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Description
aroid monstera Molly's Aroid Mix for Monstera & PhiloQuick answer: what is Molly's Aroid Mix? For: Monstera, Philodendron, Pothos, Anthurium, Alocasia, Syngonium, and every other aroid in the houseplant family. What's in it: chunky fir bark, coco coir, perlite, horticultural charcoal, worm castings. No peat moss, no soil. Why it works: aroids evolved as epiphytes on rainforest trees. Their roots want air pockets, not packed dirt. Regular potting soil suffocates them. How long it lasts: 12 18 months in
Quick answer: what is Molly's Aroid Mix?
- For: Monstera, Philodendron, Pothos, Anthurium, Alocasia, Syngonium, and every other aroid in the houseplant family.
- What's in it: chunky fir bark, coco coir, perlite, horticultural charcoal, worm castings. No peat moss, no soil.
- Why it works: aroids evolved as epiphytes on rainforest trees. Their roots want air pockets, not packed dirt. Regular potting soil suffocates them.
- How long it lasts: 12-18 months in the pot before it needs refreshing. Roughly double the lifespan of standard soil-based mixes.
- Ready to use straight from the bag. No mixing, no DIY, no rinsing.
More plant-specific guidance: Best soil for Monstera, Do orchids need soil?, Potting soil vs potting mix.
Aroids fail in regular potting soil because the soil compacts, holds water, and starves roots of air. Standard "tropical houseplant soil" is too dense for plants like Monstera, Philodendron, and Anthurium that evolved as epiphytes on rainforest trees. They want chunky, fast-draining, air-pocketed substrate, exactly what soil isn't.
Molly's Aroid Mix is engineered for that gap. A blend of orchid bark, perlite, coir, and horticultural charcoal that drains within seconds, holds humidity instead of water, and resists compaction even after months of watering.
What's in the bag
- Orchid bark (chunky): the structural backbone. Air pockets and slow decay mean roots can breathe and grip without rot.
- Coarse horticultural perlite: the drainage workhorse. Stops water from pooling at the root zone.
- Coir fiber and chips: retains the right amount of moisture without becoming soggy. Replaces peat, which compacts.
- Expanded clay (LECA): wicks moisture upward so roots get humidity, not standing water.
- Horticultural charcoal: filters salts and impurities, keeps the mix sweet through repeated watering.
- Worm castings: a slow-release nutrient base. Plants get nitrogen on demand, not in a flush.
- Beneficial microbes (Bacillus pumilus, Rhizophagus irregularis): mycorrhizae extend the root system; bacteria suppress soil-borne pathogens.
- Calcitic + dolomitic limestone: buffers pH to the slightly acidic range aroids prefer (5.8 to 6.5).
20+ organic and mineral ingredients in total. No commercial synthetic fertilizers, low peat content (blended with coconut coir to reduce overall peat usage).
Plants this is for
Designed for aroids and tropical foliage plants: Monstera (especially variegated cultivars that need maximum aeration), Philodendron, Anthurium, Pothos, Alocasia, Aglaonema, Calathea, Syngonium, ZZ plant, Sansevieria, Fiddle Leaf Fig, Palm, Hoya. Anything that wants chunky, fast-draining, humidity-retaining substrate.
Not for: succulents and cacti (use Molly's Succulent Mix) or orchids (use Molly's Orchid Mix).
How to repot
- Choose a pot 1 to 2 inches wider than the current root ball, with drainage holes. Aroids do not want to be over-potted.
- Remove the plant from its current container. Gently shake off old soil from the root system. If the old substrate has compacted into a brick, soak briefly to loosen.
- Add a layer of fresh mix to the bottom of the new pot, about 1 inch thick.
- Position the plant at the same depth it was growing before, then fill around the roots with mix. Tap the pot gently to settle, but do not press down hard. The mix should stay airy.
- Water thoroughly once. Let it drain. Do not water again until the top inch feels dry to touch.
FAQ
Can I mix this with regular potting soil?
