What is the best soil for monstera and pothos?

Many growers use a chunky, free-draining aroid mix. A typical recipe is potting soil with orchid bark, perlite and some charcoal. That's the "chunky aroid mix" in this tool.

Can I use regular potting soil for houseplants?

Yes, many houseplants grow fine in a good general potting mix. Adding perlite improves drainage and air around the roots, which helps prevent overwatering problems.

Why mix by volume instead of weight?

Bark, perlite and soil have very different weights, and you buy them by volume. Mixing by volume with a jug or scoop is simple and repeatable.

How much soil mix do I need for my pot?

Work out the pot volume with the repotting pot size calculator, which also adds about 10% for settling, then enter that number of litres here to split it into ingredients.

Can I make the recipes without perlite?

Pumice does the same job and can replace perlite one for one. Orchid bark can replace some of it in aroid mixes. Avoid leaving it out entirely, as the mix will hold too much water.

Houseplant Soil Mix Calculator

Ingredients
Ingredient	Share	Litres
Potting soil	40%	2
Orchid bark	30%	1.5
Perlite	20%	1
Horticultural charcoal	10%	0.5

Quick answer

Enter the total litres of mix you need and pick a recipe. The calculator shows each ingredient's share and the litres to measure out. If you don't know how much you need, get the pot volume from the repotting pot size calculator first.

The recipes

These are common, widely shared starting recipes, by volume. They aren't the only right answers.

Recipe	Ingredients	Good for
Chunky aroid	40% potting soil, 30% orchid bark, 20% perlite, 10% horticultural charcoal	Monstera, philodendron, pothos, other aroids
Gritty succulent	50% cactus soil, 40% pumice or perlite, 10% coarse grit	Succulents, aloe, haworthia
Moisture-holding	60% potting soil, 25% coco coir, 15% perlite	Ferns, prayer plants, plants that dislike drying out
General	70% potting soil, 30% perlite	Most other houseplants

Worked example

You need 5 L of chunky aroid mix:

Ingredient	Share	Litres
Potting soil	40%	2.0
Orchid bark	30%	1.5
Perlite	20%	1.0
Horticultural charcoal	10%	0.5

A 1 L measuring jug makes this quick.

What each ingredient does

Potting soil or compost holds water and nutrients. It's the base of most mixes.
Orchid bark creates large air pockets and slows compaction. Aroids grow on trees in the wild, and their roots like air.
Perlite is a light, expanded volcanic glass that improves drainage and aeration. It doesn't break down.
Pumice does a similar job to perlite. It's heavier, so it doesn't float to the top, which makes it popular for succulents.
Coco coir holds water well and rewets easily. It's a common alternative to peat.
Horticultural charcoal is often added for structure. Claims about it "purifying" soil are debated, so treat it as optional.
Coarse grit or sand adds weight and drainage for succulents. Use horticultural grit, not fine play sand, which can clog the mix.

How to mix

Work outdoors or over a sheet, because perlite dust is messy. Some people wear a dust mask when handling dry perlite.
Lightly moisten dry ingredients, especially coir and peat-based soil, so they mix evenly and don't repel water.
Measure each ingredient into a bucket or tub.
Mix by hand until the colour looks even.
Squeeze a handful. A good aroid mix holds together loosely and then crumbles. If water drips out, it's too wet.

Adjusting a recipe

Soil stays wet too long? Add more bark or perlite next time.
Dries out within a day or two? Add more soil or coir.
Low light or a cool room? Lean towards the chunkier, faster-draining end, because plants drink slowly.
Terracotta pots already dry faster, so a slightly more moisture-holding mix can balance that.

Storage

Store leftover mix in a closed bag or tub to keep pests out. Lightly damp mix can grow mould if sealed for a long time. Let it air out before you use it.

Safety

Wash your hands after handling potting mix. Follow any safety advice printed on the bags.

For plant-specific soil advice, see the monstera care guide.

Full quantity tables for every recipe

These are the calculator's exact outputs for common volumes. Pick the row closest to what you need, or enter your own figure in the tool.

Chunky aroid mix

Monstera, philodendron, pothos and other aroids. See the monstera care guide.

Total	Potting soil	Orchid bark	Perlite	Horticultural charcoal
1 L	0.4 L	0.3 L	0.2 L	0.1 L
2 L	0.8 L	0.6 L	0.4 L	0.2 L
3 L	1.2 L	0.9 L	0.6 L	0.3 L
4 L	1.6 L	1.2 L	0.8 L	0.4 L
5 L	2 L	1.5 L	1 L	0.5 L
8 L	3.2 L	2.4 L	1.6 L	0.8 L
10 L	4 L	3 L	2 L	1 L
20 L	8 L	6 L	4 L	2 L

Gritty succulent mix

Succulents, aloe, haworthia, snake plant and ZZ plant. See snake plant care and ZZ plant care.

Total	Cactus soil	Pumice or perlite	Coarse sand or grit
1 L	0.5 L	0.4 L	0.1 L
2 L	1 L	0.8 L	0.2 L
3 L	1.5 L	1.2 L	0.3 L
4 L	2 L	1.6 L	0.4 L
5 L	2.5 L	2 L	0.5 L
8 L	4 L	3.2 L	0.8 L
10 L	5 L	4 L	1 L
20 L	10 L	8 L	2 L

Moisture-holding mix

Ferns, calatheas, prayer plants and other plants that dislike drying out. See bathroom plants for many of them.

