Make Your Own Soil For A Fraction Of The Cost Of Store Bought Mix 

Get exclusive bonus videos at www.patreon.com/sheffieldmadeplants

i worked for a "plant influencer" who had her own nursery before i got into plants myself (i got into plants by rescuing broken prop pieces + she let me take home unsellable stock lol)... she was big on mixing her own soil mixes so that's just what i've always done + it works fantastic! it's worth the initial upfront investment to have the ingredients all on hand for almost any plant you may need soil for! cool to see your cost breakdowns to see what a massive difference it can make on the wallet

Others seem to have a complex mix. It's nice to see something simple that has given you proven results. Thank you for sharing.

If you want to add charcoal, just buy regular natural lump charcoal for grilling it. It's the same thing, you just have to crush it up yourself.

You can wet the perlite to reduce dust before mixing.

Thanks for the video! I no longer need this information but boy would this video have helped me six months ago when I was pulling my hair out trying to understand how soils and mixes work! My mom has always just used soil and nothing else and I had no clue how or why I was supposed so get my hands on these fancy mixes. It seemed so complicated to me. Now my go to is equal parts soil, perlite and orchid bark. Sometimes I mix it up with some leca or coco choir if I'm feeling a little wild. Lol.

This is pretty much my base recipe too … And it is easy to toss into a smaller bucket to amend for other plants that require slightly different potting mediums … such as my succulents…. My variations include: adding coarse builders sand for plants like rosemary and thyme. Coarse sand, NOT play sand… play sand is too fine and will not drain as well as coarse, rain of risk of root rot on succulents. Adding more perlite for my succulents for the added drainage and faster drying Adding more coco coir than compost with my tiniest of baby succulent props (grown in empty coffee pods) I AVOID peat moss these days…. I use coco coir instead. The issue with peat moss is that it becomes completely hydrophobic once it dries out. As always, Mr. Richard, great video with useful, straight forward info…. You are right up there with the planterina and epic gardening channel!!! Five stars 😁😊

For some reason I love listening to this guy. He's so sensible and reasonable. I like his voice. :)

Thank you so much for this video, I'm a beginner gardener and these simple yet efficient instructions are absolutely priceless! Sending you and your plants green blessings 😊🌿💛

Great video, Richard! I was still buying bagged potting mix and adding some more perlite to it and noticed a big difference the way my plants looked, especially my hoya. I will definately be investing into making my own now. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us.

This is suuuuuper helpful! I was just about to re-pot most of my collection and this will save me a lot of money!

Put the perlite in a bin bag or those free charity bags you get thru the door and hang it up on your shed. Less moving it around to access your bike if u access it regularly. I also store mine in a small blue shed! I've had the same bag of perlite for amost a decade! I also add a little worm castings. I used to add rock dust till my parents decided to toss it out as they thought it was sand (when I stored stuff in their place). They also tipped out a bag of worm castings into the flower border thinking it was soil. I wanted to cry but took solace in the peonies being spectacular. They sold the house and the new owner paved it over so under there are their amazing peonies with super fertile soil screaming to be let out!

I make my own potting mix as well for the savings. It’s good to put hot water on it because recently I have found my peat moss had cut worms in it. And they were killing off all my seedlings for my garden.

Ive been using all of those ingredients except compost. I’ll definitely include that in my soil mixes going forward. Thank you for your good advice and keeping it simple.😊

So funny because I was literally just doing research on this very topic over the last 2 weeks, being a newbie to my new house plant obsession, and of course I would find fantastic advice on my favorite plant channel! I’ve been watching your videos regularly! I really appreciate your grounded (😉), yet very effective suggestions! They’ve been a life saver for my plant babies! Thank you so much for making such seriously simple, yet thoughtful content! Much gratitude from California! 🙏🌱

Wanted to thank you so much for this tip! I ordered a 100 Liter perlite bag (Gosh it’s heavy!!!) so i can mix it with the soil I usually buy that’s super cheap and rich of fertilizer but quite a compact soil. and i have to say! The results are amazing!!! Not only is it so much cheaper, but my plants are absolutely thriving!

