When shopping for soil you may be faced with an important choice: garden soil vs. potting soil.
Both types of soil serve as the foundation for successful gardening, each tailored to specific needs and preferences.
Whether you’re building a backyard garden or caring for indoor plants, these soil types significantly impact plant growth.
In this article, we’ll discuss the differences that make garden soil and potting soil unique to one another.
- What Is Garden Soil?
- What Is Potting Soil?
- What Is Garden Soil Used For
- What Is Potting Soil Used For
- The Disadvantages And Advantages Of Garden Soil
- The Disadvantages And Advantages Of Potting Soil
- Differences Between Garden Soil And Potting Soil
- How To Turn Garden Soil Into Potting Soil
- Garden Soil Vs. Potting Soil For Indoor Roses
- Conclusion
- FAQs
What Is Garden Soil?
Garden soil often refers to the naturally occurring soil found in outdoor ecosystems.
It is composed of a mixture of eroded minerals, along with organic matter from decomposed plants and animals.
Garden soil is primarily used for in-ground gardening as well as landscaping.
Garden soil is widely available and is one of the cheaper options for gardeners.
What Is Potting Soil?
Potting soil is a specially formulated soil that is tailored to fit the needs of specific plants (but especially container and indoor plants).
Oftentimes, you’ll find that potting soil is composed of materials such as vermiculite, perlite, peat moss, or coco coir.
These materials are all specially blended to create a mix that is well-draining and moisture-retentive.
Potting soil is also more nutrient-rich than garden soil because potted plants cannot access a wider range of nutrients compared to their outdoor counterparts.
Additionally, potting soil is commonly sterilized in order to reduce the likelihood of pests and diseases, which makes potting soil compatible with an indoor setting.
What Is Garden Soil Used For
Garden soil is used for outdoor in-ground planting.
This is the type of soil you may find outside in your garden beds, as well as your landscapes.
What Is Potting Soil Used For
Due to its well-draining properties, potting soil is primarily used in situations where a plant grows in some kind of container.
This includes both potted plants as well as raised bed gardens where extra drainage and aeration are a necessity to avoid soil compaction.
The Disadvantages And Advantages Of Garden Soil
1. Nutrient Content
Depending on its composition, garden soil can provide an extended range of nutrients for plants, which promotes healthy growth.
However, sometimes these nutrients might not be readily available to your plants, and they can be inconsistent depending on external circumstances.
2. Drainage And Water Retention
Garden soil can often have drainage issues, causing waterlogged conditions.
These drainage issues stem from garden soil being privy to compaction.
3. Ph Levels
The pH level of garden soil often changes depending on the external circumstances in the ecosystem.
While some plants are compatible with a garden soil’s pH level, there is no guarantee that the pH will stay consistent through the season.
Ph adjustments often must be made to accommodate the crops being grown.
The Disadvantages And Advantages Of Potting Soil
1. Aeration And Drainage
Potting soil is designed to have excellent drainage and aeration, preventing waterlogged soil and promoting healthy root growth.
The reason being this excellent drainage lies in its mineral components: perlite, vermiculite, and sand are common ingredients found in potting soil mixes.
These help prevent compaction in potting soil and allow for easy drainage and airflow to reach the plants’ developing root system.
2. Sterility And Disease Prevention
Most commercially sold potting soil mixtures are sterilized during production.
This sterilization offers many benefits for indoor usage.
It reduces the likelihood of pests, diseases, and weeds from overrunning your container/indoor garden.
However, this is not a guarantee, and therefore gardeners should still be very aware of any risks that pose to their plants.
The first line of defense against pests and disease is maintaining a healthy, fortified plant.
3. Nutrient Control
The nutrients in potting soil are a finite resource for your plant.
As opposed to garden soil, plants in a container do not have an expanded network of nutrients to rely on.
In order to continue sustaining healthy growth for your potted plants, frequent fertilization is a necessity.
Differences Between Garden Soil And Potting Soil
| Garden Soil | Potting Soil | |
| Ingredients and Additives | Contents often depend on environmental surroundings. | Contains a pre-determined mixture of minerals and organic substances. |
| Texture and Structure | Often more compacted and harder. | Loose, more well-draining materials. |
| pH Levels and Acidity | pH level depends on the environmental surroundings but can be altered by amendments. | pH controlled, amendments can be made to lower or strengthen the acidity. |
| Drainage and Aeration | Less drainage and aeration, likely to compact if soil is improperly managed. | High drainage and aeration due to the presence of perlite, vermiculite, and sand. |
How To Turn Garden Soil Into Potting Soil
Garden soil can be transformed into well-draining potting soil compatible for use with container plants.
Follow these steps:
- Step 1: Assess the Garden Soil
Inspect your current soil and take note of its qualities, including how quickly it drains, its texture, and its components.
This will help give you a general idea of how to effectively amend your soil. - Step 2: Prepare the Garden Soil
Break up any hard clumps or areas of compaction that may have already formed.
These can all stunt plant growth and development later on if not taken care of. - Step 3: Add Organic Material
Compost, manure, earthworm casings, and leaf mold are all excellent examples of organic matter that you can amend your garden soil with.
These materials will provide a rich source of nutrients while also increasing the drainage and aeration of your soil. - Step 4: Add Well-Draining Material
Amending your soil with mineral substances such as perlite, sand, and vermiculite will help increase the drainage in your garden soil and prevent future compaction.
- Step 5: Mix Thoroughly
Blend all the materials together until the soil is a homogenous mixture.
Then, allow the soil to rest for a few days to allow the components time to integrate with one another. - Step 6: Test the pH
Perform a pH test on your new soil blend to see what the level is.
Of course, the ideal pH level will depend on the specific type of plant that you are growing in containers.
However, as a general rule, soil should typically be slightly acidic to neutral.
Garden Soil Vs. Potting Soil For Indoor Roses
For indoor roses, potting soil is generally recommended as opposed to garden soil.
Indoor plants, including roses, have specific requirements that potting soil is better suited for.
Not only does potting soil have better drainage and aeration for the roses’ developing root system, but potting soil contains more nutrients that the roses rely heavily on as they cannot access a broader range of nutrients from the outside ecosystem.
Conclusion
The decision between garden soil vs potting soil hinges on the goals of the gardener.
While gardening soil helps plants thrive in outdoor landscapes, potting soil is better for containers.
By using each soil in its appropriate setting, your plants can grow beautifully.
FAQs
Related posts:
