Best Potting Soil For Indoor Plants 2021: Reviews & Buyer’s Guide

Anyone who has a garden knows how important soil is. The soil that you choose is the base of the pyramid when it comes to your plants. If it’s not good, the whole plant will be useless.

Even if your indoor plants get enough sunlight and you water them accordingly, if the soil is bad, they will never reach their full potential. This is especially important for indoor plants.

Unlike outdoor plants, the soil that you choose for indoor plants is the only way that they will be able to absorb all the extra nutrients. So, choosing the best soil for indoor plants is extremely important.

But, there are so many different potting soils on the market, that it is almost impossible to know which ones are best. That’s why we are here to help you. We will take a look at the best potting soil for your houseplants.

Best Potting Soil For Indoor Plants

Top 10 Best Potting Soil For Indoor Plants

Here are the best potting soils you can find on the market for your indoor plants:

1. Miracle-Gro Potting Mix

One of the best potting soil for indoor plants is the Miracle-Gro potting mix. If you have been gardening for some time, or even if you are just getting started, you will have probably heard of Miracle-Gro. Some consider it as something of a miracle (no pun intended)

Just like most Miracle-Gro products, this potting soil offers some great value. It contains all the nutrients that your indoor plants need, and can also be used for outdoor plants, even though it’s geared towards indoor plants.

As long as you have your plants in a container, this potting mix will work perfectly. Its light texture is the best when it comes to potted plants.

Since it is a potting mix, your indoor plants will become much bigger and also produce twice the amount of flowers. It also comes with an extended-release design. In other words, your plants will still be fed for up to a total of six months after you’ve initially added the mix.

You could also use this potting mix as soil. If you don’t have any soil, you will get some amazing results with this as standalone soil. If you have some soil, then this will make your plants become even better.

Pros

  • Great Value
  • Good as a Standalone Soil

Cons

  • Nothing notable
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2. FoxFarm Ocean Forest Potting Soil

This is the best potting soil for indoor plants that you can find from FoxFarm. It’s one of the best potting soils you can actually find on the market right now. While FoxFarm is not as well-known as Miracle-Gro, that doesn’t mean it isn’t reputable. It’s actually one of the best potting soil brands that you can find on Amazon. So, the results or on par with the soil from Miracle-Gro.

It also has some amazing features. Starting with the ingredients, it has a really nice mix of phosphate and nitrogen. These two elements are vital when it comes to growing indoor plants. Without these, your indoor plants might never grow as much as you wanted them to.

It also contains a few other ingredients that can be very beneficial for indoor plants and rarely found in other products. We won’t go into too much detail on these, but if you’re a professional you can easily find them in the ingredients list.

Along with all of these ingredients come some natural components such as earthworm castings, moss and bat guano. These are near essential for indoor plants, as they provide all the needed nutrients. Along with some forest humus and sandy loam that make this soil light, this blend is near perfect.

The pH of this potting soil is between 6.3 and 6.8. This means that if your indoor plants want a more acidic or a more basic soil, you must adjust it according to their needs. But, with most indoor plants, you should face no issue.

Pros

  • Natural Ingredients
  • Great pH

Cons

  • Not the lowest price
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3. FoxFarm FX14047 Happy Frog Potting Soil

The third product on our list is another one from FoxFarm. This is another great choice for the best potting soil for indoor plants. The packaging on this one is truly magnificent. Who wouldn’t want to buy this just by looking at it? The main difference with the one we mentioned above is their ingredients list.

You could potentially use this one both indoors and outdoors. The only condition is that your plants must be potted. Otherwise, this would have no actual effect. Some of the ingredients of this soil include humic acid and mycorrhizae. You might be wondering what these mean, and why we mentioned them. Well, to put it simply, these two will help your plants grow really strong. So, they will grow much more aggressively.

The N-P-K ratio is also great, being at a mix of 4-1-7. For those of you who are new to gardening, N-P-K stands for Nitrogen, Phosphate, and Potassium, all of which help the plants grow. These values are really standard, which means that you can use this soil on pretty much any plants, without any issue.

The texture of the Happy Frog is fairly light. Additionally, air can easily pass through it, so you won’t face any problems in that area. You could actually mix this soil along with others, and make an amazing combination.

For those of you who like to buy stuff in bulk, this will be a blessing. This soil comes in only a 45-pound package, so that you can use it all year round, for many years.

Pros

  • Amazing Packaging
  • Very Lightweight

Cons

  • Only Comes In a 45-pound Package
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4. Miracle-Gro 72776430 Indoor Potting Mix

It would be unfair to list two products from FoxFarm and not list two from the best potting soil brand, Miracle-Gro. This specific potting soil has almost everything that your indoor plants need, making it one of the best indoor potting soil. But, what really makes it stand out from the fierce competition?

