10 Best Soils for Indoor Plants in 2024 – Reviews & Top Picks
- Pete Ortiz
- Last updated:
Whether you’re growing plants indoors or outdoors, you will need some kind of potting soil for their growth. Every topsoil is different and not all topsoils are created equal. So, what type of soil do you use for your indoor plants?
Which brands have the best potting soil mixes? And which ones can give your plants a balanced number of nutrients to ensure growth? We’ve rounded up some of the best soil to use for indoor plants and we will cover them in this post, along with reviews of each one.
A Glance at Our Winners in 2024
Rating | Image | Product | Details | |
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Best Overall
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Good Dirt Indoor Potting Soil Mix |
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CHECK PRICE | |
Best Value
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Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting Mix |
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CHECK PRICE | |
Premium Choice
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Espoma Organic Potting Soup Mix |
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CHECK PRICE | |
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PittMoss Plentiful Organic Potting Blend |
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CHECK PRICE | |
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Mountain Valley Seed Company Minute Soil Expanding Coir |
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CHECK PRICE |
The 10 Best Soils for Indoor Plants
1. Good Dirt Indoor Potting Soil Mix – Best Overall
Good Dirt Indoor Potting Soil Mix is the best overall soil for indoor plants. It’s organic and contains plant probiotics to promote root health. The soil mix also has partially petrified, sustainably harvested peat moss. It’s more environmentally friendly than other options on the market, and it’s not as expensive as you may assume.
The mix is specially formulated for indoor plants and is an excellent choice for anyone looking for a natural, organic mix that is free from chemicals and GMOs. The Good Dirt indoor mix is also safe for children and pets as it does not contain toxic products.
It has partially petrified peat moss taken from healthy peat bogs to promote healthy drainage levels and good soil aeration.
- Contains peat moss
- Promotes soil aeration
- Sustainable
- Pricey
2. Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting Mix – Best Value
Miracle-Gro’s Miracle-Gro mix has both sphagnum peat and coir in its formula. The blend was created to control moisture levels within plant soil. The formula absorbs up to one-third more moisture than conventional potting soil without these ingredients. It’s the best soil for indoor plants for the money.
This means that your plants will have a higher overall moisture content. It can sometimes be difficult to keep your indoor plants hydrated, especially when you are often away from home. A moisture control potting mixture can be a good option if you struggle with moisture issues and it can provide food for your plans for up to five to six months.
- Solid brand
- Has coco coir
- Good for moisture retention
- Could use more nutrients
3. Espoma Organic Potting Soup Mix – Premium Choice
Espoma’s popular organic potting mix is a good choice for those looking for an organic soil mix that’s affordable and effective. It’s perfect for both indoor and outdoor plants. This mix can help you reduce water consumption and promote healthier roots.
This mix also contains perlite and humus, which provide additional nutrient-rich benefits. It’s organic, so it doesn’t have any synthetic additives, chemicals, or pesticides.
- No additives
- Great reviews
- Promotes healthy roots
- Not specifically for indoor plants
4. PittMoss Plentiful Organic Potting Blend
This potting soil is mainly made from recycled paper products. It is lighter than other soil mixes and doesn’t produce as much soil dust as others. The mix is also rich in carbon, which promotes healthy soil biology, aeration, and helps plants grow and get the nutrition that they need from it.
Additionally, it requires less fertilizer, so you can save time and money with your indoor plants. This potting soil can be used to grow vegetables and indoor plants, but it can also be used in your outdoor garden as well. It’s also versatile, so you can use it for seeding grass or starting seeds.
- Promotes aeration
- 100% organic
- Good for veggies and fruits
- May need fertilizer
- Pricey
5. Mountain Valley Seed Company Minute Soil Expanding Coir
Here is a dehydrated potting mixture that is compact and easier than bags of potting dirt. It’s OMRI-listed and made from 100% pure coco coir. This makes it an excellent choice for gardeners who want to reduce the use of peat moss or those who prefer to make their own fertilizer.
The dehydrated mix is less bulky than regular soil and can be stored indoors in tight areas. You also can use it for raised beds to improve root health and soil aeration.
- Expands with water
- Has coco coir
- Has peat moss
- Could use more nutrients
6. Miracle-Gro Nature’s Care Organic Garden Soil
This organic formula includes plant food for vegetables or flowers that lasts approximately two months. This mix can be used with many plants, as it’s an all-purpose mix. So, this means that you can use it for both flowers and fruits, as well as vegetables that must be grown outdoors.
It’s an OMRI-listed organic mix and contains coir, bone meal, alfalfa, and protein-rich earthworm castings. So, if you’re growing indoor plants that require a longer-lasting source of nutrients, here’s one to consider.
- OMRI listed
- Has alfalfa and bone meal
- Contains earthworm castings
- Expensive
8. Orchid Potting Bark
Although orchids can be beautiful, they can be a bit difficult to grow, to say the least. And if you want to grow healthy orchids, you’ll need an orchid potting mixture for the task. Since orchids are a popular choice for indoor house plants, we decided to include this mix in our review.
This orchid mix is a tad smaller than other mixes, but just as good. The bark chips are small enough to fit around the roots of your orchid and into your pot. This orchid bark is made from organic, sustainable bark taken from healthy Douglas fir trees. And though it’s absorbent, it allows for plenty of oxygen to reach orchid roots.
- Pine bark
- Good for root oxygen support
- Few nutrients
- May be hard to find
9. Hoffman Seed Starter Mix
This blend by Hoffman contains Canadian sphagnum moss which is more sustainable than peat moss from other sources. Note that this mix is best for seeds only, and you will need to transfer your plans to another soil mixture as they sprout.
So, if you are new to indoor plants and you need a great soil mix for germination, here is one to consider. The mixture is light and retains moisture well, making it the best potting soil to start seeds. The mixture also contains vermiculite, which is a soil amendment that helps with moisture retention. It simply expands upon contact with water to help the soil stay moist longer.
- Sustainable
- Moisture retention abilities
- Costly
10. Wonder Soil Organic Potting Soil
This nutrient-rich potting soil will work wonderfully with your indoor plants as well as any outdoor plants that you may have. It’s a dry compressed coir mix that has an immense amount of kelp, mycorrhizae, worm castings, and perlite.
It’s also 100% organic and it comes in a huge bag. It is vacuum-sealed so that you can get more for your buck. This pre-mixed soil is ready to go and it has excellent water retention capabilities for those thirsty plants that never seem to get enough moisture.
It’s safe for children and pets, as it contains no chemical additives or toxic ingredients. If you want a mix that works and is made of natural ingredients, here is one to consider.
- Natural ingredients
- Has worm castings
- Full of nutrients
- No additives or toxins
- Expensive
Wrapping Things Up
So, as you can see, there are no shortages when it comes to good plant mixes for those indoor house plants. And in our review, we found that the Good Dirt Indoor Potting Soil Mix is the best overall in terms of value and price point. And in second place we have the Espoma Organic Potting Soup Mix which comes from a well-known brand and works for a variety of plants.
And in third place, we have the Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting Mix, which is known for its affordability and effectiveness. And in fourth place, we added PittMoss Plentiful Organic Potting Blend, which is an all-natural soil blend that seems to be a popular pick from many gardeners.
Lastly, in 5th place we have Sill Organic Potting Mix, another organic base soil mix that has excellent moisture retention properties, though it’s a tad more expensive.
See also:
- 8 DIY Potting Soil Ideas for Your Houseplants (With Pictures)
- How to Grow a Tree in Potting Soil — 4 Simple Steps
Featured Image Credit: Cem Selvi, Shutterstock
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