Decomposed Granite as outdoor planter/potting soil?
brownmola
13 years ago
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13 years agobrownmola
13 years agoRelated Discussions
soil mix for large outdoor planters
Comments (5)For that large of containers, it will be cheaper to make your own unless you have access to wholesale sources. There are scores of different potting soil recipes - seems like everyone has their favorite - but all good ones have in common very good aeration and drainage. That's why garden or topsoil and compost are not recommended. A very common mix is 1 part peat (or coir), 1 part bark fines, 1/2 part perlite, pumice or Turface (high fired clay) and 1/2 part coarse (builder's) sand. For each 1/4 cubic yard, you will need to add 3/4# dolomite lime and some sort of slow release fertilizer, like Osmocote (according to directions). For short term or seasonal plantings you could add some compost or composted manures, but for long term plantings this is not recommended. As it continues to decompose, compost or any other highly active organic material will break down and compact and you will lose aeration and begin to experience drainage problems. And for long term container plantings, I'd avoid using anything but the potting soil in the containers. Any other material not incorporated into the soil mix will create interface problems, ultimately impacting drainage, and adding any significant quantity of styrofoam or other material will alter watering requirements. Plus, several of the plants you plan to include will appreciate the full root run of all the soil available....See MoreKeeping tomatoes growing in decomposed granite
Comments (14)Feel free to skip this but I recently moved from norcal down to SD area. We have many different types of dg. In my back yard I excavated about 1000 yards of dirty dg. My plan was to amend it, but as the soil weighs to much I'm thinking I'll only use about 10% sand in my soil mix. Right now current mix is 8 parts bulk soil, 1 part wood mulch, pearlite small and largge, azomite trace minerals, Coco coir. 1 part BBB ( blood bat and bone) then I let it sit for a month to homogenize. This soil has proven amazing for any soft leafed plant (tomatoes, melons, tomatoes, etc). So now to your question. I have a couple ideas 1: I suggest you dig your hole asd you said 2 x 3. Then go buy clay dust, wet clay pellets, or bentonite. AI hold water and restrict flow. From my research the only way to get dg back to soil is to ad clay to coagulate the aggregates. This will also give you a large inert medium in between mulch and dg. Another option is to put about a foot of mulch on top of your soil add amendment as well as later in year you can till in for better soil makeup. The last option is to put I water hold medium such as woody mulch or Pete, it Coco under dg. It's extremely important to use slow drip irrigation with dg as it tends to erode an area with heavy watering. Look up a water well. Roots will not rot as long as you use cold water as child water has ability to hold more oxygen. If your worried about that. Throw pearlite in at the bottom so there is always air down there. Feel free to message me for more info Veda...See MoreGranite/Decomposed Granite and Radon gas??
Comments (24)We've had people trigger the radiation detectors coming into the nuclear plant due to eating too many bananas. One person in the USA I believe had radiation poisoning from eating too many Brazil nuts. I think the max you should eat are 1 or 2 per day. It does have to do with where they are grown and natural soil radiation. It's everywhere around us and some places just have higher levels than others. Not necessarily dangerous - that's how it is. Shielding is not necessary from such low radiation levels. You will get much more radiation directly from the sun, flights, medical x-rays, rain, snow, etc. I also assume nobody sleeps in their plants, soil mixes, smoke detectors, antiques, propane lanterns, or counter tops all day long every day of their lives. For shielding against significant radiation levels we primarily use heavy concrete, water, lead, and distance....See MoreDecomposed Granite or 3/8 Inch Gravel Under Planters?
Comments (2)Without any sort of context, that's a pretty open-ended question! What kind of planters? Solid bottom or open to the ground/soil? What will you be growing and where in the garden will they be located? How large are they? What is the application of the DG or gravel intended to accomplish? Finally, it might help to know where you are located....See Morejun_
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