The Best Hoya Soil Mix | Reviewing Soil Amendments!

Hey guys!! I've been talking about soil stuff over on my instagram a lot and have been trying out some new stuff! I tried to be as informative as possible with this guy , but I know I'm not a soil expert. You definitely don't need everything I used, and like I said, if you have something for drainage, bark, and organic potting soil you should be dandy! I only use three barks because I have them, but you can definitely get the job done if you only have one! Let me know if you have any questions! Thank you so so much for watching!!
Products mentioned:
Fox Farm Ocean Forest
Black Gold Organic
Black Gold Perlite
Natures Footprint Pumice
Zeolite
Hoffman Lava Rock
Bonsai Jack Gritty Mix
Mosser Lee Charcoal
Reptibark
Orchiata Orchid Bark
Southside Plants Orchid Bark
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[@LessyasLeaves]

Hey friends! I hope you liked the video!! I’ve been digging all the different mediums lately and soil is so fun to play with! Im not a soil specialist or anything, but this is what my hoyas seem to be liking lately! No more miracle gro! 💚💚💚 Has anybody had bad experiences with Miracle gro before?

[@riawhetstone3725]

I tried the Miracle Grow Orchid Mix & it was full of fungus gnats. Like as soon as I opened the bag, they swarmed out 🤢

[@coralboggess1154]

I go to Roberts flower supply for bark! They sell to joshs frogs!

[@sherryporsch9349]

I hate Miracle Grow, it’s all I can find in local area. My fav is Fox Farm, Happy Frog. It seems like it has more bark.

[@lifeinspiresdesign]

Lessya’s Leaves Thank you SO MUCH for making this video! I’ve become a plant mom just this year, so I have very little experience with soil and fertilizers. I have MG products (including just purchasing the orchid spray fertilizer, so PLEASE make that video on the replacement!), and I’ve known for the longest time that it was not the best choice for my plants, but I was always overwhelmed with trying to make my own mixture to keep my plants happy and healthy. This video was very enlightening (especially the intro about MG), and I can see some repotting in my near future! I love all of your videos, and I’m so grateful to have found your YT channel! ❤️

[@lauolivia29]

NO MIRACLE GROW, soil, and perlite, my plants had lots of gnats after I transplanted my plants. And, I did not know about the bird's feed, how despicable!

[@fibernating]

Yes, please share your “orchid spray” DIY! Great soil video. So agree on your take on the MG.

[@LessyasLeaves]

Nancy Johnston will try my best!! 💚💚

[@kima8670]

Yes, please!

[@idcccccccc]

I like how much personality is in these hand movements

[@LessyasLeaves]

Hahaha I tried 😂😂💚

[@queenv3]

Thank you so much for this great video. I'm new to hoya and still a new plant parent and I knew I could come to your channel for all the great info I need. I love you collection and have learned so much from you, thx again!

[@mariadanci3867]

This video came out at the perfect timing!!! I just ordered some ReptiBark off Amazon and got some FoxFarm Ocean Forest soil locally. I can wait to mix my soil tomorrow! Also, I am throwing out all my Miracle grow stuff.

[@LessyasLeaves]

Ahhh Im so glad I could help! 💚💚

[@denisep3553]

I think we'd all like a video of how you make your own orchid spray :D it would be greatly appreciated

[@LessyasLeaves]

Denise P Haha Ill try my best to get it out soon! 💚💚

[@TheSoilBar]

Great job! Very comprehensive! And ditto on the Miracle gro! That is why I started The Soil Bar making custom potting mix.

[@madelinerivera3837]

Loved your soil mix video! Very informative. I will try using your mix for my hoyas and other aroid plants.

[@allenpost3616]

Most Excellent! I love custom mixing my own growing medium for all my plants. Now I'm going to go look for your diy orchid spray.

[@WalkerHoundGal]

You have beautiful ethics, you’re an amazing teacher, and I appreciate you and your videos so very much. Thank you! ❤️

[@sagewillowLisa]

I LOVE Fox Farm Ocean Forest…then I add pumice or perlite (depending on what I have on hand and how much of each, but pumice is my 1st choice), orchid bark, and charcoal. I also add worm castings, diatomaceous earth, and mosquito bits.

[@MeeCha]

Yesss, please make a video on your orchid spray and how often you use it!

[@LessyasLeaves]

Mee yay okay seems like a lot of people want to see it thank you!! 💚💚

[@Plant_Mama]

Loved this, I learned so much!! Thank you

[@AnaAndreaXoxo]

Hey! My favorite is fox farm soil! So perfect and easy to add a bit more perlite if needed.