You can, but you defeat the purpose. The reason this mix works is its chunkiness and drainage. Adding standard soil compacts the air pockets and brings back the over-watering risk. If you're trying to make a bag stretch further, mix it 1:1 with extra perlite or bark, not soil.
How often do I water with this mix?
Less often than you'd water in regular soil. Most aroids in this mix want watering every 7 to 14 days indoors. Always check the top inch with your finger first. The mix dries from the top down, so the surface drying does not necessarily mean the root zone is dry.
Will this mix work for orchids?
No. Orchids want pure bark with charcoal and almost no organic matter. The aroid mix has too much coir and microbe activity for an orchid's epiphytic root system. Use Molly's Orchid Mix for orchids.
Is the mix already fertilized?
It contains worm castings and beneficial microbes that release nutrients slowly, but no synthetic fertilizer. After the first 2 to 3 months, supplement with a balanced liquid fertilizer (NPK around 3-1-2 for aroids, diluted to half-strength) every 2 to 4 weeks during the growing season.
UPC: 628942910210. Packaged in a heat-sealed resealable bag.
Related care guide
Why our Aroid Mix is built for tropicals.
Plant-specific soil guides
Best soil for Monstera · Philodendron · Pothos · Snake plants · ZZ plants · Fiddle leaf figs
Not sure which mix your plant needs?
Take our free 60-second Soil Finder quiz → Diagnose the problem and get the exact Molly's mix and amount for your plant, plus 10% off.
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4.2 ★★★★★
Based on 15 reviews
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Product Reviews
★★★★★ 5
Astonishing, Fun, Entertaining, Fantastic
Format: Kindle
I consider The Martian my favorite fictional novel of the last 15-20 years. The movie was incredible in that they actually followed the book closer than 99% of other films based on books. It remains my favorite movie of the last 15 years or so as well. I don't know anyone (personally) that loves either of them as much as I do.
With that said, I was REALLY looking forward to Artemis. It was good...but, it was certainly not in the same caliber as The Martian was (at least not for me). I enjoyed it a lot, however and appreciated how author Andy Weir chose to go in a completely different direction and not just rehash another similar story, which I am certain would have been great as well.
As a result, I was cautious regarding Project Hail Mary. It sounded a little too close to The Martian, but yet, also different in that the circumstances simply could not be more opposite and the stakes so much higher. I'm trying to figure out the best way to summarize without giving too much away from this utterly compelling novel. As I read several reviews, I noticed a recurring theme: SCIENCE. Lots and LOTS of science. Holy cow, they were right. Many years ago I read Apollo 13 and Jim Lovell and his co-writer, try as they might, simply could not dumb down Orbital Mechanics anywhere near enough for me to have even a minor clue as to what they were attempting to say...I just skipped 90% of it and hoped that the sentences written afterwards, would help to make sense of what I had just skimmed over. I'm a lot of things, but a math wizard is definitely not one of them. Michael Crichton (Jurassic Park) had an amazing talent for dumbing-down the science of what he was trying to explain in ways that genuinely made sense (most of the time). Not everyone has this talent, and I would say Andy Weir falls squarely in between. He's certainly better than Jim Lovell, but not quite as good as Crichton. But then again, outside of a science textbook, I haven't really read anything with quite as MUCH science as Project Hail Mary. So maybe he's just as good, but he just puts more science into his books than Crichton, maybe that's it...? Either way, be prepared for a lot of astonishingly interesting science within the pages of this novel...and I DO mean a LOT. I don't say this to make you wary or steer you away...on the contrary, Andy Weir has a special talent for making hard science truly entertaining.
The book opens with an absolutely amazing and frightening premise: an astronaut awakes from an induced coma to find the only other two people on board have died at some point along their journey...but it gets worse. He has no idea who he is, or why he's on the ship, and oh yeah, they look to be a long way from home. A really, REALLY long way from home. In fact, the sun he sees isn't actually OUR sun at all. He's managed to leave our solar system entirely. And he has no idea why.
