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Avoid This Type Of Soil When Buying Plants From Big Box Stores
By ROCHELLE HEATH-HARRIS
Before buying a plant from the garden center of your favorite box store, you should check its soil conditions, keeping in mind the ideal moisture is about 2 inches deep.
If the soil is dry past 2 inches down, the plant is being neglected and more likely to attract pests. If the soil is rocky, it is suffering a drought and likely to go into shock.
If the plant is soaked through, you'll also want to take a pass, as overwatering makes vegetation more vulnerable to root rot and attracts fungus and fungus gnats.
The other soil red flag to be aware of is the smell of it, so make sure it smells like wet soil and doesn’t have the odor of decaying organic matter or garbage smell.
The plant should also have the right amount of soil in its container, leaving no more than 1 to 2 inches from the top and appearing all around the root ball for sufficient growth.
Too much soil indicates improper transplanting, while too little soil means it wasn't transplanted soon enough. Either way, the plant has been stressed, which will weaken it.