Which of Our Soil Mixes Does Your Plant Actually Need?

We make five soil mixes, and the difference between them comes down to one thing: how much water each one holds and how long it holds it. Chunky Orchid drains fastest. Aroid Moist holds the most. The other three sit at steps in between. Choosing the right one is less about the name on the bag and more about matching retention to the plant and the conditions it actually lives in.

Here is what goes into each mix, what each ingredient is doing, and how to decide which one belongs in your next repot.

What the Ingredients Actually Do

Every mix we make is built from a short list of components, and each one has a job.

Pine bark provides structure. Its irregular pieces create air pockets around the roots and break down slowly, so the mix stays open longer between repots. Our aroid mixes use New Zealand pine bark.

Perlite adds drainage and air. It holds very little water on its own. More perlite means a mix that dries faster.

Sphagnum peat moss is the main source of moisture retention. It absorbs water and releases it gradually. In most of our mixes, the ratio of peat to bark and perlite is what sets the retention level.

Coco husk and coco chips sit between bark and peat. Each piece holds some moisture internally while staying coarse enough to keep air moving, and they resist compaction over time.

The supporting ingredients matter more than their quantities suggest. Mycorrhizae are beneficial fungi that colonize roots and extend their reach for water and nutrients. The wetting agent helps peat take up water again after it has dried out. Dry peat repels water, which is why a bone-dry pot will sometimes let water run straight down the sides and out the bottom. Ground limestone and dolomite adjust pH. Peat is naturally acidic, and these bring the mix back into a range roots can use. Dolomite also supplies calcium and magnesium.

The Five Mixes, From Fastest to Slowest

Chunky Orchid is the fastest-draining mix we make: large perlite, large bark chunks, and coco chips, with no peat. Water moves through it almost immediately and the roots stay surrounded by air. It suits orchids and other epiphytes whose roots expect to dry quickly after every watering. It also works as an amendment when you want to open up a denser mix.

Hoya Coco Blend is built on coco husk and coconut chips, with perlite and a portion of sphagnum peat moss, plus mycorrhizae, a wetting agent, and pH adjusters. Retention is low. It holds slightly more than Chunky Orchid, enough to keep fine roots from desiccating, but it still dries out between waterings. That cycle is what hoyas want: a thorough watering, then a stretch of dryness before the next one.

Aroid Chunky, Aroid Balance, and Aroid Moist share the same ingredient list: New Zealand pine bark, perlite, sphagnum peat moss, mycorrhizae, a wetting agent, and limestone and dolomite. What changes between them is proportion. As the share of peat rises relative to bark and perlite, the mix holds more water for longer.

Aroid Chunky is the most open of the three, with medium retention. It suits aroids with epiphytic or hemiepiphytic habits that want air at the roots, including many Anthuriums and climbing Philodendrons. It is also the forgiving choice for growers who water often or keep plants in high humidity.

Aroid Balance has high retention and is the middle ground for most aroids in most homes. If you are unsure, start here.

Aroid Moist holds the most water of anything we make. It is for plants that decline when allowed to dry out, and for setups where water leaves the pot quickly: strong light, warm temperatures, low ambient humidity, or terracotta.

Retention Is Not Only About the Mix

The retention rating describes the mix itself. What happens in your pot depends on everything around it.

Terracotta wicks moisture through its walls and dries a mix noticeably faster than plastic or glazed ceramic. An oversized pot holds a large volume of wet mix around a root system that has not reached it yet. Strong light and moving air pull water out faster. High humidity slows it down.

This is why two growers with the same plant can both be right about different mixes. A Philodendron in a plastic pot inside a humid grow tent may do best in Aroid Chunky. The same plant in terracotta on a sunny windowsill through a dry winter may do better in Aroid Balance or even Aroid Moist. Choose the mix for the conditions the plant will actually live in, not only for its genus.

If you are deciding between two adjacent mixes, look at how your current mix behaves. If the plant sits wet for a week or more, move one step toward the chunky end. If it is dry within two days, move one step toward the moist end.

Signs You Picked the Wrong One

A mix that holds too much water for its conditions shows it at the roots first: soft, dark, or sour-smelling roots in a mix that still feels damp several days after watering. Above the soil, you may see yellowing on new growth or leaves that stall before fully unfurling.

A mix that drains too fast looks different. Leaf edges crisp, leaves droop between waterings and recover afterward, and roots come out thin and wiry rather than plump. If you are watering every other day just to keep up, retention is too low for your setup.

Neither is a failure. It is information about your environment, and the fix is usually one step along the scale.

Why We Make Five

One mix cannot cover the range of plants we grow and the range of homes they end up in. An orchid and a moisture-loving aroid have almost nothing in common at the roots, and even within aroids, the right retention shifts with the plant and its conditions. Five mixes on a single scale let you adjust one step at a time instead of starting over.

We are also expanding the soil line. New mixes will slot into the same scale, so the way you choose between them will not change. More on that soon.

What the Right Mix Looks Like

Most of what matters in a plant happens where you cannot see it. A good match between mix and plant is not dramatic. The roots fill the pot, watering settles into a steady rhythm, and new leaves arrive on their own schedule. That quiet consistency is usually the clearest sign the choice was right.

You can find all five mixes at soil collection.