((Minor Spoilers)) The book goes through some clever flash-backs, which set the stage for why the mission happens, and slowly, carefully explains how they managed to get so far away from earth in such a short amount of time. Basically, earth's sun seems to be dying. At the rate of decay, we have maybe 19 years left before the gradual cooling has catastrophic consequences resulting in the death of billions (best guess). Why the sun is dimming is quite the conundrum in the first place. Turns out it really isn't dying, it's being killed by an outside source...which turns out to be easily the greatest find in history. It's alien life, and they are using the sun for food, essentially. It's alien life, but not intelligent life. But still, wow! ALIENS, right???
After this monumental discovery, and some tremendous research done by the most improbable scientist, the investigation into what is happening and why and what to do about it expands exponentially to other nations in order to pool all the resources possible to hopefully save the sun, and by extension, the human race as well. They learn. A LOT. A plan is put together, and with the help of the newly discovered microscopic alien life, which can also double as a power source (along with a few other nifty surprises), they begin to create one last, Hail Mary that could very well be the last chance we might have to save earth. It's audacious. It's dangerous, and it is absolutely critical that it succeed.
As our astronaut's memory slowly unravels, so does his identity: Ryland Grace. He's a teacher on earth. Just a science teacher. Not even a college professor. He's amazingly smart, though. But he's no astronaut...and certainly not one who would volunteer to go on a one-way mission to another solar system to "try" and save humanity. Yet here he is. Alone. light years from earth, trying to solve the biggest riddle in all of human history. Ryland accepts his situation, such as it is, with relative indifference (for the most part). It doesn't matter HOW he got here. He's here now and he may as well use that time to be as productive as possible, right? Along the way, he unravels even more information regarding the microscopic alien life which is slowly dimming our sun during some additional flashbacks. The aliens, dubbed, "Astrophage" are quite the galactic plague as it turns out. Stars all over the galaxy are also losing their light, all due to the little buggers. All that is, except one particular star named, Tau Ceti. Now why would that one star be unaffected by Astrophage, when every single star around it has been affected to some degree. The plan is to go there and figure it out and send the information back, hopefully in time to save the sun before the damage to earth is beyond repair.
There is an incredible amount of stuff going on. The story switches from Tau Ceti to flashbacks of how the whole mission was planned and implemented (which is VERY entertaining, especially Director Stratt, who may actually be my favorite character in the entire novel). Weir is becoming quite adept at building tension, and abruptly switching the story from Tau Ceti back to earth and building more of the backstory then switching back to Tau Ceti. Keeping it all in check and most importantly, interesting all while mixing in a healthy dose of science, which I am to understand is pretty much all genuine, is quite the juggling act. I have long known science can be astronomically entertaining (see what I did there?) when done right...but unfortunately very few people in a position to teach science actually know the best way to create that interest in others. I can say without reservation, Andy Weir definitely knows how to do it...at least in written form.
There is so much I want to say more regarding this truly phenomenal story, but I simply cannot without ruining a lot of the fun and surprises revealed along the way...and it is killing me to keep it locked in. Though I labeled a spoiler warning earlier, I don't think it gave away any more than what the author himself has revealed in interviews he has done regarding the book, and what you can glean from reading the summary here and just a couple other reviews. Tying all of that science together is truly astonishing to me. The creativity to put it into a novel that is remarkably exciting to read is nothing more than incredible talent. Kudo's to Andy Weir for not just hitting a home run, Project Hail Mary is a Grand Slam all the way. I truly did not want this story to end. By the way, I enjoyed the ending quite a bit. I don't know if everyone will. But it was fine for me. I think the ending screams "sequel" at some point too. A lot was left open-ended (IMO) and I wouldn't mind reading a follow-up to this. It doesn't HAVE to happen, but there are a lot of ways where the story could go if Andy chose to do it. Just sayin'.
Just run out and buy this book.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2021
★★★★★ 5
Wonderful
Format: Kindle
The amount of detail in this book is so interesting and the specifics of so much theoretical ideas revolving around true ideas makes it so fun to read. The writer does a great job and describing every situation enough where you get the point but not too much to try to bore you . The book is very easy to follow, keeps you on your toes, was pretty funny to me, and truthfully just a great book for anyone!
