Aroid Mix Recipe

Aroids are part of the Araceae family, and include a wide variety of plants, from Monsteras to Philodendrons, to Anthuriums, Syngoniums, Pothos and many more.

These popular tropical plants, have become firm favourites as houseplants, as people move to smaller spaces but maintain a passion to grow greenery and purify the air at the same time. They generally grow in the wild in rainforests and along jungle floors, so have in many instances adapted to lower indirect light conditions away from the hot sun.   They will thrive best in the home in bright dappled or diffused light to avoid burning the leaves, particularly those with the ever popular white, cream and yellow variegations. In their native wild environments these plants spread their shallow roots along organically rich, composting forest floors to get the nutrients they need to thrive. This makes soil aeration a must and as it’s not generally in nursery bought potting mixes, we recommend you make up your own.

Below is a simple DIY recipe you can make at home, which will suit most aroids and was originally created by Steve Lucas in his article on growing Philodendrons.

The right ratio is key and he recommends the following:  40% orchid bark, 30% potting mix, 20% peat moss (coco coir is more environmentally sustainable so we prefer using this) and 10% perlite or sphagnum moss.

We do recommend that you research the particular aroid you are planting to see if there is anything else, if added, may be beneficial to your plant.