If you’re a gardener, you understand the superiority of good potting soil. The better the potting soil, the healthier the plant. Even if you’re not a gardener but wish to begin with indoor plants, you must start by choosing good potting soil for your plants.
Potting soil is also recognized as potting compost (or potting mix). Potting soil enables a grower to grow plants in a pot or container with complete nourishment. Moreover, it also serves as a sturdy foundation for plants to anchor themselves.
Choosing amongst an ocean of potting soil options can be a tedious task. To simplify this hassle, we have reviewed the 9 best potting soils for indoor plants, with an intention to make DIY gardeners more successful.
Detailed reviews of each of these potting soil are given below. Continue reading.
At a Glance: Our Top Picks for 9 Best Potting Soils for Indoor Plants
- Miracle-Gro Expand ‘N Gro Concentrated Planting Mix, .67 cu. ft.
- Espoma AP2 Organic Potting Mix, 2 Cubic Feet
- Espoma PTM8 8-Quart Organic Peat Moss
- Espoma AP8 8-Quart Organic Potting Mix
- Miracle-Gro Houseplant Potting Mix: Fertilized, Perlite Soil for Indoor Gardening
- Espoma AP4 4-Quart Organic Potting Mix
- Dr. Earth 749688008136 813 Gold Premium Potting Soil, 8 Quart
- Miracle-Gro African Violet Potting Mix, 8 qt.
- Miracle-Gro Seed Starting Potting Mix, 8 qt.
| IMAGE | PRODUCT | FEATURES | PRICE |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Miracle-Gro Expand ‘N Gro Concentrated Planting Mix, .67 cu. ft. | • Expands up to 3X • Holds up to 50 percent more water | |
 | Espoma AP2 Organic Potting Mix, 2 Cubic Feet | • Enhanced with myco-tone water saving formula • No synthetic plant foods or chemicals | |
 | Espoma PTM8 8-Quart Organic Peat Moss | • Helps retain moisture • Aerates soil and promotes root growth | |
 | Espoma AP8 8-Quart Organic Potting Mix | • Potting soil • For all indoor and outdoor containers | |
 | Miracle-Gro Houseplant Potting Mix: Fertilized, Perlite Soil for Indoor Gardening | • A single 4-qt bag fills an 8-inch container • Growing indoors is easy under the right conditions | |
 | Espoma AP4 4-Quart Organic Potting Mix | • Promotes root growth • For all indoor and outdoor containers | |
 | Dr. Earth 749688008136 813 Gold Premium Potting Soil, 8 Quart | • Soil comes in an 8 qt. bag • Soil is great for mulching | |
 | Miracle-Gro African Violet Potting Mix, 8 qt. | • Feeds up to six months • Grows big blossoms with brilliant color | |
 | Miracle-Gro Seed Starting Potting Mix, 8 qt. | • Enriched with Miracle-Gro Plant Food • Excellent for starting cuttings |
Best Potting Soil for Indoor Plants
Detailed reviews of each of these potting soil are given below. Continue reading.
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#1. Miracle-Gro Expand ‘N Gro Concentrated Planting Mix, .67 cu. ft.
Miracle-Gro Expand ‘N Gro Concentrated planting mix is a perfect alternative for garden soil or potting mix. It is well designed for indoor or container plants. This potting soil is recommended because it has the potential of growing your plants three times larger than they would grow in natural soil. It can certainly keep your plants fed for up to 6 months.
Additionally, it can retain up to 50% extra water than ordinary potting soil. The compact coir and plant food within the potting soil will expand up to three times when water is added. Even better, it will create around 90% air space and make enough room for the roots to thrive.
Apart from this, one of the salient features of this potting soil is that it is lightweight. Being lightweight, it is extremely user-friendly. One 0.67 cu. ft. bag can be used to cover 8 sq. ft. or to plant four 12″ pots.
If you want your indoor plants to grow bigger and healthier, consider using this potting soil because it has just the right ingredients.
What We Liked
- Lightweight and manageable
- Retains up to 50% more water and create 90% extra air space for thriving
- Feeds up to 6 months
- Expands by 3X than natural soil
What We Didn’t Like
- No vermiculite
#2. Espoma AP2 Organic Potting Mix, 2 Cubic Feet
Espoma AP2 Organic Potting Mix is well-suited for both outdoor and indoor plants. This potting mix is loaded with nutrients to ensure that your plants thrive and produce bountiful growth in your space.
Espoma is a highly recognized brand for gardening materials. This organic potting soil was improved by adding the Myco-Tone formula to help you determine how much water you should use to water your plants. It’s formulated with 11 strains that help your indoor plants grow faster without exerting any pressure.
This potting soil can retain abundant water, providing an adequate amount of fluid for your plants to prosper. Besides containing the Myco-Tone formula, it has an amalgamation of perlite, sphagnum peat moss, and humus.
