Garden soil in pots?? Bad idea!
naikii
11 years ago
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TheMasterGardener1
11 years agonil13
11 years agoRelated Discussions
difference between garden soil and potting soil..
Comments (7)I've used a garden soil/potting mix combo for the last 4 years of my rooftop container garden without knowing what I was doing. For the first three years I had lots of good growth with herbs and peppers and flowers. Certain things, like rose bushes and tomatoes, I had problems growing. Last year we had an extremely bad drought here in Chicago and I had lots of problems with some of my hardy plants like morning glories which can even grow well in cracks in the sidewalk. The lack of rain really displayed a big problem I had with my soil. This year I'm doing a modified Al's mix using lots of pine bark (knock on wood). Due to logistics and the massive amount of soil I already have I'm recycling it into the new mixture with about 40% of the mix the old "bad" soil I had been using. So far I have noticed a difference with my finger test. When I stick my finger into the soil it slides in easily and I can almost feel the air pockets in the soil. When installed in the container it kind of sits in there like a sponge. I can't report success (or hopefully not failure :-) until the end of summer but just by how this soil feels to the touch I'm converting my entire garden to this pine bark mixture. So the bottom line, you might be able to get by with a little garden soil in a mixture. I'm not sure what I'd do if I were starting from scratch since I don't necessarily want my containers to drain out quickly each and every day. There are too many to water every day and some of the hardier plants, like hot peppers and morning glory and other vines, simply don't need the greatest and most sophisticated soil mixture to survive and thrive....See MoreDigging in wet soils, bad idea?
Comments (11)Farfrae asks: "So, is it ok to go out and dig it in as soon as we get a clear day?" IMO, it is not a good idea to walk on ones bed when the soil is wet. The major concern is compaction of the soil thus driving out air, which is important to plant growth. And too, digging/tilling in the soil while it is wet causes the soil to clump together into what is called "hard to work soil". I always let the soil dry out somewhat before getting back out in the beds. One thing I have done is make all my lasagna beds narrow enough that I can reach into the middle of the beds without stepping on them. This allows pulling of any weeds that have popped up through the mulch, even when the soil is wet. Keeping it simple, soil structure refers to the different layers of the soil (i.e. mulch, topsoil, root zone, humus). Another thing to keep in mind is that as one continues to add organic matter the level of humus builds in the soil. Humus is the ultimate goal when working with compost, and each year that compost is added the level of humus increases. This humus level, even in the early stages of accumulation is invaluable for ones plant growth. As time passes and careful gardening continues, walking on the beds is a non-issue due to the fact that the soil is so "springy/fluffy/wonderful " from all that special treatment. However, even then IMO, one may want to think twice before working the soil while wet. I trust this helps in some way Blutranes...See MoreDrift roses in containers: potting soil or garden dirt?
Comments (3)It depends on the dirt, I think :) I was just digging in one of my beds and I'd definitely use that dirt in a pot. It's fine and drains so well, but it used to be clay, so it also holds moisture. I love that dirt. I usually mix my regular dirt (more clay and not so nice), potting soil, and peat moss for containers. I like the microorganisms and stuff that's in my real soil, and the clay is nice if it's mixed with other things. Drift roses sound pretty vigorous, so I'd probably just watch and see how they do. If the rose were a wimpy variety, I might worry. You said 'good garden dirt' so you probably avoided the really bad ideas, like my brick-making clay with no amendments :)...See MoreWhat is the pH of garden or potting soil sold in the stores
Comments (9)I would think that it largely depends on the brand of soil that you buy. I cant speak on the exact ph numbers but I think that most soils claim to shoot for the range in which most plants would thrive (5.8-6.5). Those are not my numbers by the way. The amendments in the soil would probably be a good place to begin venturing a guess. For example, Fox Farms Ocean Forest says that it has Oyster shell flour (I think thats the way it reads) added to it for balancing ph. Oyster shell flour/powder whatever you want to call it, is mostly comprised of calcium carbonate (some where around 90-97%). Calcium Carbonate effectively nutralizes ph most of the time but those numbers can get skewed easily by other amendments. Another amendment commonly seen would be dolomite lime which does the same thing but has a bit more magnesium (not always a good thing in my opinion). There are many "ph buffering" amendments that most soil companies use but those are the ones that I tend to hear the most about. I hope this helps you out some....See Moregreenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
11 years agoTheMasterGardener1
11 years agogreenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
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11 years agogreenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
11 years agoTheMasterGardener1
11 years agogreenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
11 years agocalistoga_al ca 15 usda 9
11 years agoLoveplants2 8b Virginia Beach, Virginia
11 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
11 years agoTheMasterGardener1
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11 years agojodik_gw
11 years agokimbearlee
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoJoe1980
9 years agogardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
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9 years agolast modified: 9 years agodrew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agogardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
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8 years agodrew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
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8 years agogardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
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8 years agoUnbalancedHangerOuter
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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)