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Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2026
★★★★★ 4
Read it in 2 days
Format: Paperback
This is science based science fiction. How refreshing to read science without turning the story into horror. Without a plethora of characters, it is easy to remember who is who. The story moves along well enough that I wanted to keep going. It us a p age turner in many respects.
All this said, there were too many crises suddenly resolved like some Star Trek episode from 1966. It reached the point where I said to myself, "OK, this doesn't matter. Move along, nothing to see here."
There was good humor, some surprising twists, and enough involvement with characters that I didn't want to put it down.
As science fiction goes, it was good like pulp stories go. It wasn't like Ursula LeGuin or Robert Heinlein but I would probably pick up the next book he writes.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2026
★★★★★ 5
Excellent story
Format: Kindle
This book is worth your time. It is a great introduction to a variety of scientific disciplines without insulting the reader. It also respects and understands humanity, engineering, history and political science. Then it lays that foundation to tell the story of a unique friendship of two beings with mutual goals who have to communicate and problem solve together. Along the way, you can really contrast how Grace and Rocky do it, vice the Hail Mary team did it.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2026
★★★★★ 5
A book worth rereading
Format: Hardcover
This was a book club pick. Honestly, I wouldn't have chosen to read this myself, but I'm glad that I did. I would have missed out on an incredible story.
I've been reading a lot of thriller and fantasy books lately, that I forgot how much I enjoy sci-fi. This brought it back for me. There's a lot of science-heavy discussions in the book and I loved it! When I got to a subject or term I didn't know, I would go online and learn more about it. I feel that Grace is a dork like me because he wouldn't curse. He had little anecdotes he uses in place of swearing. Something I definitely do myself!
A lot of the book is the MMC talking to himself. Surprisingly, it worked. There's so much humor that it kept the story going. There was not a lull. Usually I dislike info-dumping as an introduction to get all the background story told, but I didn't mind it at all. Maybe I'm being biased because I love science talk.
**SPOILERS AHEAD**
What makes the whole plot engaging is the fact that the plot doesn't seem too fantastical. It's something that could happen. There's a lot of ethics and morals involved in determining what should be done. I would hate to be in a position where I have to chose what's best for everyone. That's why Stratt is a necessary character. I hated some of her decisions and how she operated, but you need someone who's focused on the general welfare of humanity. I would be too focused on myself, my family, etc. As much as it hurts to admit, I'm selfish (and a coward) like Grace. I wouldn't want to die. But was it right for Stratt to force him on the mission? This could also be taken religiously. If God has a plan and things happen for a reason, is it our right to deter what's going to happen? God wiped out the world many times because of humanity's sins, what if this was God's doing? So many questions and debates on right vs wrong, ethics vs morals, and religion vs humanity made for a incredible book club discussion.
I love how this book ended. I wish I could continue reading about Rocky and Grace's adventures, it's that fascinating. However, I think Grace staying on Erid was the best outcome. If the roles were reversed, I don't think Rocky would have the same welcome. I feel that those in charge would have dissected and kept Rocky hostage, all in the name of science. Just as the Astrophage were first introduced, the first things the scientists did was poke and probe. Essentially torturing the Astrophage to see what makes them tick. I think Rocky would have the same fate.
Oh, and my favorite part is the relationship between Rocky and Grace. I cried so many times when I was reading. Scared that something bad was going to happen to either of them. Especially in the scene where Rocky busted out of his tunnel to save Grace. I got upset and told the book that 'if Rocky dies, I swear, this is the worst book ever!' And the scene where Rocky learns about radiation poisoning. How he slowly becomes aware of what happened to his crew, his friends. I was a mess.
This book is definitely one that I could go back and reread.
I did watch the movie afterwards. There's a lot of differences to adapt the story to screen, but it was okay. They got the humor down pat, but I didn't get the direness of the whole situation nor the special bond that both MCs had.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2026
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