Well, for starters, we want to mention that many seasoned gardeners have to face the problem of gnats. For all of you who are just starting out, gnats are tiny insects that can really harm your plants. While you may think this is only a problem for outdoor plants, these tiny devils can hurt your indoor plants too. They tend to be attracted more towards old potting mixes.

But, with Miracle-Gro, you will never face that problem. Its formula was made to repel all those little bugs and insects, like gnats. So, you can just add this mix to your potted indoor plants, and you should face no problems with gnats and any other insects.

Apart from all this, this product is quite similar to the former one from Miracle-Gro. Just like that one, it has an extended-release design. This means that you can just add the mix and not care about the soil for a fairly long time. More specifically, that amount of time is around six months.

Pros

  • Great Formula
  • Best Extended-Release

Cons

  • Nothing Of Note
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5. Espoma AP4 Organic Potting Mix

This is another great potting soil for indoor plants that’s made by Espoma. This is truly a product that you can’t go wrong with. This specific mix has tons of reviews online, and most of them are extremely positive. There are tons of thousands of reviews that you can find, and the majority of them say that this is the best organic potting soil.

This mix can be used both in indoor and outdoor plants, and it can help both of them in a lot of ways. Firstly, with this mix you will be able to see your indoor plants grow much faster and much stronger as well. The roots will become much more durable, and the blooms will be much better.

With this potting soil, your plants will also be able to retain all the moisture, so you should have no fear of soil getting too dry. The mix itself also has some drought preventing ingredients, so that is a huge plus. One of these is Myco-tone. So, if you happen to forget to water your indoor plants once, you shouldn’t worry about them dying.

Some other great ingredients are peat humus and moss and perlite. So, with such great ingredients, we wonder why this wouldn’t be so well-known. You can also get a smaller package than this one, which can be perfect if you only have one indoor plant.

Pros

  • Best Organic Mix
  • Very Flexible

Cons

  • Nothing
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6. Premium All Purpose Potting Soil

Most of the soils we include are specifically for indoor plants. But, if you like gardening, you will surely have some other types of plants. This soil from Proven Winners is the best potting soil brand for you. This specific soil is used by many for all types of plants.

The most unique ingredient of this soil is the sans fertilizer that it contains. Most soils (if not almost every single one) don’t have any fertilizer, so you would need to buy some additional fertilizer if you wanted to sweeten up your soil. But, this one from Proven Winners comes with a very small amount of it, making it awesome for the planting process.

As previously mentioned, you can virtually use this soil on any plant you choose. We would encourage you to even use it for vegetables or any other plant projects you might have.

This soil is considered a medium-weight soil. Usually, when you’re looking for potting soils, and especially indoors ones, you need to get something that is lightweight. Because this is a more heavy soil, you should definitely take good care of it and make sure that the water drainage is effective enough.

The package has two pounds of potting soil and the price is one of the best on the market, making it a great value for many. Plus, it comes in different sizes.

Pros

  • All Purpose Soil
  • Great Value

Cons

  • Not The Best Weight
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7. Black Gold Natural and Organic Potting Soil

This organic soil from BlackGold is amazing. We would consider it as one of the best organic potting soils you can buy on the market. This soil has almost everything that your indoor plants need.

This one is actually the perfect choice for some specific indoor and outdoor plants, unlike other soils on our list. More specifically, this is the best choice for flowers, herbs and vegetables. You could use it for some other plants, but it wouldn’t be near as effective.

The soil itself can retain moisture and is very rich. This exactly what indoor flowers need, so you won’t even need to add anything else to the pot. Most of the main ingredients, like perlite and pumice are natural, which is always nice.

The pH of the Black Gold potting soil is a 6.5, which is perfect. If your plant needs a more basic or acidic soil, you can add some more nutrients accordingly.

It comes in many different sizes, and it’s also very affordable.

Pros

  • Perfect For Indoor Flowers
  • Perfect pH

Cons

  • Not as good for other indoor plants
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8. Burpee Organic Premium Potting Mix

This is a great potting mix by Burpees Organic. This is the most unique product on our list, because it utilizes coconut. Yes, coconut is actually one of the ingredients in this premium mix.

It contains everything an indoor plant would need. Ingredients like potassium, nitrogen and phosphate are present, making it a great choice for any kind of plants.

The coconut coir is mostly responsible for retaining moisture in the soil. This however, is a renewable source. So, that’s definitely a plus in our book. It also has an extended-release design, but it is much shorter than the one Miracle-Gro has.

