Let‘s make some potting soil
Remember, Geraniums want good free draining soil !
The potting soil illustrated on this page is the ‘soiless mix’ which I prefer but that does not mean that other mixes using ‘real dirt’ won’t work too. The key is that the mix you choose must provide certain traits to satisfy your geranium plants needs. First and foremost is that the mix must be free draining and at the same time retain some moisture without retaining too much. The soil mix should be loose and airy to allow the roots to easily develop within the medium. Rather than stating what you should do, it’s probably more prudent to say what you should not do as I would not want to inhibit your resourcefulness.
- Do not use too much peat moss as it retains a lot of moisture.
- Do not use vermiculite as over time it packs down and retains excessive moisture.
- Do not use fine sand (beach sand) as it will pack down your mix and not allow it to drain properly.
- Do not use heavy garden soils as they will not drain adequately.
That still leaves a lot of options. You will note that I use some perlite in my mix and other options include granular size pumice rock.
There are leaf mold composts and river loam as a soil base for your mix, don’t be afraid to use your imagination. I do not know any two people that use the exact same potting mix for growing geraniums.
I suppose we have to tinker with the recipes before we can call it our very own mix.
I have not divulged the recipe for my potting mix as you would probably change it some anyway.
I make a large batch at a time and store it in 5 gallon plastic buckets with secure lids and that way it’s always handy when I need it and the mix is consistent in quality.