Such an organic potting soil ensures that your plants will receive at least 2% potash, 7% nitrogen, and 2% phosphate. Most importantly, it’s also reinforced with earthworm castings, alfalfa meal, feather meal, and kelp meal.
In addition, it has no bugs, which becomes relatively important for plants for a healthy lifespan.
What We Liked
- No bugs
- Retains huge amount of water
- Enhanced with Myco-Tone formula
- Reinforced with healthy organic components
What We Didn’t Like
- Loose soil
#3. Espoma PTM8 8-Quart Organic Peat Moss
Espoma Organic Peat Moss is an all-natural sphagnum peat moss that is the best choice for your indoor containers. They are specially formulated to improve heavy soils. Above all, it goes further and loosens the heavy soils to avoid compaction.
If you’re a grower, you must know that indoor plants require more care and attention. They need the right conditions to thrive. This peat moss ensures that it provides enough aeration and drainage in your plants. Plus, the peat moss is completely organic.
Apart from aeration, it also helps in water retention and promoting root growth.
What’s best, it also is a sterile planting medium. Keep in mind; peat moss is beneficial for your indoor plants to grow tall and healthy.
What We Liked
- Uses peat moss
- Helps in water retention
- Improves heavy soil and aeration
- Promotes root growth
What We Didn’t Like
- Packaging could be better
#4. Espoma AP8 8-Quart Organic Potting Mix
Espoma AP8 Organic potting mix has the right nutritious composition, which is suitable for both indoor and outdoor plants. It includes all the necessary elements that assist in maintaining the pH level of the soil.
In addition, the Myco-Tone formula aids in determining how much water your plants require. This, in turn, helps to provide the right quantity of water to your plants. The potting mix effectively drains any surplus and prevents water from accumulating at the roots.
This mix also has an 11-strain function that allows your plants to develop healthier and quicker without being stressed. If you wish to re-pot it, you will be able to easily shift it from one container to another.
Furthermore, there are no chemicals in this potting soil, and everything is organic. It also ensures that your plants get phosphate (2%), potash (2%), and nitrogen (7%) in reasonable amounts.
The earthy smell and water retention capacity of this potting soil are loved by the growers. With this mix, you can provide your indoor plants the right conditions to flourish.
What We Liked
- Excellent water retention capacity
- No chemicals
- Enhanced with Myco-Tone formula
- Maintains the pH level of your plants
What We Didn’t Like
- Some batches deliver extra loose soil
#5. Miracle-Gro Houseplant Potting Mix: Fertilized, Perlite Soil for Indoor Gardening
Miracle-Gro Housing potting mix is a great soil for growing and nourishing your indoor plants. Not to forget, this potting soil was created with nutrients that a variety of indoor plants require to flourish.
This single 4-quart bag will fill an 8-inch pot and feed your plants for up to 6 months.
All gardeners know bugs are not even the last thing they’d want in their homes! Accounting this, the potting soil has the ideal blend of perlite, sphagnum peat moss, fertilizer, a wetting agent, and coir, making the soil less prone to gnats (a type of bug).
This potting soil is highly recommended for indoor plants such as Spider plants, Pothos, and other indoor plant varieties. For amazing results, a month after planting, start regular feedings of plant food.
Furthermore, the Mulch & Soil Council has certified it as a high-quality product that meets industry requirements.
What We Liked
- Certified by Mulch & Soil Council
- Less prone to bug infestations
- The effective amalgamation of organic elements
What We Didn’t Like
- The tendency of developing mold
#6. Espoma AP4 4-Quart Organic Potting Mix
Espoma AP4 organic potting mix contains everything your indoor plants will require to grow to their full potential. For flexibility for gardening enthusiasts, this soil is suited for both indoor and outdoor potted plants.
This potting soil has the perfect combination of organic nutrients to enhance the growth of indoor plants. It, additionally, has the Myco-Tone formula for strengthening the roots. Upon it, this soil exponentially promotes root growth and creates conditions for growing beautiful and healthy plants.
The peat moss and humus will tremendously improve soil aeration and create just the right conditions for the required bacteria to grow and your plants to thrive. Due to added perlite in this potting soil, it will improve water retention capacity and reduce the drought stress in your plants.
Another salient feature of this soil is that it has no synthetic plant foods or chemicals that can harm plant growth. If you want to provide your plants additional fertilizers, this soil is a brilliant pick.
What We Liked
- No synthetic plant foods or chemicals
- Improves soil aeration
- Improve water retention and reduce drought stress
- Fortifies with Myco-Tone formula
What We Didn’t Like
- The tendency of developing mushrooms, mold, and gnats
#7. Dr. Earth 749688008136 813 Gold Premium Potting Soil, 8 Quart
Dr. Earth 749688008136 813 Gold Premium Potting Soil is preferred by gardeners because of its adaptability. It can deal with a wide range of gardening tasks and plantation types. This potting soil is designed for both indoor and outdoor plants. Plus, it is MycoApply certified, OMRI listed, and safe for children and pets.