[@ramonamonamonie]

The hand gesture at the beginning is amazing haha

[@twistysunshine]

Def interested in the orchid spray video! Love how much there is to think about even when it just comes down to soil

[@2coryman]

I once in Miami Beach found a discarded bird’s nest and used for my hanging hoya off a tree outside the kitchen door, I used a wire clothe hanger for that , worked just fine, sprayed it with Lipton tea regularly, I like coconut coir , coconut bark

[@adriac21]

Love the video…… miracle grow news I didn’t know about and I already have had a bag of soil that I had bought… I did use it because I already had it on hand so I can buy something different.

[@hoedown175]

Miracle Grow is trash. I always recommend Espoma if folks need an inexpensive and easy to find potting soil. Forgot to add, love FoxFarm!

[@LessyasLeaves]

It is trash!! 😩 Its really odd because I can never find Espoma potting mixes near me!! I only ever find their fertilizer stuff ☹️

[@madelinerivera3837]

Great video! I will be using more orchid bark and other amendments. Now do you use the same mix for your other plants?

[@sarahandre9563]

I love this type of video, thank you!! I would also love to know about the Orchid spray 😄

[@marigarcia7372]

Loved the info! Great video 🪴

[@conniekeshet]

Omg. Genius!! Im in the middle east, names of things in mixes in another lang, some stuff less available... and i was so confused what is what. Thanks for actually showing us close up. And explaination!! Is that what pon is??? I couldnt understand... lol for instance i have "bark" no idea what kind.

[@sylviawood6089]

Awesome video. Have a great weekend and stay safe. 💚🌿

[@megandeleon8125]

This video is so helpful!!! This is something I struggle with and I had NO CLUE that Miracle Gro was such a shit brand...

[@LessyasLeaves]

Happy to help!! 💚💚

[@dumbleton365]

I had no idea about the miracle grow!! Wow I’m blown away!

[@LessyasLeaves]

Happy you know about it now!! 💚💚💚

[@lisaawild]

Thank you!!! I never see anyone saying anything about Miracle Grow. They suck! Also, Espoma is actually available at some Houston Garden Centers, so check with them. Also, I use Bonsai Jack Gritty Mix for my succulents and cacti and have used it in potting mix for my Sanseverias and I like it but it is pricey for sure.

[@tracycottrell5146]

I water some plants with water from siphoning my aquarium. Hosted love it. Would a hosta do well with this do you think?

[@maryanneclarkson8729]

Excellent video. I switched my soil to Black Gold Organic. I do not like Miracle Grow soil either, so stopped. I too make my own Hoya soil. I would like to see your video for your own orchid spray because I'm still using the Miracle Grow spray for my Hoya's. Thankyou in advance. We don't have access to alot of your recommended soil amendments here in Canada, unless I order through Amazon which I do, but they also won't ship some to Canada either. O well, stuff we do for our Hoya's!!!

[@carlyamberson]

So much great information!!!! I would love to see your orchid spray “recipe” 💚🌱🧚🏼‍♀️🌿

[@LessyasLeaves]

Hopefully will get it out soon! 💚💚

[@EVTD79]

Great video! Please do a DIY Orchid Spray video. It would be perfect timing.

[@joexmyg]

Can you make a video on how to make your own orchid spray please.

[@LessyasLeaves]

Joseph Salgado I will try to do that!! 💚💚

[@tiffaniemcmillan209]

I will never ever buy Miracle Gro. So many awful reviews on Amazon. I mix my own, similar to your mix, and my plants are gorgeous and pest free.

[@LessyasLeaves]

It really is awful! I think part of the reason Ive never had a gnat problem is because Ive never used their potting soils 😬 thank you for watching!! 💚💚

[@tinamarieussery3063]

Thank you this was imformative

[@lis0124]

Fox Farm Happy Frog soil killed several of my houseplants. I amended it with perlite and orchid bark and it was still waaaaaay too dense and held on to water for so long it caused root rot and fungal issues, especially on my large multi leaf variegated hoya kerii. I was devastated, that was my favorite plant and cost me a pretty penny. I found that it did better on my plants that were in terra-cotta (obviously be cause it dries out faster) but for my plants in plastic or ceramic, it was a death sentence.

[@gennafer]

I wish this focused more on the Hoya soil mix than a complete rundown of every kind of soil amendment, especially as you didn't seem to add 75% of them to the mix. 11minutes into a 20 minute video and all you have is bagged potting soil and bark in the mix. Skip to 17:30 to see the actual mix.

[@ScaryFear]

Ha ha, thanks for this. I hate videos that just talk about nothing. Too many 20 and 30 minute videos that can easily be done in 4 minutes. I tend to come to the comments without watching or highlight the bar to see the thumbnails so I don't waste my time. Your comment is all I needed from this. Dough Chamberlain's video from nine years ago this posting (Feb 22, 2022) is still the best for a soil mix.

[@sherryporsch9349]

Informative video, I found a smaller lava rock that’s suppose to be a top dressing, but I’m liking it in the soil. Miracle Grow knew the pesticide was in there, but the great mighty $ was their concern not the birds. 😡

[@LessyasLeaves]

Yesss thank you!! 💚💚

[@ginetteco]

this was great thanks for sharing!

