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Frequently Asked Questions
• Why shift to a soil-less mix? I’ve been growing potted plants in soil for years.
• Do I still need to water plants growing in a soil-less mix?
• Is it artificial? If it has no soil, what is it made of?
• Can I add coco peat or soil to the soil-less mix so I can save?
• Do I need to remove all the soil from a plant when I repot into a soil-less mix?
• Is using soil-less the same as hydroponics?
• Does it have an expiration date?
• How do I know which to use for my plants?
• I used the soil-less mix but my plant still died. What happened?
• Can I use the soil-less mix like a fertilizer and just spread it over my pots?
• What do I do with my old potted plants that are still growing in soil?
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Answers to your Questions
Why shift to a soil-less mix? I’ve been growing potted plants in soil for years
It’s just like choosing a home for a pet. Yes, it can live in a tight cage for years -- but giving it a better place to live in will make an immense difference towards your pet's overall health, happiness and vigor.
Plants are great survivors and can thrive even under extreme situations -- a crack in the pavement, a polluted street, even a poorly maintained pot. But giving them better growing conditions will definitely improve their overall health and vigor. You can tell from the plant’s performance how much healthier and happier it is in the more comfortable and beneficial environment of a well-formulated potting mix. Even months and years in a pot, the roots are never strangled or stifled unlike in soil that gets progressively hard and compacted over time. Plants can manage to live in mud and dirt crammed into a pot, but they would definitely feel much better in a good-quality growing medium specially formulated for pots. READ MORE...
Do I still need to water plants in
soil-less mix?
Yes, you do, whenever the surface is dry. Most people who ask this question mistake soil-less potting mix for the water gel crystals that some novelty plant stores market as soil replacement. These gels are meant only as soil or potting mix moisturizers; meaning, they are supposed to be mixed in with the potting mix to act as a moisture reservoir for the soil. As the potting mix dries, the moisture stored in the gel is released into the potting medium for the plant's use.
A more practical use for these gel crystals is as an alternative to using water in vases; it prevents mosquito and bacterial buildup in water used for cut flowers. Back to questions
Is it artificial? What's it made of?
GreenHearts' soil-less potting mixes are all-natural, made up of aged coconut fiber, carbonized rice hull, volcanic minerals, organic fertilizers and other amendments. Only Plantastic RED EARTH contains slow release chemical fertilizers, but it is otherwise made up of natural ingredients. Soil-less does not mean synthetic; it simply means we do not use loam, clay or sand, keeping your plants safe from soil-borne diseases. Instead, we supply your plants with sufficient and appropriate natural components that will give the plants’ roots a better environment in which to grow when constrained in pots.
If you've ever read any Western gardening articles, chances are you've come across the term peat moss or sphagnum peat. This is essentially the base ingredient of most potting mixes from countries where peat bogs are found. To this base, many other materials are added such as compost, minerals, vermiculite etc. in carefully balanced proportions to come up with a good potting mix. In recent years, however, it was realized that harvesting peat was detrimental to the environment so horticulturists looked for alternative materials and found the answer in our region of the world in the form of coir dust -- or pulverized coconut fiber.
To make the transition to the new material easier for seasoned gardeners, the term 'coco peat' was coined to refer to what really is nothing more than coir or coconut dust. It has absolutely no peat in it and is really only powdered coco fiber, hence its local name -- bunot.
Can I add soil or ‘coco peat’ to the potting mix so I can save?
No, you shouldn't. Our potting mixes have been specially-blended and garden-tested to deliver the best results. Adding anything to the mix is like adding extra flour to your best cake recipe – it will definitely affect the results. Moreover, by adding soil, you would be giving up the benefits of using soil-less mixes, mainly the elimination of soil-borne diseases and all the other disadvantages that come with dirt and mud in pots. Each soil-less formulation takes the plants’ overall health into utmost consideration. In effect, it is a worthwhile investment in your plants' long-term health.
What you should be adding is compost, but only after at least one month has gone by since you potted up a plant, or longer if the plant is indoors.
Do I need to remove the soil from a plant when I repot into your soil-less mix?
Just shake off or remove as much of the old soil as you can from the root ball, but it’s okay if some of the old soil gets left behind. What’s important is that your plant does not get introduced to new, unsterilized soil in the pot. Make sure to use clean pots.
Are these soil-less mixes the same ones used in hydroponics?
No. Soil-less potting mixes merely replace soil in pots, which means you continue gardening the same way you would with soil –- but without the problems and disadvantages of soil that gets compacted in pots. This means, you can continue to grow your plants organically, using only fertilizers and pest control measures that come from nature. The most common form of hydroponics practiced here relies completely on chemicals in liquid form that are administered continuously to the plants.
Definitely -- provided the plants that grew in it previously did not die of a disease. Do note, however, that the nutrients in the original formulation would have been depleted by now. Simply replenish these nutrients with compost and continue topdressing your pots with compost, guano or earthworm castings every two months.
Does it have an expiration date?
Unused potting mix will not expire if properly stored away from the elements. Over time, however, the appearance may change due to the ingredients continuing to interact inside the package. Prior to use, keep the bag tightly sealed so excess moisture doesn't get in. Should the potting mix get wet, you may lose some of the nutrients due to leaching, particularly for Plantastic RED EARTH which has slow-release fertilizers that release nutrients based on moisture and temperature levels.
How do I know which to use for my plants? Especially my herbs.
Click here to get an overview of our different formulations and what they are for.
As for herbs, generally, herbs common in our country grow well in ENRICO whereas those from the Mediterranean region grow better is MEDITERRANEA. Because only ENRICO is sold nationwide at the moment, and if you live too far away from Thyme Square where Mediterranea is sold, you can still plant alkaline-loving herbs in ENRICO amended with agricultural lime, or crushed sea shells or egg shells. Check out the Thyme Square herb list to see what potting mix your herbs prefer.
I used the soil-less mix but my plant still died. What happened?
Many things could have caused it. Some plants grown in Baguio, Tagaytay, and other cool areas of our country don't do well when brought to the warm lowlands. The plant could also have suffered from over-watering or under-watering; fertilizer burn; too little or too much sun; chemicals, pests and diseases from other sources such as garden tools or old pots, or even on the surface on which the pots are placed.
Soil-less mixes provide the best home possible for your plants’ roots, thus making your plants healthier and giving them a better chance at battling all the problems that could confront them. Just as with humans, the healthier one is to begin with, the stronger one becomes at combating any setbacks that come our way. Our soil-less mixes give your potted plants the same important advantage.
Can I use the soil-less mix like a fertilizer and just spread it over my pots?
Soil-less mixes are meant to replace soil in order for them to deliver their maximum benefits. Use compost or other organic fertilizers instead to top-dress your pots.
What do I do with my old potted plants that are still growing in soil?
If your plants still look fine where they are, then there is no need to disturb them for now. However, when it comes time to repot them or the plant is starting to look tired, shake off as much of the old soil as you can from the root ball and repot into the appropriate soil-less formulation.