This specific mix is great for flowers, herbs and vegetables, just like the one above. If you decide to put it in some other plants, you might need to add some other nutrients as well.

It comes in a few different sizes, but the one we linked to (the 8 quarts one) is the best value for money.

Pros

  • Great For Indoor Flowers
  • Good Ingredient Selection

Cons

  • Not The Best Choice For Other Indoor Plants
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9. Bonsai Soil Mix

Here is a fairly interesting soil. This one is made by Superfly Bonsai, a well-known potting soil brand, based in the US. This is not geared towards the general indoor plant market, but it’s more directed towards bonsai plants (hence the name of the product).

This soil is ready to use right out of the box, so you won’t need to mix it up. Just pour it in your indoor plant, and you will be good to go. The ingredients are fairly interesting.

Before we mention them, we need to let you know that bonsai plants are succulents. This means that they don’t need a lot of water, and can actually be harmed if you over-water them.

That’s why the mix contains some Japanese Pumice, Hard Japanese Akadama and USA sourced Black Lava. These are all great, as they allow for some amazing water drainage and retention. In other words, they keep the soil fairly moist, while taking any excess water out of the pot, so that the root of the bonsai doesn’t rot.

The package is something of note, because it is resealable. So, you can easily zip it up and use it at a later date. Another awesome feature, that made us like Superfly Bonsai even more, is that they offer a 100% money-back guarantee if you’re unsatisfied.

This soil also comes in four different packages. There’s a 1.25, 2.5, 6 and 12 quart package.

Pros

  • Many Packages
  • Lots Of Organic Ingredients

Cons

  • Not The Best Price Tag
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10. Wonder Soil Potting Soil Mix

This is our last potting soil mix for indoor plants. It’s actually a fairly new release by Wonder Soil, who aren’t as well-known as brands like Miracle-Gro and FoxFarm, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a great soil mix. And we can guarantee that it’s an amazing product.

Starting off, since it’s a mix, it has tons of great ingredients. Stuff like worm castings, kelp, perlite, and mycorrhizae will help your indoor plants grow really strong and fast. They will also remain healthy for a long time. Plus, this is all natural, making it one of the best organic potting soils.

Just like our previous pick, this one also has some water retention and drainage capabilities due to its ingredients.

Another great feature is the heave duty and resealable bag. Not only will you be able to use as much soil as you want and then save the rest for later, but you’ll also not need to fear the bag ripping, because it’s made of great heavy duty plastic.

It comes in two different packs, one being 12 quarts and the other one being 24 quarts.

Pros

  • Great Natural Ingredients
  • Amazing Packaging

Cons

  • Only Comes in 12 and 24 quarts packages
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FAQs on Potting Soil For Indoor Plants

1. Can You Use Outdoor Plant Soil For Your Indoor Plants ?

The simple answer is yes, you can. Both indoor and outdoor plant soil is almost the same thing. They have most of the nutrients that your plants require. The only real difference is the label on the packaging.

Another difference is that most outdoor potting soil benefits the outdoor plants to grow tall, whereas indoor potting soil is used specifically for indoor plants.

So, you will be able to use your outdoor plant soil for your houseplants, and you should see no real difference

2. Is Potting Soil and Potting Mix The Same Thing?

No, they aren’t the same thing. While their name might say otherwise, they have much different functions.

Most potting soil is just regular soil that you add in your potted plants. You can easily distinguish it by just taking a look at the ingredients. The main ingredient that you should see is soil. This type of soil will usually be thicker, that’s why it is not suggested for indoor plants, but it’s more geared toward outdoor plants or for your garden.

The potting mix, on the other hand, is much lighter than traditional soil. Its weight is what makes it most suitable for indoor plants, unlike potting soil.

If one of the ingredients is soil, we wouldn’t recommend you use it for indoor plants, but if it’s not and the bag is light, you can use it.

So, as you can see the difference is really small, but it can be critical for your indoor plants. So, always remember to take a look at the labels before you buy any soil.

3. Can You Use Gardening Soil For Your Indoor Plants?

Many inexperienced gardeners usually wonder what soil to use for their indoor plants. If they have some gardening soil on the side, they might use that. This is wrong.

Gardening soil is much different than a potting mix. While it is rich in nutrients, making it the best choice for outdoor plants, it isn’t the best for your indoor plants. While it can be used for indoor plants, they wouldn’t reach their full potential.

Also, gardening soil is much thicker than indoor soil mixes, because it will get lighter from the different insects. But, these earthworms and insects cannot be found indoors. So, the soil will remain really hard, so you look for a potting mix for indoor plants

Conclusion

The soil that you choose is the base of the pyramid when it comes to your plants. If it’s not good, the whole plant will be useless.