First I want to apologize for the click-bait title. There is no perfect potting soil for everyone because each plant parents will have different growing conditions. The little nuances in lighting, humidity, and temperature levels will affect your potting mix. Just consider the formula I am about to give you as a base and twitch it according to your environment. I will give specific examples later on. Last year I made a video showing my potting mix formula. It has changed a bit since then so would like to give you the updated and improved version. If you just want to grab the formula and go, here it is:
5 parts of perlite + 2 parts of orchid bark + 2 parts of coco coir + 1 part of potting soil + 1 part of worm casting + 1/2 part of horticultural charcoal + 1/10 part of mosquito bits
If you want to know why I use those ingredients, keep reading!
Perlites and orchid barks will help to aerate the soil, creating small air pockets. Those pockets will provide oxygens for the roots. Also, orchid barks will be the material for the roots to cling on and grow stronger.
Coco coir is a magical ingredient that I newly added to my mix. it does not only act as a moisture retainer but also keeps the soil structure airy and well-draining. Because of its ability to hold on to water, it is able to retain the diluted nutrients that plants can use later on.
Worm casting is an organic fertilizer to help enrich nutrients for the mix since most of the ingredients don't have much nutrient value.
Horticultural charcoal will help eliminate and reduce the growth of bad fungi.
Mosquito bits will minimize the growth of fungus gnats by killing the lavas.
Lastly, is regular potting soil is for water retention purposes. This is optional. You don't need to add it if your mix stays damp until your next watering. But since my mix always dries too fast, I decided to add a bit of soil in the mix to keep the moisture longer.
In part 2, I will show you how to adjust this formula according to your growing environment and also all of the brands I use.