Miracle Grow Cactus Citrus Potting Mix - Anyone use this??
dancinglemons
16 years ago
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sarah2000
16 years agodancinglemons
16 years agoRelated Discussions
Miracle Grow Cactus, Palm and Citrus soil?
Comments (7)Thanks to all who replied. It is also my understanding it is called Easter Lily cactus because of when it blooms and that is the name on the card from the grower Monrovia. Mine had just bloomed when i bought it but it has not bloomed for me although the cactus is doing really well. It has gotten much bigger and is producing many many small "pups". It needs a bigger pot now I think. Someone suggested it needs some cold temperatures in order to bloom. I kept it in the house over the winter because it sometimes gets down to freezing here in the winter months. I am trying come up with a different strategy for this winter. And it looks like I will need to change the soil composition too. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to manage the re-potting of Cacti? I am wondering about all those sharp needles and how to avoid being punctured many times over. Can you wrap something around the top of the plant?...See MoreMiracle-Gro 0062581-298 Cactus, Palm, & Citrus Soil - 8 Quart
Comments (6)The company said Steel Plant because Sans has the reputation of being tough and made of steel. But what you have looks very much like Futura Black Gold. It is a sorter growing about 18" max and has wider leaves, just under 4". Sans can grow in all types of soil but I found that a cactus mix with perlite works just fine. Go ahead and use your soil and mix perlite about 30 to 40 percent to add drainage. As far as your old soil. It should be ok for reusing for your other plants. Some times I would pour boiling water thru the soil days before reusing it. To remove salts and any bugs. Stush...See MoreDo not use Miracle Grow Potting Soil for seed starting!
Comments (4)I think the problem is that potting mix is generally meant for grown plants in pots, not seedlings. As plants in pots have less soil to gain nutrients from, a lot of brands infuse it with things like fertilizer and water-retaining ingredients. It's also more dense in texture to pack more into a small space (ie, a pot), which can make it difficult for little seedlings to poke through. So it may not be the brand that's the problem, but the fact that you're using potting soil. The organic potting mix you have, on top of being softer and more fine in texture, may have less additives, or the ones they have are more agreeable with seedlings. I myself sometimes get bags of a brand of organic potting mix instead if the local store's run out of seed starting mix, though I mix it in with what I have....See MoreHas anyone tried growing citrus in self watering pots (SIPs)?
Comments (10)Vladimir, I haven't tried them either because like Laura I am afraid of root rot, especially during the period when the tree's roots transition to the new growing media and cultural conditions. I grew orchids semi-hydroponically for several years because I travelled a lot and I hoped it would extend the period between required waterings when I was away from home and my greenhouse. Although most of my orchids did ok, I have since gone back to bark mixes as I don't travel so often now. What I found was there is a transition period during which the plants regrow new roots that adapt to the semi-hydro conditions. The transition timing is important as the plants need to grow the new roots and will sulk and lanquish if the transition is made too far into the years growth period and there are not enough new roots to support the plant above ground parts. If there is not enough roots generated during the growth period the plant will not have a way to get enough food and energy to support the top of the plant/tree. I also found I had to keep the greenhouse much warmer as the medium cools quickly as the air moves through the medium and pot. Even though I flushed the pots often, fertilizer salts seemed to build up and burn the roots if I was not careful and the reservoir dryed out between waterings. I think my high pH water and fertilizer would cause wide fluctuations in the growing medium that was not good for the plants if I was not careful. I also got a lot of algae growth in the transparent pots I used which was not very nice to look at and also seemed to clog up the air spaces that are part of the system. But overall I mostly was able to grow and bloom plants under the method, but I was not overall satisfied with plant long term growth. I think the SIPS pots may also have many of the same disadvantages for citrus that I had with my orchid's in semi-hydro culture. It served it's purpose for my needs for a while, and I think plants can be grown in most any medium if you watch carefully and make adjustments to help your plant and trees adapt to the different growing conditions, but I didn't feel I was giving my plants optimum growing conditions. Cory...See Morekev843
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