Since the invention of gardening, plants have been sown and raised in soil beds. It was also the time when most of us lived in independent houses with access to soil patch in which we could do our gardening activity.

With rapid urbanization characterized by high-rise buildings, getting access to soil patch is a big challenge. Assuming we do get soil locally or from nearby nurseries, carrying the soil is a tiresome and messy affair. Soil bulk density ranges from 2 to 2.5. What this means is that 1 litre of soil weighs close to 2 – 2.5kg. So a 10 inch diameter pot which is 8 litres in volume will weight anything between 15-18kg. Thats pretty heavy when compared to soilless grow media whose bulk density is 0.5. So the same 10 inch pot filled with soilless grow media will weigh only 3.5 to 4kg when compared to the 18kg when soil is used as grow media.

The following are the benefits of using Soilless Grow Media over Soil for balcony & terrace gardens:

  1. Light Weight: Soilless grow media is a low density organic material. This makes it easier to handle and also you can have multiple pots / containers on balcony & terrace without impacting the structural issues
  2. Low frequency of watering: Soilless grow media can hold 4 times water of its weight. What this means is that a pot with 1kg of media can hold 4 litres of water in its full capacity. Soil on the other hand can hold only about 15% its weight of water. This is the reason why most nurseries prefer soilless media for growing plants and requires watering once in 2-3 days or more.
  3. Does not leave stains: We have all witnessed this problem. When watering is done in pots filled with soil, red stains get formed on the floor tiles and becomes an eye sore. Soilless grow media does not leave any stains. In fact if over watering is done, the grow media acts as filter and clear water comes out of the pots.
  4. Plants grow faster: The key reason why plants grow faster in soilless grow media is that the plant roots get lot of air when compared to soil as media. Soil being heavy keeps on compacting and displaces the air in the pots. The plant has to work pretty hard to find air for roots.
  5. Faster Nutrition uptake by plants: Soilless grow media acts as a sponge and holds the nutrients for uptake by plant roots. So when ARKA Sasya Poshak Ras (SPR) is added to soilless grow media, the plant nutrition in the form of macro and micro nutrients is held in the grow media and the plants absorb is readily. In soil, since porosity is low, plants have to work harder to find nutrients.

With all the above benefits listed, it is evident that soilless grow media is the future of urban gardening in India. Most of the western world has adopted soilless grow media decades back and the time is right for India to adopt the same.

If you have any queries on soilless grow media, feel free to write to us. Will be happy to respond.