Guide

Soils and layers

Drainage, filters, soils and top dressings: how much water each holds, its pH, and how fast it rots down.

• ABG mix
• Activated charcoal
• Akadama
• Aquarium gravel
• Aquarium sand
• Aquasoil
• Bagged potting soil
• Biochar
• Black sand
• Calcined clay
• Clay
• Coco coir
• Coco husk chips
• Cork crumbs
• Decomposed granite
• Dried long-fibre sphagnum moss
• Fine clay pebbles
• Horticultural charcoal
• Horticultural sand
• Lava rock (scoria)
• Leaf litter
• LECA (expanded clay)
• Live sphagnum moss
• Magnolia leaves
• Oak leaf litter
• Orchid bark (fir/pine bark)
• Pea gravel
• Peat-based soilless mix
• Perlite
• Pine bark fines
• Pumice
• Rice hulls
• River pebbles
• Sphagnum barrier layer
• Sphagnum peat moss
• Substrate barrier mesh
• Topsoil
• Tree fern fibre
• Vermiculite
• Worm castings
• Zeolite