[@LessyasLeaves]

GEE yay!! Glad you enjoyed it 🥰🥰💚💚

[@javieramunoz1146]

Awesome!! So much to learn 🤩 never buying another miracle grow product again! 🤢

[@ItsAlwaysRainingInWa]

You had me at “miracle gro is not good” ❤️

[@toriholliday]

thank u SM for letting me know. i’m a conscious shopper (as we all should be) and i am never buying another of their products.

[@berthapoblacion4019]

What do you think about cactus soil for hoya's?

[@plantsrforever4150]

I agree I don’t use miracle grow either! I only use Pro Mix and Black gold! I only use that as a base I really mostly use coco chips and fibers instead of so much soil but that, a tiny bit of pro mix or black gold potting soil, and coarse chunky perlite or pumice has all my plants thriving!! Also they root like crazy! Literally roots grow out of the pot within 2 months!! All my plants are super happy and I have no pest issues or gnat issues either! So thankful I listened to all the people saying not to use miracle grow!! I also heard a lot of ppl have more spider more issues and other pest issues when using miracle grow!! Everyone please stay away from miracle grow if you can help it!

[@cassyb9587]

Hi Lessa, Do you still use leca for your hoya? Love your videos! I am switching many of my Hoya over to leca and have found that there are not a lot of videos of Hoya in leca.

[@LessyasLeaves]

Cassy B yes!! I do!! I have a ton of them in leca 😄 I have a lot in soil because I have them in either my growtent or outside, and having them in leca in those high heat/high humidity/high light conditions isnt that great! So thats why I still opt for soil ☺️ I need to make an updated leca video I just havent had the time to plan one out 😭💚 Hopefully soon!

[@chrystalsabin4091]

Orchid spray video would be nice and informative. Great video and thanks for sharing.

[@LessyasLeaves]

Thank you!! 💚💚

[@stitISH]

Hi, you mentioned that you broke the lava rocks into small pieces , how did you do it? i bought lava rocks from amazon, thinking that they are small peaces , they turned out to be huge , i tried to break them into small pieces , i couldn't , too hard , how did you break them ? thanks

[@phayth83]

What do you think about adding sand to the soil mix?

[@stephaniesalcido4284]

Great video! Do you grow all your Hoya in soil? Or do you also use LECA to grow Hoya? I’ve heard a lot of people recommend rooting Hoya in LECA but then transferring to soil.

[@Micmac24]

I’m curious about this too. Did you ever get an answer?

[@eljardindelamorenita5863]

Thank for sharing 💕 I’m going to try it🐝

[@LessyasLeaves]

Yay!!! Let us know how you like it 🥰🥰

[@eljardindelamorenita5863]

Lessya’s Leaves I will!💕🐝💕

[@Mustangs3.7]

I’ve got a local place by me that sells 1.5cu ft bags of pumice and tiny lava top dressing for around $7 a bag. I’ll try this out

[@plantsrforever4150]

Yes please tell me how to make my own orchid spray fertilizer bc I would love to not use the miracle grow kind! Unfortunately that’s all I have ever been able to find in my area but also the only miracle grow product I use but would love to change that if I knew how!

[@tracireyna2026]

Can you please make the orchid spray video and a updated hoya grow tent video ? Love your videos 💖💖

[@jenniferhowell3908]

Miracle Grow is awful. Unless you don’t mind fungus gnats. This video was very helpful, ty. This summer I used Coast of Maine potting soil fir all my plants & experimented a bit with perlite, bark & charcoal. I didn’t realize there are so many different barks. What is the purpose of the charcoal? And I was surprised that you didn’t add worn castings

[@LessyasLeaves]

Jennifer Howell The charcoal helps with drainage, any impurities and supposedly can help with fungus. I dont add work castings because fox farm already has some! I have been looking into buying some in bulk though! I used to put it in my mixes all the time but I realized it was kinda unnecessary when my mixes already have some in them 🤷🏻‍♀️ Ive never tried Coast of Maine Ill keep an eye out to try it out one day! 💚💚

[@lauolivia29]

Lessya, what is your opinion about Promix BX Mycorrhizae General Purpose? I have seen it at Enchanted Forest.

[@wquendy]

Wow I had no idea miracle gro was that bad... I recently bought my 1st bag and still have some potting soil left.... should I throw it away??

[@shannonelise1057]

I'm in League city. Are you able to find any of these things in a local store?

