Why these ingredients?

Every component is chosen for a reason.

Generic potting mix treats every plant the same. Ours don’t. Some ingredients hold moisture without compacting. Others sequester carbon. None are filler. Here’s every component we actually blend — in our signature mixes and the custom builder — and what each one is doing for your plants.

Air, water, structure

Aeration & Drainage

The mineral half of every mix. These ingredients keep oxygen moving through the root zone and let water flow through instead of pooling. Without them, even the best soil suffocates.

Perlite

Lightweight, expanded volcanic glass with excellent drainage properties.

Increases drainage and prevents soil compaction while maintaining aeration.

In our mixes

Peperomia & African Violet

Pumice

Porous volcanic rock that's lightweight and long-lasting.

Improves drainage and aeration, especially beneficial for succulents and cacti.

In our mixes

Aroid / Monstera / PhilodendronFicusBegoniaAlocasiaSucculentCactusCalathea & MarantaFernOrchidHoya & EpiphytePeperomia & African Violet

Lava Rock

Porous volcanic rock pieces that provide excellent drainage.

Creates air pockets and drainage channels, adds mineral content to soil.

Available in

Custom builder

Coarse Sand

Large-grain sand particles that improve drainage.

Increases drainage and adds weight to prevent top-heavy plants from tipping.

In our mixes

SucculentCactus

Leca

Lightweight expanded clay aggregate balls.

Provides excellent drainage and aeration, reusable and pH neutral.

Available in

Custom builder

Moisture, microbes, food

Organic Matter

The living half. Holds moisture, hosts microbes, breaks down slowly into nutrition. The right blend keeps a mix from drying out between waterings without ever feeling soggy.

Vermiculite

Expanded mineral flakes that retain moisture while providing aeration.

Retains moisture and nutrients while improving soil structure, excellent for seed starting.

Available in

Custom builder

Chunky Bark

Large, chunky pieces of bark from fir or pine trees.

Improves aeration and drainage, mimics natural epiphytic environments for aroids and orchids.

In our mixes

Aroid / Monstera / PhilodendronAlocasiaOrchidHoya & Epiphyte

Medium Bark

Medium-sized pieces of tree bark, smaller than orchid bark.

Adds structure and aeration while providing some organic matter as it decomposes.

In our mixes

Ficus

Fine Bark

Small pieces of composted tree bark.

Provides organic matter and structure while retaining more moisture than larger bark.

In our mixes

BegoniaCalathea & MarantaFernPeperomia & African Violet

Both are porous carbon — not the same job

Charcoal vs. biochar

They look similar and sit side by side in our pantry, but we blend them for different reasons. Charcoal filters the root zone; biochar feeds and buffers it.

Charcoal

Job: adsorb salts, fertilizer buildup, and bark-decomposition byproducts.

Best in: lean, bark-heavy epiphyte mixes — Orchid, Hoya.

Not for: replacing compost or castings; it cleans the root zone, it doesn’t feed the plant.

Biochar

Job: host beneficial microbes and hold a little moisture + nutrients between waterings.

Best in: most container mixes — aroid, succulent, ficus, calathea, and the rest.

Note: ours is pre-charged with compost so it’s ready to colonize, not raw carbon that steals nitrogen on contact.

Quick rule: bark-heavy orchid culture → charcoal. Everything else → biochar. Hoya gets both because it sits between orchid dryness and general houseplant buffering.

Charcoal

Filters the root zone

Chunky burned carbon — the classic add-in for bark-heavy orchid mixes. Often activated for extra surface area.

Adsorbs salts, fertilizer residue, and bark-breakdown byproducts before they build up around roots. A cleanup ingredient, not a food source — we use it in Orchid and Hoya mixes.

In our mixes

OrchidHoya & Epiphyte

Biochar

Habitat & moisture buffer

Plant matter pyrolyzed in low oxygen — stable carbon with a sponge-like pore network, pre-charged with compost microbes.

Hosts beneficial microbes, holds a little moisture and nutrients between waterings, and buffers the root zone. Our default carbon amendment for most houseplant mixes.

In our mixes

Aroid / Monstera / PhilodendronFicusBegoniaAlocasiaSucculentCactusCalathea & MarantaHoya & Epiphyte

Compost

Well-decomposed organic matter from plant and food waste.

Provides nutrients and beneficial microbes for healthy plant growth and soil biology.

In our mixes

Aroid / Monstera / PhilodendronFicusBegoniaAlocasiaSucculentCactusCalathea & MarantaFernPeperomia & African Violet

Coco Coir

Fibrous material from coconut husks, sustainable peat alternative.

Retains moisture while remaining airy, pH neutral and environmentally friendly.

In our mixes

Aroid / Monstera / PhilodendronFicusBegoniaAlocasiaSucculentCactusCalathea & MarantaFernHoya & EpiphytePeperomia & African Violet

Peat Moss

Decomposed sphagnum moss from peat bogs.

Retains moisture and acidifies soil, though less sustainable than coir alternatives.

Available in

Custom builder

Sphagnum Moss

Long-fiber sphagnum moss, either live or dried.

Excellent moisture retention and aeration, antimicrobial properties, great for epiphytes.

In our mixes

Aroid / Monstera / PhilodendronCalathea & MarantaFernOrchidHoya & Epiphyte

Slow-release inputs

Nutrients & Amendments

Specialty inputs for tuning a mix beyond the basics. Most signature mixes don't need them, but the custom builder offers them for plant parents who want full control over what their mix delivers.