Latest results from new potting medium recipe.
Jeff Zenner
6 years ago
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irina_co
6 years agoElsa
6 years agoRelated Discussions
bulbs dont like new medium?
Comments (10)Erin, I use Al's basic gritty mix for houseplants, which includes the main ingredients of: 1 part uncomposted pine or fir bark 1 part Turface 1 part crushed granite 1 Tbsp gypsum per gallon of soil To this I add perlite, vermiculite, and occasionally a handful or two of quality potting soil, just to help with water retention. The unaltered mix is great alone, but I also have good luck using just a tiny smidge of soil... and I do mean tiny! As I mentioned on the other forum, I tweak the mix a bit depending on what sort of plants I'm potting. I also make certain the medium is pre-moistened so it will absorb the water I add after potting. Bulbs are very resilient, and even if you lose a leaf or two, or have a few bulbs decide to rest, the best idea would be to re-pot them using a fresh batch of mix. After reviewing your recipe, and reading all the great responses here, I have to agree that you may be burning your bulbs with too much fertilizer. I would get them out of the medium you first mixed, re-pot into a fresh batch, minus the fertilizer... and I'd rinse heavily and repeatedly the first batch of mix you made and use it at a later date for something else... if that's possible. I can't see wasting what you originally made, but it's clear that it's not healthy for your bulbs in the state it's in. If you go back and read Al's original posting with the recipes, you can see that there are several different ones... I use the one about halfway down the post, the one for houseplants, but I don't add any fertilizer. I prefer to use a diluted liquid as I water, so I'm in control of how much. I hope this helps... though Al and everyone else here are definitely steering you right. Here is a link that might be useful: Container Soils - Water Movement & Retention VI...See MorePhals in new potting medium
Comments (9)Phals are commonly grown in Sphagnum moss or bark. Sphag works well, but for one potential problem. It tends to become compacted and remain soggy for long periods. If that happens, the roots can smother and die. Fir bark also has a potential disadvantage, which is that it may not hold sufficient moisture to suit Phals. There are variables involved in finding the best medium for a particular growing environment. Growers experiment with different media and/or by mixing different things together to find what works best in their respective conditions. I agree that putting a layer of bark over Sphag serves no practical purpose, and I also agree with using bark alone, if that is what has been working for you. For even better results, consider trying coconut husk chips (CHC). In my opinion, this is the best Phalaenopsis medium. CHC holds both water and air very effectively, maintaining an excellent air-moisture balance. This property makes it much more foolproof than either bark or sphag because overwatering or underwatering issues are greatly reduced. Phals love it because it provides an ideal environment for their roots....See Morepotting peppers: ideal growing medium and container size
Comments (31)BUMP Plant out time is here. I like the older threads rather than starting a new thread. There are already some useful information there. This thread dates back to 2011. Since then there has been quite some changes in container growing medium concept. In the past MG potting (and similar brands) used to be the potting soil option. They are mostly pet moss based. Al (Tapla) has made a significant contribution by developing and introducing 5-1-1 mix, It is 5 parts pine/fir bark fine , 1 part peat moss and 1 part perlite. The amount of peat moss really depends on the structure of the pine bark one uses. I, myself, get finer pine bark that does not need any peat moss. So I skip PM and instead I add DE (floor dry) for better moisture retention. DE also facilitates drainage after it is saturated. I have experimented and found out that one pound of dry DE absorbs one pound of water. So my 5-1-1 is 5 parts pine bark, 1 part DE and 1 part perlite. ABOUT CONTAINER SIZE As mentioned bigger pot is better. That is especially true if you have a long growing season, like in CA and FL where growing season can be 8 to 9 months. But in our PNW practical pepper growing season is about 5 months. Last year I used pots ranging from 2.5 to 5 gallons. Most did ok. This year I will use no smaller than 4 gallon nursery pots (= 5 gallon liquid). I got some of those for free from a landscaping crew in my neighborhood.. I also got reusable grocery shopping bags which also are 4 gallons in volume. I prefer these 4 gallon containers over the 5 gallon HD /Lowes buckets which are not very nice looking. Those buckets actually hold no more than 4 dry gallons. Are you ready to pot up ? Seysonn...See MoreA New Mexican Feast for New Year's Day (Recipes)
Comments (13)WIP: I always serve Biscochito cookies with them but anything chocolate would be fantastic, as well. One cooking hint when making anything chocolate, especially for Mexican/New Mexican foods, is to add a bit of cinnamon while mixing it. It adds a richness to any chocolate dish. My good friend, a home-ec teacher, taught me this. For example, to add richness without actually tasting the cinnamon flavor, I add 1 teaspoon to chocolate cake batter; 1 1/2-2 tsp if I want to taste it. We also frequently add cardamom and chile powder to chocolate. BTW, here's my favorite recipe for biscochitos. The purists and old timers use lard instead of Crisco, margarine or butter, but my DH is a family practice doc and would have a fit if I used lard ;^D Lynn's Biscochito Cookies Ingredients: 1 cups butter, Crisco, margarine or lard, chilled 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar, divided 2 eggs 2 teaspoons anise seeds 4 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt About 3 tablespoons brandy 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon Directions: Preheat oven to 350F. Beat Crisco/butter and 1 cup sugar in a bowl until fluffy. Add eggs and anise seeds, and beat until very light and fluffy. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to creamed mixture along with the brandy. Mix thoroughly to make a stiff dough. Place dough on a long piece of waxed paper(approx. 3 feet) at one end. Bring the long end over the top and press dough until it's about one inch or slightly less in thickness; refrigerate until chilled. Roll out dough between waxed paper to just under 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with flour dusted cutters into the traditional fleur de lis shape or into 3-inch rounds. Combine the 3 remaining tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon in a shallow bowl; dip unbaked cookies into the sugar-cinnamon mixture on one side. Place cookies on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until tops of cookies are just firm. Cool cookies on wire racks. Makes 4 dozen cookies (These can be frozen up to six months, if stored in a tightly sealed container)...See Moreirina_co
6 years agoElsa
6 years agoRosie1949
6 years agofortyseven_gw
6 years agoRosie1949
6 years agofortyseven_gw
6 years agoJeff Zenner
6 years agoRosie1949
6 years agoJeff Zenner
6 years agoRosie1949
6 years agoirina_co
6 years agoRosie1949
6 years agoirina_co
6 years agoRosie1949
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoirina_co
6 years agoRosie1949
6 years ago
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Jeff ZennerOriginal Author