[@RoseTorn411]

I buy Black Gold for all my houseplants after a horrible experience with Miracle-Gro my first year of owning a few houseplants (3 only at the time)

[@sibelthecat5883]

Thank you 🙏🙏🥰

[@ekamarie6632]

Coco coir if you look each brand will tell you how much sodium is in it so be mindful. Also in mixes that I use coco coir I add a lil extra worm castings to combat the trace amounts of sodium. (I also always soak my coco coir then put it in a strainer and run water through it before adding it to my mix. Idk if it really does anything but I feel like it helps get rid of some sodium and absorb a little better in the long run 🤷‍♀️) oh make sure u only use rain or distilled water cuz the point it to remove harmful chemicals not add more salts and chlorine cousins. Lol hopefully that helps some ppl

[@katiewilliams9273]

Was hoping to see the orchid spay on your page , hopefully you will give us your secret so we can stop using the miracle grow. Thanks for all the info

[@lauramejia9021]

Me gustan mucho tus vídeos, que gusto ver el amor que tienes por las plantas, gracias a ti he conocido las Hoyas y aunque sólo tengo una es hermosa, aquí en Wisconsin es difícil conseguirse, ojalá tuvieras para vender y con mucho gusto te compraría...Los precios son muy altos, pero a ti con gusto te compraría...😍

[@LessyasLeaves]

Ay que Linda! Muchas gracias, me da gusto saber que contribuí en algo para que conocieras las Hoyas, son hermosas y adictivas 😂 no dudo que en poco tiempo tendrás mas que una. Y en cuanto a vender, mil disculpas pero no hago ventas. Saludos! 💚💚💚

[@janetmccalder5541]

Very very interesting ..

[@2coryman]

One can make one’s own compost from egg shells salad discards, coffee grouts, tea bags and such

[@ursonate]

You went on about scotts-miraclegro, but costa farm is pretty bad ethically too.

[@tracycottrell5146]

Shoot, I'm sorry I could practice proofreading before I push send. I water hostas with a hoya like it

[@jerrelplants4846]

Oooh yes make a video on orchid spray (:

[@MountainsnVallies]

Omg! I’m a bird lover as much as I love my house plants! I will not use this again!!

[@sherry.4474]

The makers of Miracle Grow is also the makers of Round Up. Do your homework people. Don't buy anything from Mansanto, now bought by the Bayer company. I think they hoped the name change would fool people. Thank you for being miracle grow to people's attention.

[@dayanaramedina6586]

Thank you about miracle grow 😤 I’m also a bird owner and that pisses me off good thing I don’t use it

[@LessyasLeaves]

Happy to help! 💚💚

[@kendravoracek3636]

🖤

[@gingeryockey7149]

Wow! I had no idea about the MG lawsuit. It’s a Monsanto product and I don’t support Monsanto, evil company IMO. MG soils are also notorious for having fungus gnats.

[@elsaortiz7589]

Agree with you 10000% and whoever messes with the birds of the heavens is a monster.

[@lavvy2585]

How she made her soil 17:14 Your welcome! Not a good thing to disparage a brand. Not only is it in bad taste, but it can get you sued. I purchases bags of that stuff and must agree that miracle grow is dense but in a place where choices are thin, a person buys what they can.

[@feliciafelicia6965]

This came right on time!

[@LessyasLeaves]

Yay! Happy to help! 🥰💚

[@karynpettitt1504]

Chemical in your bark eg to stop rot scares me

[@kateheaton5928]

Thank you so much for sharing with us that Miracle gro knowingly poisoned birds. Selling pesticide laced products intended to help support wildlife to BIRD LOVERS who are trying to help feed them is just awful! Especially when there has been an overall decline in bird populations of 29% since 1970, they are a crucial part of our ecosystem and must be protected more. Vote with your dollar and boycott all miracle gro products! Thank you again for talking about it on your channel, so important.

[@lauolivia29]

I dislike Miracle Gro with all my heart, thanks to them I started having gnats, their fault!!!

[@LessyasLeaves]

lauolivia29 yes they stink!!

[@lidiahinojosa638]

pumice expensive

[@shannonelise1057]

Here's the only thing that confuses me. You say this bark is too expensive to add to your soil, but then you add it... that threw me off.

[@magnolya8]

Ugh miracle gro aka roundup ☠. I DO Care, thank you for this psa. I don't patronize any of these type of entities, ha give my fiat to killer companies, like a smoker?🤬 No way. Tweety birds are extraOrdinary beauties💚

[@mikeg9341]

Thanks for the info! Im a bird lover myself. And knowingly oblitirating innocent wild birds is ground for animal cruelty and must be punished by the law.

[@iapprove8392]

Miracle grow sucks. Too many flies inside of the packages.

[@Max2U]

Any plant enthusiasts on here that say they use Miracle Grow send me away from their channels. In my college biology class we studied the company, and it’s unscrupulous. On top of that the ingredients/chemicals in many of their fertilizers have been linked to Parkinson’s disease.

[@joehisel5966]

You lost me with all the misinformation on miracle gro. If I were them I'd be seeking restitution.l