Tips for loosening soil when growing flowers: Is it useful to put earthworms in the potting soil?

During the process of growing flowers, loosening the soil is essential. When the soil is compacted or there are gaps along the edge of the pot, loosening the soil is needed to solve the problem. It can also increase the soil's water permeability and drainage, allowing the plant roots to grow better.

Many plants inexplicably die and their growth weakens because the roots did not grow well. Below, the editor will explain the correct method of loosening soil to everyone.

I. Correct soil-loosening techniques

1. Loosening soil with a wooden stick

This is the most commonly used method. Use some small wooden sticks (disposable chopsticks, large toothpicks, and the like) to loosen the soil along the edge of the pot. What is this good for?

It prevents the soil along the pot edge from cracking. When watering, the water all flows away through these gaps. If gaps already exist, they should be dealt with even sooner.

A little tip:Some flower growers do not know how to tell whether the potting soil has dried out completely. You can use a small wooden stick to test it. Insert a clean wooden stick into the potting soil, and how far down the soil is dry will be clear at a glance.

2. Loosening soil by patting

Sometimes the potting soil needs a bit of vibration. This method is very simple: pick up the flower pot, then pat around the flower pot with your hand, applying even force. It is suitable for plastic pots, ceramic pots, and clay pots. It is suitable for green plants, but for herbaceous flowering plants you should consider carefully.

3. Loosening soil with gardening tools

If you do not have some gardening soil-loosening tools, you can make some yourself. The most commonly used is a small rake, suitable for loosening the surface soil. It is suitable for medium and large potted plants.

4. Loosening soil by making holes

This method is quite practical. Use chopsticks (disposable ones are also fine) to poke several holes in the potting soil. For green plants, slightly damaging a few roots does not matter. Then pour clean water into these holes and water thoroughly slowly. After that, you can use a small rake to loosen the soil, paired with small wooden sticks. It is very practical.

II. Choosing the timing for loosening soil

Loosening soil requires attention to timing. Naturally, do not loosen the soil for seedlings or plants that have just been repotted. At the very least, wait more than three months before loosening the potting soil. Loosening the soil too roughly can easily damage the roots, and one mistake can kill the plant. Therefore, observe the degree of compaction of the potting soil, the speed at which water seeps through each time you water, and the time required to water thoroughly each time.

III. Is potting soil suitable for putting earthworms in?

This question has been explored with flower growers. The capacity of potting soil is limited, so it is actually not suitable for earthworms to loosen the soil. After they loosen the soil, they can easily damage the roots. Of course, in open ground planting, the space is broad, so it is naturally all benefit and no harm.

It is best not to have earthworms in potted plants. If they breed a whole nest, it is scary just to think about it. Pots are not suitable for raising earthworms.

IV. Precautions for loosening soil

When loosening soil, prevent damage to the roots. Each time, carefully loosen only up to where the roots grow. Do not use sharp objects to loosen the soil.

If the potting soil has been used for one or two years, then you can simply repot directly, and that solves everything at once.