Living SoilQuestions and answers
Soil questions, answered.
Raised beds, bags, potting mixes for different plants, and how Living Soil's credits and plans work.
Soil and the calculator
How much soil does a 4 by 8 foot raised bed need?
At 12 inches deep, 32 cubic feet, which is about 906 liters. The free soil calculator works it out for any bed or set of pots, and Living Soil splits it into each ingredient of the mix you pick.
How many bags of soil fill a raised bed?
Divide the soil the bed needs by the size of the bag. A 4 by 8 foot bed, 12 inches deep, needs 32 cubic feet, so 16 bags of 2 cubic feet covers it. The free soil calculator counts bags of 1, 1.5 or 2 cubic feet, or 25 or 50 liters, for any bed or set of pots.
Can one potting mix suit every plant?
No. A cactus wants a mix that drains fast. A pitcher plant wants one with almost nothing to feed it. A tomato in a raised bed wants something else again. Living Soil shows the mix the published references give for the plant you are growing.
Where do Living Soil's recipes come from?
Every mix is built from published references, 343 references behind them in all. Where references disagree, both approaches are shown. Where none gives a figure, none is shown, and nothing is made up to fill a gap.
What plants does Living Soil cover?
761 growing guides, 108 fertilizer blends and 44 soil mixes in 15 groups, from cactus and desert succulents to aquarium and fully submerged plants, with orchids, carnivorous plants, bonsai, raised beds and lawn topdressing in between.
What if my plant is not in the list?
Search by its name first: the 761 growing guides and 15 groups cover a lot of ground, and every overview is free to read before you spend a credit.
Can I make a mix from what I already have?
Yes. Tell Living Soil what is already on your shelf, and What can I make? shows which mixes you can make today, before you buy another bag.
Can Living Soil work out fertilizer and pH amounts?
Yes. The fertilizer calculator works out how much of a bag supplies the nitrogen, phosphorus or potassium you want, and the pH calculator how much sulfur it takes to lower soil pH. One credit opens both for 7 days, and both plans include them.
Credits, plans and paying
How much does Living Soil cost?
Browsing every plant is free. A recipe costs one credit: $1.49 for 1 credit, $4.99 for 6 credits or $9.99 for 15 credits. Plans are $4.99 every month for 10 credits, or $49.99 every year for 200 credits. The pricing page has every detail.
Why pay when there are free recipes online?
A free recipe is often one grower's way, with no reference and nothing to compare it with. Here every figure carries its reference, where references disagree you see both, and the mix is measured for exactly what you are filling. You also browse every plant free first, so you only pay for the recipes you decide you want.
What does one credit unlock?
One recipe or blend, kept on your account for good: every ingredient, how much of each, and the reference behind every figure. A growing guide with two or more mixes of its own takes two credits. A lawn grass guide takes 4 credits and comes with the feeding plan for the soil you choose, clay, loamy or sandy; plans for the other soils are 1 credit each. The app shows the price before you confirm.
Is there a free recipe?
Yes. A new account gets one recipe free in the phone apps, once per account and device. Every plant's overview is free everywhere, with no account.
Do plans renew? Do credits expire?
Plans renew until you cancel, and the app reminds you a month and a week before the annual plan renews if you allow notifications. Credits never expire, and credit packs never renew.
How do I cancel a plan?
On Android, in Google Play under Payments and subscriptions, then Subscriptions. On iPhone, in Settings under your name, then Subscriptions. For a plan bought in the browser, from Manage your plan on the credits screen. Credits you already have and every recipe you unlocked stay yours.
Can I get a refund?
Purchases in the phone apps are refunded by Google Play or Apple, under their policies: ask through the store where you bought. For a purchase in the browser, write to roots@makelivingsoil.com. A refunded purchase removes the credits it added.
Is paying safe?
In the browser, payment happens on Stripe's own secure page. We never see or store your card. In the phone apps, Google Play or Apple handles it.
Your account
Can I use it in my browser?
Yes. Living Soil runs in your browser today, and the phone apps are coming soon to Google Play and the App Store. One account works in all of them, with the same credits and recipes.
Do I need an account?
Not to browse. Every plant's overview is free with no account. To unlock recipes, sign in with Apple, Google or your email address, so your credits and recipes follow you anywhere. Your saved mixes, batches and ingredients stay on your device and are never sent anywhere.
What happens when I get a new phone?
Sign in, and your credits and unlocked recipes come back. Your own saved mixes move with a backup from My mixes.
How do I delete my account?
In the app, open About, then Delete my account. That deletes your account, your unused credits, your unlocked recipes and your plan record from our server.
Does Living Soil show ads?
No. Living Soil shows no ads and contains no advertising or analytics software, and we do not sell or share your information with advertisers.
Still stuck? Write to roots@makelivingsoil.com or see Support. A real person reads every message.
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