I've mostly been in the business of Aquatic plants, and let me tell you, selling convenience is a huge problem with the aquarium industry as well. So when I then upgraded my tanks to ripariums by adding terrestrial plants, and then finally going full on classic 'plant in soil', I had a funny feeling the same issues would be found here. Glad I found this video cause I LIKE my money want to keep it thank you very much!

Thank you for the great information! I love how you created a workaround to mix it all in that small plastic container using a hand trowel. I will probably get out the wheelbarrow and long-handled shovel but then we have a little more storage space around here!

Here I thought I was ahead of the game😂 I buy them small bags of cactus and houseplant dirt plus an equally sized bag of perlite. Worm castings to taste. Slap em all in a container, mixy mixy and shazzam. I only have 12 plants at the moment, so it lasts for ages.

I did this last week based on another one of your videos and repotted all my plants into perlite & soil mix. I'm a "can barely keep plants alive" person and your channel has already been so helpful. I've watched so many of your videos and hopefully over the next year or so I'll morph into a "sometimes my plants actually survive!" person!

Love it - here's a though mix your 1/5th's in a separate container and then pour the layers your storage bin. That way your are not running out of room every time you mix more in 😎👍

Omg, when I pour my perlite, I wear a mask, hold my breath, and then run away while the dust settles lol!

Thanks Richard for this outstanding easy potting mix guide. I too prefer making my own mix and I enjoy making it as much as I enjoy growing house plants. You have a great deal more control and flexibility to adjust for individual plant needs when making your own. 👍

Really appreciate how you value plants soil etc For me working with soil is very therapeutic and energetic. Good video

Im so glad i subbed! These videos are what i needed to remember things i know and some new stuff ive never tryed!

Blimey, I’ve just spent an hour loitering in the garden centre houseplant section, trying to replicate sybersoil, the assistant thought I was barking mad not to just buy a cheap bag of Westland and be done with it. But what about my ZZ!? 😱 So I bought a small expensive bag of orchid blend, some perlite and a bag of houseplant compost. This has worked out more expensive than Waitrose muesli …🤦‍♀️😂😂😂

Find a friend/neighbor that has cats and uses kitty litter that comes in those giant lightweight (but durable) plastic jugs/totes. They make excellent storage containers for soil/perlite. Edit: and they stack/store in shed/garage so nicely to keep out moisture And...you can get them free! The big yellow tubs have lids that feel like they are welded on. Sometimes a little tricky to snap off. Put a foot inside the tote and stand in the tote and pull up on the lid. This makes it easy to give yourself a wide mouth bin to work with when filling. Then snap the lid back on when done and just use the flip lid feature to take what you need when planting. And those white jugs with just a giant screw top lid. Find a canning funnel. Those are wide mouth and work great for pouring into the bin. A plastic canning funnel is usually just a few dollars.

Thank you for another great lesson in caring for our plants 🌱 and 🌎 planet! Enjoy your weekend.

Always Mixing my own nowadays!!

Mixing your own mix is definitely superior! I used to use peat until I knew better. I also recommend sOme pumice as perlite over time tends to float up to the top.

My main mix is about 70% pine bark (fine-ish mulch), 15% perlite and 15% volcanic rock. I don't actually use regular soil anymore.

I would love to hear more about the swaps and properties of those ingredients you talked about! Like coco coir, pumice, etc, etc.

Thank you, I used 1 part compost manure mix, 1 part peat moss, .25 part perlite vermiculite mix, slow release granulated organic fertilizer, and a little garden lime. Still way cheaper as well.

Excellent video Richard! I just bought my Succulent & Cactus soil to mix with Orchid soil for my snake plants (I read to use 50/50). But the next time I need soil, I will look up your recipe for my snake plants. I live in a small apartment, so I can't really buy in large quantities. But I would love to give this a try. I didn't realise I could buy compost soil here in BC Canada until today. Cheers!

I've just been on a course where one of the things I had to do was mixing my own compost - they always damp down the perlite before mixing - with a spray bottle is fine - it helps trap the dust so it dosn't get into the air as much

Richard your definitely THE PLANT EXPERT ❤. THANKS FOR ANOTHER ENLIGHTENING VIDEO. HAPPY SATURDAY TO YOU

Very true! My most expensive items are neem oil concentrate and the once a yr systemic granules. I don't use compost, but buy $6.00, 8 qt bags of tropical and moisture control miracle gro soil, Orchid bark, and perlite to mix my own. Basically, for indoor gardening, this means I spend abt $25 every 3-5 mos on soil and I haven't had to buy new box of fertilizer since a yr ago as my plants don't need it very often to thrive.

