Why do plants grow better in dirt?

Answer 1

Potting soil or mix is usually better as garden soil tends to bake hard in a pot, or not hold enough nutrients for the plant. Drainage can be a problem. Certain plants need special types of mix, such as orchids and African Violets.

Be careful just growing plants in potting soil. Potting soil drains badly and even in direct sunlight. Not all are this way but some are. The best thing for potted plants is to experiment and mix topsoil and potting soil till you get the best drainage for the particular plant you are working with. For plants that like more moist soil, euse more potting soil, for less, more topsoil. A friend asked me to look at some of his plants and asked why they were dying. They were outside in pots and in 100% potting soil. The roots on the plants were rotting because of the water was not draining because of the density of the soil when saturated. We added about 30-40% sand to the mix and it did the trick. Not all potting soils are made the same though. Just remember what a plant needs. Sunlight, nutrients and water. The soil mix can change but the basics remain the same.

Answer 2

Most plants grow better in dirt than sand because the dirt contains important nutrients and can retain water for later use by the plant. Sand generally doesn't contain much in the way of nutrients - if it does, we usually call it "sandy soil" rather than "sand". Water also drains away through sand fairly quickly so that it is not available to plants for very long.

Answer 3

This is because in dirt there is alot of dead materials that decompose and release nutrients e.g nitrogen,the essencial element for plant growth.

Answer 4

Houseplants do better in a regular mix for indoor plants with a combination of peat moss, vermiculite, perlite, dolomite lime, maybe a little fir bark.

Answer 5

In the ground, that way their roots can spread at their own pace, and not crowd out the size of the pot.