If you have bought a new houseplant, you probably prefer to put it in a nice pot with the right potting soil at home. But did you know that instead of potting soil, you can also use a substrate? A substrate is a nutrient medium for plants and ensures healthy plant growth. And just as there are different types of potting soil, there are also different types of substrates. In this article, we'll tell you more about them.
Soil culture
Chances are that you use potting soil for your houseplants. Potting soil is a collective name for different kinds of soil and is often used for plants in a pot or planter. This is also known as soil culture. There are several types of potting soil, which usually consist of a combination of soil and raw materials, such as sand and manure.
Universal potting soil
This airy potting soil is available with or without peat. Since extracting peat is not really sustainable, many people prefer to use peat-free potting soil. Universal potting soil also consists of decomposed wood fibres, coconut, bark and often also contains fertiliser. Universal potting soil is well suited for flowering houseplants, for example.
Indoor plant potting soil
Not sure what kind of potting soil to use for your houseplant? Then houseplant potting soil is a quick and easy solution. This potting soil, just like universal potting soil, contains a number of important nutrients. Houseplant potting soil is fine to use for most houseplants.
Hydroponic
So you can use universal or houseplant potting soil just fine, but professional potting soil, such as hydro grains or clay pellets, offers a number of advantages and is also called hydroponics. Plants in a pot with clay pebbles can go for a long time without water, because you can give a large quantity at once and nutrients are released gradually. In addition, sufficient air can reach the roots and a water meter makes it easy to see when it's time to water.
Hydro grains
Do you sometimes forget to water your plants? Then hydro grains are a good solution. Hydro grains are made of fired clay and have a coarse structure. This prevents the substrate from shrinking, with the added advantage that the roots can constantly absorb sufficient oxygen. Hydro grains absorb water and nutrients, which are then gradually released to the plant. These grains can be used at the bottom of a pot as drainage, but there are also houseplants that can be put entirely in hydro grains.
When using hydro grains, we recommend using a handy water meter. That way you can see exactly when it's time to water.
Vulcaponic/ Zeoponic granules
Vulcaponic granules can absorb a lot of water and nutrition. You notice this as soon as you water your houseplant. The grains absorb all the water so that no water remains in the pot. The roots then gradually absorb the moisture from the granules. This ensures a good moisture balance, which in turn is favourable for the growth of your houseplant. When using Vulcaponic/ Zeoponic granules, we also advise you to use a handy water meter.
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Vulcastrat granules
Vulcastrat pellets, like the Vulcaponic pellets, absorb a lot of water and nutrition and are therefore very similar. The only difference is that Vulcaponic pellets contain more zeolites. Zeolites are volcanic clay material with a high absorption capacity. This is therefore also the reason why Vulcaponic granules can absorb more water and nutrition than Vulcastrat granules. When using Vulcastrat granules, it is also wise to use a handy water meter.
Seramis granules
Seramis granules are small porous granules made of clay. These grains also have the property of absorbing a lot of water. These grains are therefore similar to the Vulcastrat, but are a bit more expensive to buy.
In short, substrates have a lot of advantages over normal potting soil. Below is a list of the advantages:
- Long-term watering
- Breathable pellets reduce the risk of root rot
- Nutrients are released gradually
- Long lifespan, you can reuse the granules
- Can be used with a handy water meter so you can see when your plant needs watering again.
- Less chance of diseases, pests can survive more easily in potting soil
