Thanks nil13 for clarifying it. Soil as in both. I am referring to container gardening whether done through potting soil and fed by irrigation water or through normal yard dug up soil and fed by manure etc. and contrasting it with hydroponically grown vegetables. Actually I saw one post where this guy had those 5 gallon hydroponic dutch buckets filled with the inert medium perlite and fertigated manually thrice a day and got great results for both tomatoes and cucumbers - which are large plants. He showed the root size and they very very fibrous and therefore too many but the overall size of the roots was very small compared to the normal container grown tomatoes. They recommend atleast 10 gallon and preferring with the bigger the better when tomatoes are grown in containers and here this guy did it hydropnically in a 5 gallon bucket with a larger production. This whole thing just made me wonder if i were to take a 5 gallon container and fill it with a good quality well draining potting soil and feed it thrice with a water soluble fertilizer, will I be able to get such a fibrous root structure and such a level of production? Infact why should I even bother myself with potting soil. i can fill the entire pot with perlite and get it fertigated thrice. Potting soil is required when you want moisture to he held up for more time. If I am going to feed it thrice, perlite is fine. It too can hold a certain amount of moisture which should be sufficient to last between waterings. Perlite has the added advantage that it is inert and therefore can be used a number of times unlike potting soil which is not recommended to be used for a second time. So I have two cost savings. Lesser quantity of soil and soil which can be used more than once. What do you think? This post was edited by saood on Thu, Feb 13, 14 at 6:57

Philoz, I used Air-Pots last year. I used them only for rooting (which will change this year) but they come in sizes to 120 gallons. One of the nice things about them is they are shipped flat. Therefore, the assembly involves one to wrap the flat sheet and secure it with a "fixing" (in my case its something very similar to what holds the upholstery into your automobile sheet metal.) When it is time to repot/root-prune, you can remove the fixing, and unwrap the container from around your tree in place. This is necessary because of the design of the container, but it comes in handy for other reasons as well. The overall design of the container is suppose to prevent (or at least minimize) many root problems associated with container growth. I found it to be moderately successful. I posted on the use of the pots in this forum. I think I just titled it "Air-Pots". I seem to remember a distributor in Australia. good luck, ~james

Please someone respond soon as my slips are about to arrive and still have no soil ready. I did find a SUPER PLANT TONIC that has a nutrients mix with beneficial bacteria, and root mycorrhizal fungus. I found hundreds of posts praising this stuff on over 20 different forums, it is from a company named BLUE MOUNTAIN ORGANICS. Here is info copy and pasted: " Super Plant Tonic". It's a 100 % Organic Blended Tea Concentrate, and a little goes a long way. In this new, more concentrated form it makes 16-32 gallons per bottle for Soil and if using it in a Hydroponics setup it makes 32-64 gallons. See mixing instructions below for details. So what does SPT do for your plants; it makes their roots very efficient. So efficient, you can lower the dose of fertilizer you are using to half. This tonic contains the following : Artesian Spring Water, Worm Castings, Mycorrhizal Fungi, Coral Calcium, Unsulphured (Blackstrap) Molasses, and Humic Acid derived from Oak Leaf & Peat Compost. Now, most people "do not want to tell", you their ingredients you to know them and why they are used : The Artesian Spring Water (provides an all natural, chlorine free base), Worm Castings (add soluable nitrogen & trace minerals), Mycorrhizal Fungi make the mix soluble & inoculate your plants roots, Unsulphured Molasses (feeds - these beneficial microorganisms, provides trace minerals, plus soluble nitrogen, phosphorus & potassium), Coral Calcium (adds 72 trace minerals - that's all of them), Humic Acid derived from (Hot Composted) Oak Leaves & Peat - adds natural chelates (ensuring smooth delivery of the trace minerals). All these good things are mixed, then oxygenated for (3) days under optimal conditions; in a special organic tea brewer. Which increases the feeding action of the beneficial microorganisms - which break down all these good things, into a highly soluble liquid. Easily absorbed by plants. Note: Mycorrhizal Fungi enhance your plants ability to absorb more nutrients, minerals & water - resulting in better vigor, growth & draught resistance. Just Google or Yahoo Search Mycorrhizal Fungi - You'll find page after page of information praising them. The effects on your plants will Amaze You !!! . Just like you, a plant fed a well balanced diet, which includes vitamins & trace minerals - Results in Increased Health & Vigor. It is like a protein shake for your Organics has spent years, perfecting their "Tonic" formula. Each run is made in small batches to ensure quality. It is great for starting or healing plants that are ill. Used weekly, all plants grow bigger & healthier. It is completely safe for food crop use. Your garden will produce more than ever, your roses will love you. ANY IDEAS?

yeah, ken...I told you I was brain dead...perhaps I was distracted by the rather amusing hosta forum video on how to extract a hosta from Don R.'s pot to give it back to him...THAT was 'garden soil'...and perhaps I was just disgusted AND distracted by how badly astilbes 'thrive' in my garden b/c it's just probably TOO dark & too full of CLAY....*sigh*...thanks for letting me RANT... I'm going to go home to my poor astilbe after school & rescue it. Thanks for responding so quickly! (were you hovering? LOL) Melissa