I grabbed the cheapest bag at the garden center, about $4, thinking dirt is dirt. My tomatoes in my Chicago balcony pots just sat there for a month, barely growing. I switched to a named brand mix, FoxFarm Ocean Forest, which cost about $22, and within two weeks everything took off. Has anyone else had a plant just stall out until you changed the soil?
Yeah, that "dirt is dirt" idea gets you every time. The cheap stuff is basically just peat and sand with no food for the plants. Good potting mix has all the nutrients already in it, so they can just start growing.
Learned that the hard way with a basil plant last year. Thought I was being smart saving a few bucks on soil. Ended up with this sad, yellow thing that gave up after two weeks. Tbh it looked more like dried parsley than basil. My roommate still brings it up when I try to garden.