A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The House Plant Forum Compost Help

Ive just bought some John innes No 2 soil based compost for 3 of my house plants (Prayer Plant + 2 dracaenas) And i think i may have got the wrong type. I wanted John Innes No 2 because ive read it has a lot of good stuff in that plants like. Im not an expert but this compost looks very different compared to the compost my plants previously lived in. And im pretty sure its because its soil based, which ive never used. Does this make much difference? Ive already gone ahead and repotted the plants, but now im just worried the the plants wont do as well with this type of compost. Any experts on the John Innes brand of compost? Should have got no 3 or perhaps not the a soil based compost for my type of plants.......

The Ingredients in this compost are as follows:

Loam
Sphagnum Moss
Lime-Free Grit
Ground Horticulture Grade Lime Stone
Compound Fertilizer

Just for clarity this is the exact type i bought:

http://www.greenfingers.com/superstore/product.asp?dept_id=33&pf_id=LS6916D

Thank you :)

I have always checked online to find the soil preference of the plants I want to grow and either buy or make a soil/compost that best matches. I used that have a prayer plant and I had it in very sandy soil I took straight from my Florida yard. It was beautiful and very happy.

Dracaenas prefer richer soil - more peat or compost mixed in and less sand.

So, I don't think Prayer plants and dracaenas would do the best they can in the same type of soil.

The basic soil types are most important to keep in mind for each type of plant - sandy, loamy, rich, poor, etc. All the other ingredients may improve the performance but are not essential for most types of plants. Keep in mind the essential soil preference of the type of plant.

John Innes potting compost No 2 is rich for most indoor plants so will do well for the dracaenas, most likely, but will not drain well enough for your prayer plants. I don't think the prayer plants will die if you keep an eye out for root rot or over watering, but they won't thrive.

Long story short, prayer plants need sandier soil than dracaenas so the No 2 will not work by itself for the prayer plants. Add 1/4 sand or . . . 1/8 limestone and 1/8 sand . . . to the #2 mix for the prayer plants. (Limestone adds a little acidity.)


Edit: 1 part sand and 3 parts #2 mix

OR 1 part sand, 1 part limestone, and 6 parts #2 mix.