What kind of 'mixes' and 'pots' do you use and why?
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
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what kind of pots do you use for your zone?
Comments (1)I'm in zone 5, not too far off from your zone 6, and I prefer unglazed clay pots for indoor use... for outdoor use, the type of pot I use depends on what's going in it and where it will be located. Most of my huge patio planters are made of that fake terra cotta resin material... they look like clay pots, but they're much lighter and they hold moisture for a longer period of time. Those pots are in front of a 3 bay garage, facing east. I use plastic hanging baskets placed on a shepherd's hook in an area that gets a good amount of windy breeze during the summer... they don't dry out as fast as the wire and coco liner baskets. I reserve the wire baskets with coco liners for a shepherd's hook that sits in front of a building with an eastern exposure... there's very little wind, so it holds moisture a bit longer in that position. As for drainage... I make sure all my containers, whether they're clay or plastic or resin, have decent drainage holes... and if they don't, I drill more. I also make certain to add a layer of either charcoal, gravel or packing peanuts to the bottom of the containers for drainage. What I use depends on pot size. Typically, anything that holds soil has the possibility to become a planter... as long as it has holes for drainage. I wouldn't place a metal or unglazed clay container in an area that got all day sun and wind... but I think just about anything has a place in a garden as a container for plants. I think you just have to use common sense when thinking about what pots to use where, and what to plant them with....See MoreDo you use the original gritty mix or amend it and why?
Comments (3)I use the original mix for my tropicals, and it works great. But some of my caudiciform succulents rotted in it, especially those that were in large pots. So I swapped the 1 part fir bark for 2 parts medium pumice. This gives me a completely inorganic mix that will never compact, and is nearly impossible to overwater. Then there are my epiphytes, many of which I grow in 1/2-3/4" lava rock, but that's getting a little off topic. As for Ca/Mg needs, I use Botanicare's Cal-Mag Plus liquid fertilizer instead of gypsum and epsom salt. That way I know the plants are always getting a specified amount, and I can change the dose if necessary. I still think Al's original mix is best for most plants, but I grow a lot of rot prone species, and I like to experiment....See MoreWhat kind of potting soil do you use?
Comments (22)PrairieMoon2, I have a seed starting mix from Gardens Alive! (I got it free) that is very nice. The fluffy stuff in it is coir based, I don't recall what else is in it, but Gardens Alive! is online and easy to find. I just use that for starting seeds, though. For regular plants in pots I mix ordinary soil and compost, or ordinary soil and aged horse manure. I grew a few tomatoes and peppers in containers last year (just to avoid having to weed part of the garden to plant them.) They were in a soil/manure mix. I didn't know I wasn't supposed to do that, so they grew really well! :-) I have always used some real soil in my pots, I have a few houseplants that are almost 30 years old, so I would have to say it does work. For my rosemary plant I mixed soil with sand about 50/50, as rosemary has specific drainage and growth requirements. But normally I just use what I have, which is soil, compost, and horse manure. I age/compost horse manure in large containers so that I usually have some old stuff that is safe to work with. Marcia...See MoreWhich potting mix do you prefer for Citrus and why?
Comments (51)The limits of my citrus growing experience extend to rearing a couple of meyer lemons for a few years as potential bonsai. Later, I grew a couple of flying dragons. I gave the plants away because I didn't think the growth habit was appropriate to the quality of form I look for in my bonsai. IOW, I had concluded that the growth habits of citrus as a group make them difficult and not particularly attractive bonsai subjects, though I know there are some exceptions. Citrus growers - please don't take that as a slight. There are many 'groups' of trees that don't make good bonsai subjects, and that has nothing to do with what you folks are doing. I was just offering my 'citrus' background so you can readily see I'm not an expert on citrus. I am, however, well versed in tending a very wide array of trees in containers. At this point in my 20+ year journey growing trees in containers, I have about 75-100 tropical trees, and somewhere around 200-225 temperate trees. By necessity, I repot more than half of my (a guess) 300 trees each year. I say by necessity, because we can tell within a couple of months when our trees need repotting. Whether we repot them at that time is a different5 issue, but at the point where the root mass has become congested to the point the tree can be lifted from the pot with the roots and soil mass intact, the tree needs repotting. This is a much more reliable indicator than any other method, and has been scientifically verified many times in tests by nurseries that have a vested interest in maximizing growth. They know that the growth rate begins to slow at that point, and that it continues to slow as congestion worsens. Not only does the potential for maximum growth within the limits of other cultural factors evaporate with root congestion, so does the possibility of peak vitality. Tight roots are a stress, and that stress affects the entire organism - even to the point of increasing the likelihood of insects infestation and disease. You CAN pot up before the tree reaches this point with no ill effects or decline in growth/vitality, but if the tree HAS reached that point, potting up will only allow a PARTIAL return in vitality and growth, and will set the tree on a gradual slope of decline. Soil - No plant like any portion of the soil to remain saturated for more than a couple of hours. Deprived of enough O2, metabolism and root function is negatively affected and fine roots begin to die. The longer the deprivation, the larger are the roots that are killed. When O2 returns to the soil so normal root growth and metabolism/function can resume, the tree then has to go about the business of allocating either current photosynthate (food - energy) or stored energy to regenerate lost rootage. For this reason, you should always use a durable and well-aerated soil. You automatically sacrifice potential growth/vitality when you choose a water-retentive soil that supports any significant amount of perched water. Repotting - use your own judgement, but I have repotted my own citrus by removing the bottom 1/3 of the roots and then 3 wedges equal to 50% of of the remaining roots with no problems. I also have several friends in CA and 1 in TX that uses the method religiously. Use whatever method you choose, but removing the old soil and root pruning is imperative to best growth and vitality. Once a tree has been allowed to remain in the same soil/container beyond the point where the soil/root mass can be lifted intact, growth is permanently affected until the time that the limiting factor of root congestion is eliminated. This even applies to trees that are severely root bound and are then planted out. I have worked on trees that had original soil so compacted that the soil was harder and stronger than fully lignified (woody) roots. You guys recognize the growth spurts in your trees. Repot as a growth spurt is winding down, or early in the spring. These are the periods of most rapid root growth. Adopt your own methods if you like. I just explained the 'whys' of it and how I proceed. There's no reason it shouldn't work as well for you as it does for me, but you don't need to follow my advice or my procedures exactly. I suppose what I want to leave you with is: Your soil IS the foundation of your planting, and can certainly determine whether you'll have an easy time of it or a difficult time. The roots are the heart of your plant. You look at and fuss over the foliage, but it's the roots that are REALLY in charge. Roots come first - before the foliage, so if you keep your roots happy, the rest of the plant will be happy. Al...See More- 6 years ago
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rina_Ontario,Canada 5a