The soil that your plants grow in is as important to them as the air is to us. There are a huge variety of soils, ranging from types made of sand to clay. Some types are rich and fertile, others are barren. Certain dessert sands will only grow a few types of plants, whereas rich, loamy soil, can grow almost anything.

The make-up of each type of soil can even be extremely different, but they all may work well. Each plant theoretically will grow in a certain perfect potting soil mix, but luckily, plants adjust to their environment pretty well. A combination of loam, sand, humus, fertilizer, bone meal, and peat moss will help your plants to grow really well.

You can mix your own potting soil by collecting the materials and mixing two parts loam to one part sand and one part humus. You should add one-half part cow manure and a little bit of bone meal. Do not try to mix this over carpeting, as you will probably spill some soil. The basement, garage, or outdoors is the best place to do it. You do not want to spill manure on your favorite rug! This is a messy job, but it's not a necessary one.

You can buy pre-packaged and mixed potting soil. You can get it at the supermarket or at the local garden supply store. This method is much cleaner and less time consuming. It is also guaranteed to be healthy because it is sterilized. There will be no pests, mites, or larvae in the soil. Mixing your own soil almost ensures that you will have pests. For most purposes, buying potting soil is best.

Some potted plants require special mixes. The African Violet needs extra humus for example, so you can buy a special mix especially for the plant. Just pass on this houseplant care info - you can use the African Violet mix with ferns, begonias, and other tropical plants.

Humus comes from decayed grasses, leaves, weeds, and other organic matter. It is very rich and it hold moisture, so it is good to use with houseplants that have just been potted. You can buy humus alone to add to the other mixed soil you buy.