This soil proves to be ideal for all herbs, vegetables, indoor pots, container plants, and even flowers. Such mixes fit best if you want to promote the long-term growth and disease-fending health of your indoor plants. Moreover, it contributes to rejuvenating old roots and giving plants a fresh start to bloom.
You can definitely use this mix as a soil amendment for in-ground planting (trees, shrubs, bare roots, flowers, and vegetables). Even better, it’s equipped and improved with the Trubiotic soil microbes, both ecto and endo mycorrhizae.
Being beneficial for gardening activities such as mulching, seeding, indoor garden production, transplanting, composting, soil boosts, and even clay soil treatments, Dr. Earth has kept up with its reputation.
What We Liked
- The versatility of the soil
- Safe for children and pets
- Fused with extra nourishing nutrients
- Certified by MycoApply and OMRI listed
What We Didn’t Like
- Poor unpackaging experience
#8. Miracle-Gro African Violet Potting Mix, 8 qt.
Miracle-Gro African Violet is a customized potting mix tailored especially for African Violet pots. This potting soil mix is formulated with proper nutrients, aeration, and drainage. These nutrients are made available from nutritional fertilizers, which are specifically tailored to organically give your African Violets plants a lovely color.
The Miracle-Gro African violet potting mix is pH-adjusted and particularly made for producing huge, vibrant violets. Even better, it contains Miracle-Gro plant food, which aids in strengthening the root system and promoting growth.
For eye-catching results, you should plant African violets in African violet pots. These pots are small ceramic or plastic self-watering containers approximately 4-5 inches.
This single 8-quart bag fills two 8-inch wide pots. However, the amount depends on the size of the root ball. Not to forget, this potting soil mix keeps your plants fed for up to 6 months.
What We Liked
- Customized for African Violet plants
- Feeds for up to 6 months
- Soil mix is pH-adjusted
- Nutrients contribute to plant color
What We Didn’t Like
- Gnat infestation does not fend well enough
#9. Miracle-Gro Seed Starting Potting Mix, 8 qt.
Are you beginning your journey in indoor planting? Miracle-Gro Seed Starting Potting Mix is your best choice. This seed-starting potting mix will help your indoor plants get off to a good start.
This potting soil mix is exclusively designed for rapid growth. It has a tried and tested and effective blend of perlite, sphagnum peat moss, and other nutrients contributing to the fast germination of herb seeds, vegetables, and flowers as well.
Furthermore, it is not only simple to use, but the results are also impressive. While it assists in seedling’s rapid growth because of which they stand tall and nourished, don’t forget to use it in indoor containers only.
Plus, this mix is enhanced with Miracle-Gro plant food and has a decent rate of water retention.
What We Liked
- Significant water retention capacity
- Excellent for stimulating germination of seeds
- It contains the right blend of nourishing nutrients
- Contributes to rapid root growth
What We Didn’t Like
- Not suitable for all seeds
Key Points to Remember While Buying Potting Soil
Now that you know all the best options available for potting soil, you would want to ensure that you choose proper soil for those indoor plants.
Here are a few key points to remember before purchasing a certain type of potting soil:
Blend of Nutrients
Before you purchase potting soil, ensure whether the soil contains a rich amalgamation of various nutrients. If the soil contains only one or two nutrients, avoid buying it.
Your plants will not grow as much from potting soil that just contains one nutrient. Keep in mind, the more the nutrient content, the healthier the plant’s immune system and growth.
Aeration
Along with nutrients, your indoor plants will demand enough air circulation. Air circulation should be guaranteed by your possible choice of potting soil.
Light mixes are ideal for this since they allow proper ventilation throughout the pots. When the soil mix is wet, it shouldn’t be too thick because it will prevent the development of mold and suffocate the plant.
Hence, remember, check for aeration on the specifications of the potting mix.
Water retention
Apart from air circulation, water retention capacity is most important in a potting mix.
Your plants will require moisture to thrive. Thus, check to see if the soil you’re buying (organic or non-organic) can retain moisture. For example, if the soil has peat moss, it will have a high retention capacity. Thus, potting soil having more peat moss will be a better choice.
CONCLUSION
Potting soils are vital for your indoor plants to flourish. The nutrients, water retention capacity, and enough aeration are some of the factors you must pay more attention to before buying potting soil.
However, choosing the best potting soil from the products available in the market might be difficult. To assist you in making the right choice, we have compiled these reviews of the 9 best potting soils for your indoor plants. Not to forget, the pros and cons should be weighed based on the gardener’s end goal.
Bonus Read: Want to know which fertilizers are best for your backyard? Read this review of the best fertilizers of 2022 for your gardening goals.