Lightening up the soil?
bart1
14 years ago
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spiced_ham
14 years agoRelated Discussions
overwinter in pots? plus soil question.
Comments (17)If you have a cold basement or garage or other structure, you might consider overwintering the pots in that. But you'll want it cold enough to prevent growth (so a basement, which typically is over 50 degrees, probably wouldn't work). Of course, if you have a cold area in your basement, maybe a root cellar or something, that could work. But you never know! One winter, I put all my potted daylilies in the basement of our house. The basement was typical of Victorian house basements except that the former owners had had a cement floor put in. There were several windows (which did not open) and a furnace that kept the main basement warm. There was a second, smaller basement that had no windows and was very cold. But the issue of warmth hadn't occurred to me, so all the pots were in the main basement. In fact, it never occurred to me that the combo of light from the windows + furnace heat made the basement a poor place for overintering plants in dormancy at all. When I checked on the plants in early spring, they were all trying to grow, and obviously had been for quite some time. Pale, pale yellow-white foliage; tall, thin, reedy foliage; and billions of aphids! I was lucky though -- I didn't lose a single one, not even the poor forgotten daylily that remained all winter in a plastic bag, without any soil whatsover. Needless to say, I will never attempt that kind of stunt again. I know someone who overwinters some plants, including a few daylilies that stay in pots year-round, in the garage. All the plants are ones that go dormant during the winter. (Tropicals are overwintered in the basement.) However, the garage is directly off the house, and she places the pots close to the house side, not near the garage entrance. There's a fireplace in the room on the other side of the wall, so the plants remain too cold to try to grow but do not freeze....See MoreHow to fix my soil.
Comments (5)You are talking about two issues : (1) Amending garden soil; For this one, probably you need to add a lot of compost/organic matter. Before you do that, now is the best time to get a soil test: (2) Potting Soil: Even the best garden soil will become compacted in containers. That is why, SOIL LESS potting mix is used in container. Most of these potting mixes are peat/coir/ bark fine based with some perlite and vermiculait and fertilizer. TO LEARN MORE: I suggest that you go to "Container Gardening" and "Soli and Compost .." forums here at GW and learn more about them. You cannot learn everything overnite ; You have to READ, Study and get into discussions. It will take some time....See MoreSoil amendment ... has anyone tried this?
Comments (12)thanks for the tip about the litter. i usually use large pieces of charcoal at the bottom of the pot for drainage also. since i been reading the info here, i have been more conscious of providing good drainage for all my plants and they are generally doing better although i still kill a few every year. i will have to go to walmart to look for it. walmarts, hd, costco etc here in ontario do not carry the same merchandise. so disappointing for me because i read about all these great products that you all use and I can only order them online and with shipping etc., it becomes quite costly. sue...See Moreneed to add soil to a large raised bed- need advice on what to add.
Comments (16)My experience (long ago) with "bagged topsoil" is that it is mostly cr*p. The Scotts name might, however, assure some quality. "So called" topsoil is likely to be an accurate description. I agree that you need to just mix compost into the topsoil you already have. I don't think peat moss will really serve any purpose, unless you're trying to lighten up clay. It's pretty pricey as well....See Morebart1
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