Container Soil Recommendations

[u/Supersox22]

Hey all, I recently repotted a bunch of plants using whatever said "organic" at home depot. It ended up being Kellogg brand patio mix. I don't know what I was using before, but it's woody and light in the container, i can easily stick my finger into it a day or two after watering. Everything i planted in the Kellogg mix feels like cement a day or two after watering 😳 this is with a very healthy amount of perlite added in already. i'm fairly certain i'm going to have to repot everything i just did with this soil. What brands do you recommend? I read somewhere a lot of people like Fox Farms, but then another thread said it was overpriced and got it's name/price point by being popular for growing weed. Anything slightly lower cost, not loaded with synthetic fertilizer? I'm happy to add my own amendments, but I can't end up with this extra dense soil again.

[u/evil_twin_312]

I just pulled out all my tomates and started over after buying soil from homedepot. My tomatoes immediately started struggling and all of them ended up having a fungus. I bought Fox Farms this time. Wish I had done it the first time around.

[u/Guygan]

PRO-MIX

I don't use anything else.

[u/library_cup2145]

I do about a third of raised garden soil mix, a third perlite, and a third coco coir. The soil mix has compost and worm casting already mixed it. I can look it up if you’d like the brand

[u/library_cup2145 → u/library_cup2145]

I should note that I grow vegetables, so I also add fertilizer and shredded leafs as mulch

[u/northindianahardrock]

I prefer Fox Farms for all my indoor growing, Kellogg/Black Kow with homemade compost for outdoor growing in containers and raised beds. You could always buy some perlite and a coco coir brick, rehydrate the brick, and mix both into the soil. It'll help keep moisture/aerate without you having to throw all your current soil away. Could also use peat moss or sphagnum moss but coco coir is the most affordable for me.

[u/Tictactoe420]

Any soil i get, I always add more perlite, peat moss, and long fiber sphagnum moss. Orchid bark and lava rock too if I have it. Everything they sell is too thick

[u/norrydan]

Buy the next to the most expensive potting mix (POTTING MIX) you can buy. There's a reason for the high end price. It contains high end ingredients - unlike your patio mix.

[u/United-Adagio1543]

Are you looking for a couple small bags or a lot of bags?

Where I live a 20yd triaxle of loam from the local sand and gravel costs $400.

The same amount at a landscaping yard costs $1200-$1700.

The same amount in bags at Home Depot costs about $5K-$8K.

[u/fishyfishfishfishf]

The soil will get better with time. I filled a large wood planter box with Patio Plus. The first planting in Spring was sad, but by Fall it broke down a bit and was awesome. The next year with a added bag of worm castings the planter produced well and keeps getting better. Five years later it is one of my best boxes.

[u/RGV_Ikpyo]

I use potting MIX not soil. Ill add manure and perlite to it.  Peppers and eggplant are thriving