Potting soil in the bin: two questions
Jon Biddenback
8 years ago
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8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoJon Biddenback
8 years agoRelated Discussions
MiracleGro Potting Mix versus SuperSoil Potting Soil ???
Comments (9)Do you have an easy recipe of making your own mix for a gardening-beginner? Yes. I would recommend using what is known around here as 'Al's 5-1-1 mix' for annuals and perennials grown for just a year or two before being repotted. For plants that will stay in the same container/mix for more than 2 years I would recommend what is known around here as 'Al's Gritty mix'. The 5:1:1 mix is 5 parts pine bark (very small pieces), 1 part perlite and 1 part peat. The gritty mix is 1 part pine bark fines, 1 part Turface MVP and 1 part grower grit (#2 sized). For more information on this I will refer you to this thread. Don't get too hung up on specific ingredients and percentages. The principle is using ingredients that will be of a large enough size (above 1/16th inch) for as long as the plant will be in the mix. This provides superior aeration. The higher the percentage of organic matter such as peat or bark, the faster the mix breaks down and aeration suffers. The bark breaks down much slower than peat though. Anyway, read the thread and you will learn a lot. If you can't find suitable ingredients to make your own mix in time to get the season started then just get the regular MG potting mix and take until next year to learn more and locate sources for ingredients you want....See MoreNew to Clivias: potting soil question
Comments (8)Go here and Clivia USA will teach you how to plant clivia in areas with high humidity/rain. http://www.cliviausa.com/planting-clivia-seedlings-and-plants/ Also, they actually sell the plant mix which seems to solve the problem of areas that get high humidity and lots of rain: http://www.cliviausa.com/products/our-own-clivia-potting-mix.html I live in Northern California, ~ 40 miles east of the coast which is pretty dry in the summer in which I use my own home made "soil mix" that drains and drys well for my area. I use 3 parts regular Miracle soil (said to be a no-no, but I cheat), 3 parts cactus mix (Organic mix from home depot in a red and white bag), 1 part sponge rock, 3/4 parts charcoal chips, 1 part pine chips, 1 part bark compost. I soak the bark compost in fungicide before using (since I don't trust it without doing this). I only water once every 2 weeks in the spring/summer until October in which plants get no water at all until the following May, meaning I move them out of the weather elements for fall and winter and don't water (unless I notice wilting). In the summer, plants are under 20X15 shade structure to protect them from the sun (I'm thinking it's equivalent to 60% shade. I feed clivia with 20-20-20 fertilizer, mixed 1/2 strength every two weeks (extended if weather is cool) from May until the end of September. Repot plants every 3 years. They say Clivia are easy to grow, but they are a bit fussy when it comes to the appropriate amount of water they get. They usually grow on sides of cliffs and steep inclines in the African jungles, so they get water washing down the incline, but rarely get drenched. My dad grew Clivia since the 70's (he lived in So Cal), so even though I modified my soil mix from his mixture, I learned from an expert. He even taught me how to save Clivia with crown rot, which if you do research is virtually impossible :-) You can experiment to see the proper mix for your area. You want plants to get water and not dry out too much in the summer, but you don't want them to stay water logged, otherwise, you'll get root and possibly crown rot....See Moretwo questions - potting and calcium
Comments (8)If eventually you don't need to root-prune, it will be because the plant has expired. All trees grown in containers will need root pruning. Just because some are unfamiliar with or do not adhere to the practice doesn't erase the need. The price for lack of attention to any containerized tree's roots is an escalating reduction in plant vitality as the severity of the condition increases. If you have a small tree with minimal root mass, you CAN plant it in a 25 gallon container and not worry about root rot issues only if the soil is very fast/porous. If you are using a bagged, peat-based soil, you should be more conservative in your choice of container size to prevent extended periods of saturated soil and the associated anaerobic conditions it produces in the root zone. Dolomitic lime or another source of Ca (gypsum is the most frequent alternate) should be added to the soil when it's made. Dolomite supplies both Ca and Mg at roughly a favorable ratio. Gypsum is usually added to soils to supply Ca while preventing the upward pH creep associated with dolomite, but gypsum contains no Mg, so you'll need to be sure you're providing it, either in your fertilizer (doubtful) or by adding it to your fertilizer solution, normally in the form of Epsom salts. Whether you need to add either of these amendments to the soil depends on the soil make-up and whether or not the elements they contain are included in your fertilizer. Al...See MoreQuestion about Miracle Grow Potting Soil and planting...
Comments (5)We have red clay in GA. I always amend the soil with composted manure and a good amount of soil conditioner before putting in any plants, and my plants have done fine. Because it is so hard to get very deep in this clay, I tend to put my plants in raised beds to help with the drainage, otherwise, the clay gets compacted and doesn't drain well, which then puts the tubers at risk for rotting. I've planted peonies in potting soil and kept them in pots to give them time to mature and they have also done fine. I've never had a tuber get moldy from the potting soil. I put the tubers individually in 2 gallon pots, and I amended the potting soil with composted manure, and I also add soil conditioner to the pots to help with drainage as well. I've left them in pots for as little as 6-8 months, to as long as 1 1/2 years outside, and this year, a Festiva Maxima that was grown from a very small tuber in a box has buds....See MoreJohn Donovan
8 years agoJon Biddenback
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agomiscel
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoJon Biddenback
8 years agomiscel
8 years agomiscel
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agohummersteve
8 years agojjohnfly
8 years agohummersteve
8 years ago
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