Make your own mixes?
6 years ago
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First time WSer: Couple of questions
Comments (14)1. I am one of those people placing seeds in my containers. I found that I generally have great germination and if I don't need more than 3-5 seedlings of a kind I sow 6 or 9 seeds per jug. With cups and small containers I put in 2-3 seeds if I want 1 or 2 seedlings. Agree that rubber bands break, I use string or clothes pins. Also will place lots of cups in a larger plastic bin with a clear lid or use a clear plastic bag and fold over the excess under the container. Be sure the large container (and any plastic bag covering it) has drainage holes and air holes in the top also. For containers with an opaque plastic lid one can often take a knife and cut out the center of the lid then cover the container with plastic wrap or other transparent plastic (bags or sheeting) and then place the lid back on to hold the plastic down. Even in our area I do not enlarge any of the holes/slits in the tops, rather take the tops off or open and close them as needed. Planting out, I do it both ways, some get planted out as soon as they have their second set of leaves, others wait until later. All depends on how much time and energy I have on any given day. IME the smaller seedlings do better but also need more attention in regards to watering in the garden. Sometimes I put a 2L top over a seedling in the garden to protect it from animals/slugs until it has grown a bit larger, other times I leave it in the container until it is larger then plant out. 2. Light and location. I sow hundreds of containers and place them in all kinds of light situations. The main concern is keeping the soil moist for germination and seedling growth. Last spring we had lots of rain so didn't have to water containers much. Other years I have had to water quite often. I generally do bottom watering until seedlings are larger and tops are off and I can water with a watering wand with a shower setting. 3. Soil, agree with the others. I use what I can find. My favorite has been Pro Mix but that is less readily available in my area so I use other mixes. Be sure to get soil less mix or container mix, not gardening soil. Welcome to the fun and madness of wintersowing....See MoreShould growing medium vary by zone?
Comments (10)How often watering is required sort of depends on the relationship between the foliage mass & the soil volume. I think that what you would likely look at and say "That's reasonable", would probably require that you water every other day until roots get really tight & the canopy heavy. It will vary, though. If you copy paste this address http://www.profileproducts.com/sports_fields/wheretobuy.htm it will take you to a Turface locater. It's easier than me trying to figure out where you live and what's close to you. You'll need to look around for the pine bark fines. There are several nurseries near me that have them as mulch all year, and I've purchased them at Meijer and Home Depot, too. Look for an orange/white bag at HD that says 'Premium Landscape Mulch - Pine Bark', or something very close to that wording. Gran-I-Grit can probably be had at more rural elevators or stores that sell farm animal food. Ask for grower or starter grit & make sure it's granite or cherrystone and not crushed shellfish shells. That's about it. If you decide not to go to the trouble of finding these ingredients, you can help yourself & your trees by employing a wick to help drain the perched water until the entire soil mass is colonized with roots - then just remove the wick. If you need more info on how this works, I'll link you to another thread that explains it. Al...See MoreHomemade mixes
Comments (11)Susytwo, storing the mixes so they don't get overlooked is part the meal planning. I have a Baking Center where all my baking supplies are stored (flours, sugars, cocoa, baking soda, powder, flavorings, chocolate, etc.) so it all goes there. Meal planning helps me keep from getting overwhelmed. If you think about the shopping, the prepping, the cooking and the clean-up, it's not hard to figure out why people don't cook (or want to) much any more. For me, the trick to this is doing it regularly. My tips are mostly about planning (short) increments of time, but doing something everyday. I keep binders with my regular favorite recipes, with notes to myself for substitutions or tips for making the process easier. If I find half a recipe works better for me, I rewrite it; the same goes if I'm doubling for freezer meals. The binders hold the ''plan for a week'' along with ideas for the month, and the Freezer Inventory. I check for ingredients I already have, make a running grocery list, and pull the recipes I want to make for the week to store at the front of the binder. Typically, this way I only do an afternoon of kitchen time two or three times a week or so, as most of this includes cooking and prepping a main dish, cleaning the produce or sometimes making a dessert. Everything gets portioned for easy meals, frozen on a sheet pan, and packaged. You know, I only starting doing this because I never feel like cooking dinner at dinnertime. I admire those (and am actually a little envious of) people who come home and can get quick, easy dinners on the table. I never mastered that. I don't know how people used to make full dinners from scratch. I think they were cooking All the Time! I decided to try and figure out how to make my lack of energy work for me, by getting organized. Today, I'm making a mix for home-made yeasted waffles and oatmeal buttermilk pancakes. We make a double batch on the weekends, and freeze them for the toaster. They are incredibly good for ''fast food''!...See MoreImportant to know when making your own mixes 5.1.1 and Gritty
Comments (1)okay, i misunderstood. i thought i was reading about the gritty mix and turns out, it was for the 5-1-1. i added dolomite to my gritty mix and i just put all my succulents in that mix. what do i do? oh i dont want to lose them all.....See More- 6 years ago
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