Compost is why you have fungus gnats. They feed on the organic decaying ingredients. “Gardening In Canada” is a soil scientist and has great advice on that. Love your videos.

I enjoy your videos and have gotten really good info. For Cacti, Succulents and Snake Plants I increase your recommended 5 to 3 parts to equal parts Compost to Perlite. Thanks.

I find if you water the. Perlite in the bag first cuts down on the dust. I spread my ingredients on a an old shower curtain on a calm day and just pull each side in turn no effort needed and easy to pour into a container after mixing.

I’ve been waiting for this video. Thank you for doing it 😊

Yay!!! Another Sheffield video!

I like this channel, a lot of handy tips. Somehow a mix of compost and perlite only has worked out to be too moist for me. Soil deeper than 1st couple of inches stays too moist (6-7 on moisture meter) even after 3-4 weeks. I was initially using mushroom compost, but have switched to regular compost too and that hasn't made much difference. I have been advised to add pine bark mulch to help with aeration. So, the new mix I tried is 5:3:2:1 mulch:potting-soil:perlite:compost, it is definitely draining faster than before, but have to see how plants grow in it 🤞

Smaller rock is purely for drainage; the nutrients leech out too slowly to matter. Perlite, lava rock, vermiculite, decomposed granite, pumice, zeolite, and coarse sand essentially do the same thing. Heavier or larger rocks are good for structure. Again, the type of rocks don't really matter. Moss is for drainage while still holding on to water, unlike rocks where nearly all water drains away. Coconut coir does the same thing but with higher drainage and less retention. Bark is even higher drainage while retaining less water. Compost doesn't retain much water and may drain poorly, making mud. Potting mixes are just compost, moss, and bark. A compost and perlite mix can be anywhere from very poor draining (almost all compost) to very well draining (almost all perlite). But, it will have poor water retention, which can actually be good if the environment is not very hot and not dry since you don't want the soil to take too long to dry out. But, adding coir would help it retain water if it dries out to quickly. From this, a coconut coir, compost, and perlite mix can do pretty much anything. You could add some heavier rock for structure if needed, and the type doesn't matter. I like the aquarium rock because it is pre-sifted to a good size, and it is fairly easy to reuse, which offsets the cost.

Reptile keepers use play sand and top soil mix and add sanitized leaves for the clean up crew along with an organic bioactive booster safe for animals. I've actually had success with this mix for my succulents and adding Coco coir for my other plants. Even my vegetables get this mix now and they seem much more healthy.

i use the same method but with sand instead of perlite. never found a good perlite source

I personally mix cactus soil (which is usually peat and sand) + pine bark/orchid soil + sand + perlite. I vary the mix according to the plant. Works great for me! Especially love sand, as it is so cheap and creates great drainage and water retention! I'm yet to use much compost, but want to make my own that is 100% plant based as I am a vegan and oppose the exploitation of animals in animal agricutlure. It's going to be great fun to try to set up my own system! If any of you have any tips on homemade composting methods feel free to share them with me!

I’m new to this and Iv been recommended ninja soil over and over but I’m hoping my houseplant compost and perlite will do the job. It do think it can Be very over complicated. I’m hoping my mix also works well and not have the expense of these ready made mixes. Just started watching your Chanel. Really enjoy your videos 😊

Great information video..,saves money and easy mixing ideas thanks always appreciate…

I agree that it way more inexpensive in just making your own soil mix. In my case, I use carbonized rice hull (Partially burnt rice hull), rice hull itself, vermicast and cocopeat (I dont use soil for my indoor plants). I also mix a systemic insecticide as a preventative measure. Its a very airy and light mix

