They may have gotten the terminology wrong, but they were right where it counts: the end product.
Are Dirt and Soil the Same Thing?
Dirt and soil are not the same thing, but they are certainly related.
The Spruce / Dennis Madamba
What Are the Components of Dirt?
You have probably heard these terms used in connection withsoil types.
Clay, sand, and silt are all nice things.
It’s just that the dirt they form is insufficient, on its own, for growing plants.
What Are the Components of Soil?
So what is added to a soil’s mere dirt to make a suitable medium for growing plants?
Essentially, it is life.
Clay, sand, and silt particles are great and offer nutrition potentially, but they lack life.
So, soil is made of dirt (clay, sand, and silt) plusorganic matterteaming with life.
Tip
It’s not just the matter of plant nutrition that separates dirt from soil.
For example, another problem with dirt is it can’t hold water properly for plant roots.
Water is likely to run through dirt like a sieve.
Potting soil and potting mix are both different from “soil.”
But they are also different from each other.
Potting soil is designed to be very close to a good natural soil.
Like regular soil, potting soil is made up of dirt and organic matter (often compost).
Potting Mix
Potting mix, by contrast, does not contain soil or dirt.
Since it is relatively sterile compared to soil, it is also great for starting seeds.
Soil is not dirt because dirt is a subset of soil.
Plants cannot grow in dirt.
Plants require healthy soil to flourish.
There is usually no reason to mix dirt into potting soil.
You simply don’t gain anything in doing so.
Dirt largely lacks any benefit other than the ability to take up space.
Soil.OSU Extension Service,
Soil and Plant Nutrition: A Gardener’s Perspective.The University of Maine.
