"This mix is a first for me, and I got all of the parts from an Ace hardware store near me. I realize that I may need to return the Ozmocote fertilizer to get one of the 3:1:2 ratio fertilizers (24-8-16, 12-4-8, 9-3-6) recommended on these forums." I personally wouldn't get finicky with the fertilizer ratio.. In general, most fertilizers aren't that far apart. I would much rather worry about the levels and frequency of fertilizing. I see your using espoma lime. You should check out espoma biotone fertilizer, or there other fertilizers instead of synthetic ferts like osmecote. Espoma and other organic fert that contains microorganisms do great help for the plant.. Synthetic ferts can hinder microb growth that plants adapted to for eons. Microbes been supplying nutrients to plants for eons, synthetic ferts been around for what, a century? I highly recommend you get a pH and tds meter. They can be great tools and takes the guesswork out of it.. My 511 plants weren't doing well, so I conducted pour through test(essentially testing excess runoff water) on my different mediums i was using. The peat/compost/perlite mix was reading 800-1000ppm(pretty normal),the 511 mix was reading 2000-3000 ppm (very high level of solids).. At first i thought it was the bark, but then did tests on that and it measured 200-500ppm.. So, then i tested the fertilizer, it tested at 500-600ppm. So then i tested the lime and it tested at 2000-4000ppm.. So happens the "horticultural" lime i purchased was caustic hydrated lime, something most wouldn't consider horticultural.

Sorry the plants are not in my sunroom, they are in bathroom next to window with filter light through partially opened blinds. They still get 4-5hrs filter sun. Mike, I did make the mix correctly 5part pinefines/1part -perlite/1 part peat mix.Maybe the are not getting much sun to dry out the mix fast? I have several gallon size pots in same mix for citrus, hibiscus, jasmines in my southfacing sunroom, these need watering almost once a week atleast. To detemine the watering need I lift the pot and if it is verylight, then I water.

A quick follow up, I repotted one of my Thai Basil plants in an ammended mix. I added another part perlite/vermiculite mix so that it is now closer to a 5-2-1 Bark-Perlite-peat. I am using a perlite/vermiculite mix because I have both that I need to use up and they seem to perform the same functions from my research. With a more cautious water regimem and the new mix this plant is really prospering. It is not getting any taller, but the new leaves are at least triple the size of the old tiny ones I was getting. I am also trying some SWC containers with my peppers in a mix of half of my prepared mix and half MG potting soil. I am testing several different designs and have seen little to no difference at this point. I am only a week into that experiment so it is way to early to tell. I do have one hybrid jalapeno plant that I have brought inside and put under the LED's. At this point it is doing exactly the same as when it was in its original mix outside. I am hoping that it is having a touch of shock from the repot and will flourish even better than it was.

Too much rain or over-watering, which in a container that small would be easy to do. Other possible causes are lack of nutrients - primarily nitrogen. You must feed them regularly. Or being root bound in the pot. That is a big plant for that size container so it could easily be rootbound. Every time you water a plant in a container the nutrients leach out so they must be replaced regularly. When the size of the container is proportional to the plant you don't have that much of an issue. Dave