Another excellent video, Sir Richard!!🪴

The real fun starts when you make 60% compost 20% coco 20% perlite for a couple of 120 litre growing bags :D But the upsetting part about having an opened big compost bag (or the mix) sitting around waiting and if you don't moisten it, in the next season you have a hydrophobic bag. I recall Epic Gardening had a good video with a researcher of bog areas in Canada (biggest producer in the world) talking about peat moss farming. And also raised the point of coco coir having it's own share of issues. Personally I think the best we can do is making and using our own compost where we can (mostly outdoors gardening) and perhaps using a mix of compost and coco. You know how perhaps the real solution isn't the monoculture in anything but spread use of resources in moderation over all the options (which is also quite convenient since compost + coco + perlite is quite a neat medium). Gardeners also have a very smart method of filling the bottoms of their beds with branches and old poor soil etc because the plants they farm rarely grow roots all the way that deep. And just adding things like organic fertilizers, maneur on top of the bed to boost the old soil. Even growing in cycles like growing peas to insert nitrogen in the soil to extend the use. Unfortunately house plant potting can't quite benefit from these ideas, but who knows what all solutions we can come up with to lessen the resource load!

Thanks for sharing I have learned so much from your videos.

You have a doggy? I've never seen one in your videos. Show us your dog. Please? I love plants and pets! ❤

Little tip is to spray water on your perlite. It traps the dust.

Phew! Simplified...😊

Thank you for your idea. Do that kind of mixing soil also suitable for outdoor garden flowers?

Oh, when you say compost, you mean potting soil. I know compost as an additive to the garden that is usually manure or my own composted kitchen scraps.

Hi, ive spent the last few days getting myself into a bit of a paranoid state. After doing lots of research online ive noticed lots of people reporting the compost they've bought for themselves has led to fungus gnats and fungi. Is there any specific compost you would recommend and any tips on how you keep your plants pest free when using shop bought compost? (I am new to houseplants and would appreciate any help, thanks) :)

I’ve been buying tropical mix and adding orchid mix and gets expensive. I just need to commit and start mixing my own. Great video.

I mostly have tropical plants in my house, my plant addiction started only a few months ago and I can't seem to stop buying new ones. I'm so grateful I found your channel, it helped me a lot, I think even my plants love you 😊. I just wanted to ask your opinion, my mix for tropical plants is 1 part coconut coir, 1 part perlite and 1 part all purpose soil. Do you think that's ok or should I change anything? And also, what kind of mix do you suggest for succulents and cacti?

thank you 😊 i will do this diy soil

I do exactly the same so much cheaper and I add activated charcoal and slow release fertiliser to my mix 😌👏🏼👏🏼

keep using the word compost! we need to broaden our horizons :)

I get my perlite from our local hydroponics store in a huge bag.

Richard. Can you teach us about fertilizer???? Please ❤

What a price difference! Great info

I just figured out I spend about a dollar a liter and I get about 26 liters a year between the three things I buy. Your way is definitely cheaper but I live in a small town that only brings gardening stuff in during the early spring, in another month the garden centers will be closing up already and starting to bring in things to prepare for fall and winter. :( Next year I may need to follow your recipe and buy more bulk items as I am raising 4 birds of paradise right now and they will likely need separated by next year, I also have a big pot of monster and a very root heavy Thai Consetalation that will likely need up potted next year. Never mind everyone else. LOL. Who orders 4 baby birds of paradise? Me when I apparently see a good deal on them and I've taken a sedative... LOL Was quite the shocker to wake up to in the middle of fall! Perhaps I will be a bit of a jerk and give three away as gifts :P No one will know they arent a cute table plant until they are MASSIVE! hehehh OOH I just remembered that this year I bought all my soil with store points i had collected so it was technically free! Free is a good deal :P

New to the plant world I purchased 12 succulents in 3 inch pots, I have indoor potting soil can I just add pumice instead of perlite I heard the perlite dissolves is that correct ? Thanks for sharing your video 😊 love from Canada 🇨🇦

How can you be sure that the multi purpose compost doesn't harbour pests/bugs? I'm dubious about the quality control process with the cheaper composts..

