Okay, here’s my blog post about using outdoor soil for indoor plants, written from my personal experience:
So, I’ve been getting into houseplants lately. Like, really into them. My apartment’s starting to look like a mini jungle, which I love! But potting mix can get expensive, and I had this big bag of leftover soil from my outdoor garden. I thought, “Hey, can I just use this stuff inside? Save a few bucks?” Turns out, it’s a bit more complicated than that.
My Experiment Begins…
First, I grabbed a couple of small terracotta pots and some cuttings I’d been propagating. I figured if things went south, I wouldn’t be losing any established plants. I filled one pot with the outdoor soil, straight from the bag. It looked rich and dark, so I had high hopes. I filled the other pot with a standard indoor potting mix, you know, the kind with perlite and peat moss.
I planted the cuttings in both pots, watered them, and placed them side-by-side on my windowsill where they’d get plenty of indirect light.
The Waiting Game (and the Problems I Saw)
For the first few days, everything seemed fine. Both sets of cuttings looked happy. But then… I started noticing some issues with the outdoor soil pot.
- It stayed WET. Like, really wet. Even when the top felt dry to the touch, the soil underneath was still damp. This is because outdoor soil is designed to hold onto moisture, which is great for outdoor plants that are exposed to the elements, but not so great for indoor plants that don’t need as much water.
- Tiny bugs! Yep, I started seeing little gnats flying around the pot with the outdoor soil. Turns out, outdoor soil can contain all sorts of critters and their eggs, which are harmless outside but can become a real nuisance indoors.
- Compaction.The soil in the pot started to *’s became heavy, like I pressed it hard.I thought It will prevent water from going down.
Meanwhile, the cuttings in the potting mix were doing great. They were growing new roots and leaves, and the soil was drying out at a normal rate.
The Verdict?
After a few weeks, it was clear that the outdoor soil wasn’t working out. The cuttings in that pot were starting to look droopy and yellow, probably from overwatering and the lack of air circulation around the roots. The gnat problem wasn’t getting any better either. I finally gave up and repotted those cuttings into fresh potting mix. They perked up almost immediately!
So, my conclusion? Don’t use outdoor soil for indoor plants. It’s just not worth the hassle. While it might seem like a good way to save money, you’ll likely end up with more problems than it’s worth. Stick to a good quality potting mix that’s specifically designed for indoor use. Your plants will thank you!