Total	Potting soil	Coco coir	Perlite
1 L	0.6 L	0.25 L	0.15 L
2 L	1.2 L	0.5 L	0.3 L
3 L	1.8 L	0.75 L	0.45 L
4 L	2.4 L	1 L	0.6 L
5 L	3 L	1.25 L	0.75 L
8 L	4.8 L	2 L	1.2 L
10 L	6 L	2.5 L	1.5 L
20 L	12 L	5 L	3 L

General houseplant mix

Most other foliage plants, including spider plants and peace lilies. See spider plant care and peace lily care.

Total	Potting soil	Perlite
1 L	0.7 L	0.3 L
2 L	1.4 L	0.6 L
3 L	2.1 L	0.9 L
4 L	2.8 L	1.2 L
5 L	3.5 L	1.5 L
8 L	5.6 L	2.4 L
10 L	7 L	3 L
20 L	14 L	6 L

How much mix do you need?

The calculator needs a total in litres. Three ways to get it:

From the pot. Use the repotting pot size calculator. Enter the new pot's top diameter, bottom diameter and height. A 19 cm pot with a 14 cm base and 17 cm height holds 3.66 L, and the tool suggests buying about 4 L.
From the bag. If you're mixing to use up a bag, enter the bag size. Say you have a 10 L bag of potting soil and want a general mix. 10 L of soil is the 70% share, so the total is 10 ÷ 0.7 ≈ 14.3 L. Enter 14.3 and the tool shows 10 L of soil and 4.29 L of perlite.
By eye. For several small pots, fill each with water from a jug to measure it, then add them up.

Worked example: repotting three plants at once

You're repotting a monstera into a 24 cm pot (about 7.7 L), and a pothos and a spider plant into 14.5 cm pots (about 1.7 L each).

Monstera needs chunky aroid mix. Enter 8 L: 3.2 L soil, 2.4 L bark, 1.6 L perlite, 0.8 L charcoal.
The pothos is happy in either the aroid or the general mix. Mixing one batch is simpler, so add 2 L to the aroid batch and enter 10 L: 4 L soil, 3 L bark, 2 L perlite, 1 L charcoal.
The spider plant gets general mix. Enter 2 L: 1.4 L soil, 0.6 L perlite.

Total shopping list: about 5.4 L potting soil, 3 L orchid bark, 2.6 L perlite and 1 L charcoal. A 10 L bag of soil and a 5 L bag each of bark and perlite cover it with some left over.

Why the shares are rounded but the litres aren't

The tool shows each ingredient's share as a whole percentage and the litres to two decimal places. With the built-in recipes, the percentages are already whole numbers, so nothing is lost. The litres are kept precise so that small batches work: 1 L of chunky aroid mix needs 0.1 L of charcoal, which is 100 ml, a small but measurable amount.

Measuring tips

Use one container for everything. A 1 L jug, a 500 ml yoghurt pot or an old plant pot. Consistency matters more than precision.
Fluff, don't pack. Spoon or pour ingredients loosely into the measure. Pressing them down changes the volume.
Round sensibly. For a 3 L batch of succulent mix, 1.2 L of pumice can be "a bit more than one jug". Plants don't notice 50 ml.
Moisten coir first. Compressed coir bricks expand several times when wet. Measure it after rehydrating, not before.

Buying ingredients

Ingredient	Common bag sizes	Lasts
Potting soil / houseplant compost	5–50 L	Use within a season or two once opened
Perlite	5–100 L	Doesn't break down
Orchid bark	3–20 L	Breaks down slowly over a few years
Pumice	2–10 L	Doesn't break down
Coco coir	Bricks or 5–20 L	Long-lasting dry
Horticultural charcoal	1–5 L	Long-lasting

For one or two plants, small bags are cheaper overall. If you have many aroids, buying bark and perlite in larger bags and mixing as needed saves money.

Which recipe should I choose?

If your plant...	Choose
Climbs or has aerial roots (monstera, philodendron, pothos)	Chunky aroid
Stores water in thick leaves, stems or rhizomes	Gritty succulent
Has thin leaves and wilts or crisps when dry	Moisture-holding
Is none of the above, or you're not sure	General

Our houseplant soil mix guide goes deeper into each recipe, how to adjust it for your home, and the signs a plant is in the wrong mix.

Frequently asked about the recipes

Can I swap pumice and perlite? Yes. They do the same job. Pumice is heavier and doesn't float to the surface when you water, which is why it's popular for succulents. Perlite is lighter and cheaper.

Can I skip the charcoal? Yes. In the chunky aroid recipe it mainly adds structure. Replace it with the same volume of bark or perlite.

Can I use peat-free compost as the "potting soil"? Yes. Peat-free mixes work well. They can dry and rewet a little differently, so check the soil by feel for the first few weeks.

What about sand? Use only coarse horticultural grit or sharp sand in the succulent mix. Fine play sand fills the gaps between particles and makes the mix denser, the opposite of what you want.

Can I reuse old potting mix? For a healthy plant, old mix can be loosened, topped up with fresh soil and some new perlite or bark, and reused for a similar plant. Don't reuse mix from a plant that had root rot or pests.

Do I need to sterilise the mix? Fresh bagged ingredients don't need it. Avoid reusing old soil from a plant that had root rot or pests.

How the calculator works

The calculator adds up the recipe's parts, works out each ingredient's share of the total, and multiplies by the litres you enter. Shares are shown to the nearest whole percent and litres to two decimal places. If you enter zero, a negative number or nothing, it shows "Enter a volume." instead of a table. There's no hidden adjustment for settling. If you want extra, enter a slightly larger total, or take the "soil to buy" figure from the repotting pot size calculator, which already adds about 10%.