HAhahah I am So STUPID, sometimes!!!! I was puzzled to see 'our' queen your bills ! hahahahahahaah

How do we incorporate vermicompost in your mix? What % is best? We stopped using any commercial compost because one year, all our seedlings failed or grew weak, disease prone plants. The bag said it contained 'Municipal waste' and it was clear that the waste contained residual weed killers (my husband has been growing for years so very experienced) we started our own wormfarm instead which produces all the seed mixes that we need but it needs to be mixed with other things, it's great at germinating but the seedlings shoot up and lack strength

Bro, here it costs €1,50 / 2,00 per liter of premium aroid mix. I started making my own (with literally everything in it like perlite / coco / bark / pumice / worm casting etc.) and it costs me.......€0,38 per liter. Literally can get 5 times as much for the same price and its basically 0 work. Order stuff --> dump it in the barn --> mix in a bin when needed, done. The markup on premium soils is RIDICULOUS. Their profit margin must be 50%+. Even contemplating to start my own store and sell it all for €1 per liter to undercut and drive prices down country wide here. The main issue with your soil is that it still contains a lot of normall "soil". Soilless mixes can be re-used and you just add new worm castings to it. Pushing price even down more.

Love the videos! Do you mean compost like composted cow manure or a leaf based compost? Have a great day!

Thank you!

Thank you so much for this, super helpful and insightful! Just out of curiosity: how long does one box last you on average?

Damn you've been making great content recently

Some American gardeners swear by Vermiculite and list it as one of the important ingredients to add to compost along with top soil. What are your thoughts on that? Many Thanks

Informative video, thanks! Is this the same kind of compost that you'd get from composting at home? And is perlite still beneficial for plants that aren't in pots with watering holes?

Thanks for this mix, would this be suitable for calatheas as well. My current all purpose soil take close to a month to dry in a 8 inch pot.

I can make 50+ L of my own mix (basic 50 qt. of potting soil, perlite, orchid bark, worm castings and charcoal for just under or around $100 USD and it’s lasts me for years.

Moisten the perlite just a bit for storage to help cut the dust

Is perlite okay for spider plants? I read something about fluoride content harming them.

7:15 before you shake I was thinking why don't you have a separate container you fill 1/4 of the way and mix by shaking then dump the soil mixed into a bigger container you want to store it in? Wouldn't the whole process be much faster

Hi Richard, great informative video as always. Lovely to see that you have a garden. Have you thought about establishing a tiny pond in one of the corners with pond plants and ground covering plants etc featured with it? Would be a new experience to expand your plant territory. also it teaches kids to look after their plants who are dependent on them 🫧🪴

This is a really helpful video - thanks! Can a soil and perlite mix be used for cacti & succulents as well or would this require a different mix?

Nice shering 😊

What else would you incorporate for a succulent mix?

Perlite for drainage? I always thought perlite helps the soil to hold water....

Hey sheff, thanks for the great video!, I have a question: Why do you use a compost instead of a generic garden soil with perlite? When should you use one over the other?

I like to buy cactus soil if it's cheap enough, otherwise I just buy either the cheapest houseplant mix or even compost and mix it with perlite or cheaper equivalent. That being said I only buy the cactus/houseplant mix if it's less than £1.5 per litre I only do that because my plant collection isn't big enough to warrant having a massive bag of dirt in my tiny flat

That compost is why you have a fungus gnat problem. That particular compost comes with its own fungus gnats. I really hope that Soil Ninja offers you a brand deal so that you can see just how bad that compost is for your babies. That stuff belongs in the garden not the house.

Very helpful video thanks! Would you say soil ninja is worth the cost? They do soil blends for particular plants and soil components (so you can mix your own).

I've been making my own batches of soil for a little bit, but the last time I put slow release fertiliser granules in it (miracle grow ones). I normally use coco coir but this batch I used compost. I had some soil left so I just put it in a medium food bag from Tesco, tied it up and put it in my cupboard (away from pesky gnats) Went to use it yesterday to repot one plant and the soil reeked of ammonia and made my eyes sting when I went near it. Any ideas what I did wrong or if that soil is now dangerous for plants?

Is there a specific type of compost that you have to use for indoor plants? Or can i use any type of compost from my local retail store?

Could you not perhaps put the perlite into one of your propagation style tubs? Then you could store it easier as they can go outdoors or inside without risk of puncturing the bag?

as we (Polish people) say, you put a stick in an anthill - now the thunder of dissatisfied producers will rain down on you

Is that a calathea rufibarba in the background? 😍

can anyone from the US confirm what compost is? when I search for it in stores it's usually a mix of fertilizers like manure and worm castings. The miracle gro compost he showed also doesn't exist over here.

Can you use grit instead of perlite as ive heard that perlite isnt v sustainable