Course 05
Containers, Soil & Supplies
A plant's roots do not just sit in soil, they breathe in it, drink from it, and anchor in it. This course walks through the pots, mixes, and tools that shape whether a root system thrives or slowly suffocates. We will look at why a terracotta pot dries differently than a plastic one, why a hole in the bottom of a pot is not optional, how to choose a size that helps rather than hinders, what soilless mix actually is, how to repot without shocking a plant into decline, and which tools are worth their shelf space. Nothing here is about buying more. It is about understanding what each choice does to the root zone, so you can make it on purpose.
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8 modules · about 89 min · 4 downloads
Free account — lessons, quizzes and your progress are saved to you.
What you'll be able to do
- Choose a pot material and size that matches a plant's roots and your watering habits.
- Explain why drainage holes matter and avoid the gravel-layer myth for good.
- Mix or choose a potting blend suited to aroids, succulents, ferns, or orchids.
- Repot a plant confidently, at the right time, without panicking at a little drooping afterward.
- Read a fertilizer label, choose a type, and work out a dose in parts per million of nitrogen the way growers do.
Modules
Pot Types and Materials
What a pot is made of changes how fast the soil inside it dries, and that changes everything about how you water.
Drainage Holes and Saucers
A hole in the bottom of a pot is one of the simplest, most powerful things you can do for root health.
Choosing Pot Size
Bigger is not kinder. The right pot size matches the roots that are actually there today.
Potting Mixes and Amendments
Indoor "soil" is rarely soil at all. Learning the ingredients lets you build the right mix for the plant in front of you.
Repotting Step by Step
Repotting is a small surgery. Done at the right time, with a calm hand, it barely slows a plant down.
Feeding Your Plants: Fertilizer Types and Doses
What the three numbers on the bottle mean, which type of fertilizer fits which plant, and how much to give in the units growers actually use.
Grandmother's Pantry: Natural and Ancestral Feeds
Fish fertilizer, seaweed, worm castings, compost tea, eggshells, Epsom salts, coffee grounds, banana peels and the other feeds plant people have sworn by for generations — how they are used, and why people keep using them.
Tools and Supplies Worth Having
A handful of honest tools will serve you longer than a shelf full of gadgets.
Downloads
Printable charts and cards for the fridge, the potting bench, or your phone.
Pot Size Guide
A quick-reference chart for sizing up correctly, reading root-bound signs, and matching pot shape to root type.
Soil Mix Recipe Cards
Printable ratio cards for the aroid, succulent, orchid, tropical, and fern mixes covered in this course, ready to keep by your potting bench.
Repotting Checklist
A step-by-step checklist covering timing, supplies, root work, and aftercare, so you can move through a repot calmly and in order.
Fertilizer Dose Card
One printable card with the ppm N formula, maintenance and growth ranges, teaspoon-per-gallon and gram-per-litre conversions, EC targets and the flush routine.