Soil & potting mix
Best soil for Lacinato Kale (Brassica oleracea var. palmifolia 'Lacinato')
Also called Lacinato kale, Tuscan kale, dinosaur kale, cavolo nero, black kale.
More about lacinato kale
About Lacinato Kale
Brassica oleracea var. palmifolia 'Lacinato' · also called Lacinato kale, Tuscan kale · edible
Lacinato kale, also called Tuscan or dinosaur kale, is an Italian heirloom with long, narrow, deeply puckered blue-green leaves on an upright stem. It is one of the most cold-hardy kales, sweetening after frost, and can stand through winter in mild areas. A heavy-feeding, cool-season biennial grown as an annual, it tolerates heat better than most kales but is at its sweetest in cool weather.
Preferred mix: Rich, firm, well-drained loam
Watch for — Cabbage caterpillars: Cabbage white and looper caterpillars chew large holes and soil leaves with frass. Cover with insect mesh, hand-pick eggs and caterpillars, or treat with Bt.
Why lacinato kale needs this mix
Lacinato Kale is a hungry, thirsty crop — it wants a rich, moisture-retentive but free-draining loam, well fed and never baked dry.
- Lacinato Kale grows fast and has a big crop to fill, so it draws heavily on both nutrients and water — a lean mix simply cannot keep up.
- Plenty of organic matter holds moisture evenly, which prevents the stress problems (bolting, bitterness, blossom-end rot) that come from a drying-then-flooding cycle.
- It still needs structure: rich does not mean airless, so grit, perlite or leaf mould keeps roots oxygenated.
For the full picture on what makes up a good mix, see our guide to the main types of soil and potting media — it explains why each ingredient above behaves the way it does.
What goes wrong with the wrong mix
The wrong soil is one of the most common reasons lacinato kale struggles, and the damage often shows up weeks later as a watering problem. For this species specifically:
- A poor, thin or sandy mix starves lacinato kale — growth stalls, leaves pale, and yields collapse.
- A heavy, compacted, badly drained soil rots the roots and brings fungal problems despite all the feeding.
- Letting a rich mix dry to dust then drowning it causes the classic moisture-stress disorders this crop is prone to.
Under-feeding and inconsistent moisture. Lacinato Kale needs genuinely rich soil plus steady watering — most disappointing crops come down to one or both being short.
pH — does it matter for lacinato kale?
Lacinato Kale does best around pH 6.0-7.0 (slightly acidic to neutral). It is worth a cheap soil test for an outdoor bed; very acidic soil benefits from a little lime well before planting.
If you want to check or adjust it, the soil pH guide walks through testing and the safe ways to nudge a mix more acidic or more alkaline.
DIY mix vs a bagged one
For containers a good multipurpose or vegetable compost works for lacinato kale with extra feed through the season. For beds, the real win is digging in plenty of well-rotted compost or manure — that beats any bag.
Drainage and the pot
Rich but free-draining is the target: raised beds and large containers both deliver it. Mulch heavily to even out moisture and roughly halve how often you water.
Lacinato Kale is usually grown for a single season, so "repotting" means starting fresh each year — never reuse exhausted, disease-prone compost for the same crop family. When the time comes, our repotting guide for lacinato kale covers the timing and technique step by step.
Lacinato Kale soil — frequently asked questions
What is the best soil mix for lacinato kale?
3 parts compost-amended loam or quality multipurpose compost : 1 part well-rotted garden compost or manure : 1 part perlite or grit (containers) / leaf mould (beds). Lacinato Kale grows fast and has a big crop to fill, so it draws heavily on both nutrients and water — a lean mix simply cannot keep up.
Can I use normal potting soil for lacinato kale?
A poor, thin or sandy mix starves lacinato kale — growth stalls, leaves pale, and yields collapse. For containers a good multipurpose or vegetable compost works for lacinato kale with extra feed through the season. For beds, the real win is digging in plenty of well-rotted compost or manure — that beats any bag.
Does lacinato kale need a special pH?
Lacinato Kale does best around pH 6.0-7.0 (slightly acidic to neutral). It is worth a cheap soil test for an outdoor bed; very acidic soil benefits from a little lime well before planting.
Should I buy a bagged mix or make my own for lacinato kale?
For containers a good multipurpose or vegetable compost works for lacinato kale with extra feed through the season. For beds, the real win is digging in plenty of well-rotted compost or manure — that beats any bag.
How often should I refresh the soil for lacinato kale?
Lacinato Kale is usually grown for a single season, so "repotting" means starting fresh each year — never reuse exhausted, disease-prone compost for the same crop family. Rich but free-draining is the target: raised beds and large containers both deliver it. Mulch heavily to even out moisture and roughly halve how often you water.
Keep reading
- Lacinato Kale care — the full brief (light, water, humidity, problems, pet safety)
- How often to water lacinato kale — the schedule the mix feeds into
- Repotting lacinato kale — when and how to refresh the mix
- Soil pH guide — test it and adjust it safely
- Should I water my plant? The simple check first
- Why is my plant wilting? Wet vs dry diagnosis
- Underwatered plant — signs and how to rehydrate it
- Best soil for tomato
- Best soil for pepper
- Best soil for cucumber
- All 5561 soil and potting-mix guides in the Growli library