Potting Mix & Recipe by Volume
Mixes cocopeat
Set the parts of cocopeat, compost and perlite and your total volume — or pots × pot size — to get each ingredient in litres, the percentages and the total mix.
Set your recipe
Next: mix 40 L as shown; moisten cocopeat first, blend evenly, and add slow-release nutrients if compost is low.
Ratios are general starting points — adjust for the crop (succulents need more drainage, leafy crops more compost).
Potting mix — key facts
- Component vol
- total × (parts ÷ total parts)
- Total volume
- litres, or pots × pot size
- Cocopeat / peat
- water retention
- Compost
- nutrition
- Perlite / sand
- drainage & aeration
- Balanced start
- ≈ 2:1:1
- Measured by
- volume, not weight
- Privacy
- Runs in your browser; nothing uploaded
Air, water and food — in the right proportions
Roots in a pot have nowhere to escape a bad mix, so the recipe matters more than in open ground. A good container mix balances water retention (cocopeat or peat), nutrition (compost) and drainage and aeration (perlite, vermiculite or sand) by volume. Set those as parts, choose how much total mix you need, and you have an exact, repeatable recipe instead of guesswork by the handful.
This tool gives each component in litres, its percentage of the mix, and the total volume from your parts and either a litres figure or pots × pot size. Use it to mix the perfect blend for succulents, seedlings or hungry leafy crops, scale a favourite recipe to any batch, and buy the right amount of each ingredient. Pair it with the Raised Bed Soil, Compost & Manure and Vermicompost tools for a full growing-media plan.
Repeatable recipes
Exact litres of each ingredient, every batch.
Scale to any batch
Total volume or pots × pot size.
Tune for the crop
More drainage or more compost as needed.
Buy the right amount
Per-component litres for the shopping list.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a good potting mix?+
A good container mix balances three things: water retention from cocopeat or peat, nutrition from compost, and drainage and aeration from perlite, vermiculite or coarse sand. Garden soil alone compacts in a pot and suffocates roots, so a purpose-built mix of these components by volume gives roots air, moisture and food at once.
How is each ingredient's amount calculated?+
You set each component as a number of volume parts, and the tool splits the total volume by those parts: each component volume = total × (its parts ÷ total parts). A 2:1:1 cocopeat:compost:perlite mix of 40 litres gives 20 L cocopeat, 10 L compost and 10 L perlite — and the matching percentages.
How do I find the total volume I need?+
Either enter a total volume in litres directly, or enter the number of pots and the volume of one pot and the tool multiplies them: total = pots × pot volume. So 20 pots at 5 L each need 100 L of mix, which it then splits into each ingredient by your parts.
What's a good starting ratio?+
A balanced all-round mix is roughly 2 parts cocopeat (or peat), 1 part compost and 1 part perlite — about 50% retention, 25% nutrition, 25% drainage. Tweak from there: more compost for hungry leafy crops, more perlite or sand for succulents and cacti that hate wet feet.
How do I adjust for the crop?+
Match the mix to the plant. Succulents, cacti and herbs want extra drainage — push perlite or sand higher and cocopeat lower. Leafy and fruiting crops are hungrier — raise the compost share. Seedlings prefer a fine, low-nutrient mix, so go lighter on compost and finer on the components.
What does each component do?+
Cocopeat (or peat) holds water and keeps the mix from drying out. Compost supplies nutrients and beneficial biology. Perlite and coarse sand create air pockets and let excess water drain; vermiculite holds both water and nutrients. Blending them by volume gives the moisture-air balance a single material can't.
Why measure by volume, not weight?+
Potting components have very different densities — perlite is feather-light, compost is heavy — so weighing them gives misleading ratios. Container mixes are always built by volume (parts or litres) because that's what fills the pot and sets the air-to-water balance the roots actually experience.
Can I reuse old potting mix?+
Yes, with refreshing. Used mix loses structure and nutrients, so blend in fresh compost for feeding and fresh perlite or cocopeat to restore drainage and water-holding. Remove old roots and, if disease was present, sterilise or discard it. Treat the tool's recipe as the target your refreshed mix should hit.
Are the amounts exact?+
They're accurate by volume for the parts you set, but real materials settle and compress, so mixed and watered volume is usually a little less than the loose components. Mix a touch extra, water it in, and top up pots after settling. The recipe gets you the right ratio and a close total.
Does it work for any container or mix?+
Yes — use any components and any number of parts, for pots, grow bags, trays or raised beds, in litres or via pots × pot size. The volume-parts math is universal, so you can recreate a favourite recipe or design a new one and scale it to exactly the volume you need.