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__NOTOC__ Potting soil, also known as potting mix or potting compost, is a medium in which to grow plants, herbs and vegetables in a pot or other durable container. The first recorded use of the term is from an 1861 issue of the ''American Agriculturist''.〔(Oxford English Dictionary )〕 Some common ingredients used in potting soil are peat, composted bark, sand, perlite and recycled mushroom compost, although many others are used and the proportions vary hugely. Most commercially available brands have their pH fine-tuned with ground limestone; some contain small amounts of fertilizer and slow-release nutrients.〔Nissen, Dante. “The Indoor Plant Bible.” Page 21. Barron’s. ISBN 0-7641-5769-8〕 Despite its name, little or no soil is used in potting soil because it is considered too heavy for growing houseplants.〔Pleasant, Barbara. “The Complete Houseplant Survival Guide.” Pages 314. Storey Publishing. ISBN 1-58017-569-4〕 Some plants require potting soil that is specific for their environment. For example, an African violet would grow better in potting soil containing extra peat moss, while a cactus requires sharp (i.e. plenty of) drainage, most commonly perlite or sand.〔Burne, Geoffrey. “Encyclopedia of Container Gardening.” Page 22. Fog City Press. ISBN 978-1-877019-43-2〕 But potting soil is not ideal for all contained gardening. Insectivorous plants, such as the Venus flytrap and the pitcher plant, prefer nutrient-poor soils common to bogs and fens,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Dirty Buttons - Arts and Culture - Philly Weekly )〕 while water-based plants thrive in a heavier topsoil mix.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Creating a water garden in a tub )〕 Commercially available potting soil is sterilized, in order to avoid the spread of weeds and plant-borne diseases. It is possible to reuse commercial potting soil, provided that the remnants of plant roots, fungus, weeds and insects are removed from the mixture through heating before new planting can take place.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Carol Cloud Bailey: Heat potting soil to prepare it for replanting )〕 Packaged potting soil is sold in bags ranging from .〔Reader's Digest Association. “Care-free Plants.” Page 298. Readers Digest. ISBN 0-7621-0358-2〕 As with garden soil, potting soil can attract insects. For example, the fungus gnat is often found around houseplants because it lays eggs in moist potting soil.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=How to minimize dents in carpet from furniture )〕 == Legionella contamination == Infections due to potting mix have been reported in Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands and the United States. On June 13, 2000, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that a woman in Washington was hospitalized with pneumonia that was triggered by ''Legionella longbeachae'', the bacterium associated with Legionnaires' Disease. The CDC also confirmed the presence of ''Legionella longbeachae'' in soil in Australia and Japan.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Legionnaires' Disease Associated With Potting Soil --- California,Oregon, and Washington, May--June 2000 )〕
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