can easily absorb minerals and water. Potting mix is a key in making indoor plants happy; it helps them stay healthy by:
- Retaining moisture
- Increasing drainage
- Providing easy air circulation
- Supporting strong root growth
- Maintaining good soil-to-water balance
You can get a potting mix from garden stores or create your own in a bucket with various ingredients.
A combination of sphagnum peat moss and perlite is best for most plants. Other ingredients include coir, compost, and vermiculite. Your soil should be damp but not constantly wet.
