How should a novice gardener choose soil? Garden soil, nutrient soil, peat soil... Learn these points and easily distinguish them!

Soil preparation is a problem that all flower lovers will encounter. Especially for many novice flower lovers, it is a more difficult problem to master.

"Every time I go to buy flowers, no matter what kind of flowers I buy or where I buy them, the florist always tells me to get some loose and breathable soil, or to just buy nutrient soil. For some more delicate flowers, they need to use peat soil + coconut shells and other materials."

"That's right, you should just grow flowers. If you make a bunch of messy soil, you won't know how to grow flowers! I really don't know whether I'm growing flowers or growing soil!"

……

I believe that for many flower lovers, there are countless questions like this. What kind of soil should be used to grow orchids, what kind of soil should be used to grow roses, and what kind of soil should be used to grow succulents... It's really hard to tell them apart!

Today, let’s talk about the differences between garden soil, nutrient soil, and sheep manure soil.

1. Farmland soil

As the name suggests, farmland soil is the soil in the fields, which refers to the soil used to grow crops in the fields, and also refers to the soil used to grow vegetables in the vegetable fields. Of course, in cities, this kind of farmland soil mostly refers to the soil in the community gardens or green belts, all of which are called farmland soil.

Because the soil in the fields or vegetable gardens needs to be fertilized and cultivated frequently, and fallen leaves, straw, organic fertilizers, etc. are often fermented, the fertility is good and the pellet structure is good. Therefore, it is deeply loved by flower lovers and is also the main soil used by many flower lovers to grow flowers.

However, the disadvantages of this kind of garden soil are also prominent. When it is dry, the surface is easy to harden, and when it is wet, the ventilation and water permeability are poor; when planting on the ground, water can always penetrate downward, so the roots of the plants are not easy to rot.

However, when garden soil is placed directly in a flowerpot to grow flowers, its airtightness becomes more obvious. Since the air holes in most flowerpots are small, if you accidentally water too much, the water cannot be discharged in time, which can easily cause the plant's roots to rot.

In addition, one more point needs to be noted. Most flower lovers now live in cities, and the garden soil they can get around them is mostly from community gardens or urban green belts. This kind of garden soil is not mainly used for growing crops and vegetables, so the frequency of deep plowing is lower and the fertility of the soil will also decrease.

Secondly, this kind of garden soil is prone to accumulate some garbage from daily urban life, and over time, the garbage will seep into the soil. If you dig them up directly to plant flowers, the health of the plants will also be affected to a certain extent.

2. Nutrient soil

The nutrient soil we are talking about here today refers specifically to the nutrient soil that was once "very popular". A few years ago, when flower lovers just began to realize the need to buy soil, nutrient soil came out and instantly became popular all over the country, becoming the first choice for flower lovers to grow flowers.

Many flower lovers may say that nutrient soil is no longer popular, so there is no need to buy it? Actually, in my opinion, nutrient soil is not unpopular, but has become a normal part of flower cultivation and a basic product in flower cultivation.

Nutrition soil is specially prepared for better plant growth. It is generally made of a mixture of fertile field soil and manure, and then sterilized at high temperature. Nutrition soil is rich in a variety of mineral nutrients, loose and breathable, has strong water and fertilizer retention capabilities, and is not prone to insect pests. It is very suitable for indoor flower cultivation. In addition, nutrition soil is also a kind of flower soil that I personally like to recommend to everyone.

One thing to note is that although the nutrient soil is rich in organic matter and has good fertility, it is not a permanent solution. After a period of time, the fertility in the nutrient soil will be absorbed by the flowers and plants, and the fertility will naturally decrease. Flower lovers who like to grow flowers only with nutrient soil must remember to change the soil for the flowers regularly, add new soil or fertilizer, and ensure the normal growth of the flowers.

3. Peat soil

Peat soil generally refers to the soil in river sediments or swamps. Due to long-term water accumulation, lush vegetation and oxygen-deficient conditions, the peat layer formed by the accumulation of plant residues is called peat soil.

Generally speaking, peat soil is dark gray or black in color and has a fishy smell. For flower lovers who are more "demanding" about the indoor flower-growing environment, it is not recommended to use peat soil.

Since peat soil is mainly formed by perennial plants such as grass, leaves or roots, it is heavier than nutrient soil that is decomposed by leaves, pine needles, etc. Of course, the quality of peat soil is also the lighter the better. You can grab a handful and squeeze it tightly, then loosen it after a while. If the peat soil is loose, it means it is of high quality.

In my opinion, compared with nutrient soil, peat soil is heavier, less breathable, and has better water retention than nutrient soil. It is more suitable for planting some woody slightly acidic green plants, such as jasmine, camellia, gardenia, sweet olive, honeysuckle and other plants, which can reduce the frequency and number of pot changes.

4. Sheep dung soil/chicken dung soil

Sheep manure soil/chicken manure soil, as the name suggests, is soil made by composting sheep manure/chicken manure. They have high fertility and are a good organic soil. They are more suitable for green plants and flowers that require a lot of fertility.

In addition, it should be noted that for novice flower growers, try not to use sheep manure soil/chicken manure soil directly to grow flowers, so as to avoid root burn.

Not long ago, I saw the lilies on the balcony growing well, so I thought they would bloom soon, so I applied some fertilizer and sprinkled some sheep manure around the edge of the pots. Unexpectedly, after a few days, the roots started to burn.

If you want to use it, you can use sheep manure soil/chicken manure soil as the bottom layer, and then use ordinary nutrient soil on the upper part, or mix sheep manure soil/chicken manure soil with ordinary soil, or you can mix old nutrient soil that has been used for a year with sheep manure soil/chicken manure soil, which can increase soil fertility and not waste the original soil.

In summary, in my opinion, if you are a novice flower lover, it is the safest and most reliable to plant flowers with nutrient soil. Not only is the soil permeable, but the soil fertility is also better, and the survival rate of flowers will increase a lot.

Gardening Flower Gardening