This is my attempt at some inexpensive DIY potting mix. It's pretty easy to make up your own recipes, but not always so easy to get the pH just right without spending a lot of time experimenting. So, I figured I'd post my concoction here for others to use as a starting point.
I consider this a seedling mix or one suitable for adding your own nutrients as it does not contain a whole lot of rich organic materials. The goal of this mix was to create something inexpensive with excellent moisture control. I hope to have a few more ingredients in a week or so (Mycorrhizal Fungi, better composted materials, etc.) and may attempt a richer mix recipe soon.
Recipe used:
Total cost for 1 cubic foot (excluding tax) is approx: $5.50 (Cost could be reduced by buying the perlite in larger quantities.)
Ingredient Detail:
Soil Test:
A one quart sample was isolated out and mixed with distilled water for a day and was shaken frequently. Then the sample was dried out in the sun, crushed and the tests were taken as per instructions. The Mosser Lee Soil Master kit was used to test pH and N-P-K. NPK values are only measured as 'low', 'medium' and 'high', but it gives some idea of contents I would guess.
I consider this a seedling mix or one suitable for adding your own nutrients as it does not contain a whole lot of rich organic materials. The goal of this mix was to create something inexpensive with excellent moisture control. I hope to have a few more ingredients in a week or so (Mycorrhizal Fungi, better composted materials, etc.) and may attempt a richer mix recipe soon.
Recipe used:
- 40% Peat
- 20% Cheap Potting Soil
- 19.3% Sharp Sand
- 10% Perlite
- 5% Vermiculite
- 5% Manure
- 0.4% Lime (4 FlOz per cubic foot of final mix)
- 0.2% Bone Meal (4 Tbs per cubic foot of final mix)
- 0.1% Potash (2 Tbs per cubic foot of final mix)
Total cost for 1 cubic foot (excluding tax) is approx: $5.50 (Cost could be reduced by buying the perlite in larger quantities.)
Ingredient Detail:
- Peat: Premier Shagnum Peat Moss (brown) ($9.75 for 3 cubic feet at Lowes)
- Cheap Potting Soil: Garden Pro Potting Soil (40 lb for $2.87 at Lowes)
- Sand: Quickrete All Purpose Sand ($2.98 for 50 lb. at Lowes). This is 'sharp sand'. It is important to use this type, and not playground, beach or pavers sand.
- Perlite: Miracle Grow Perlite ($4.55 for 8 qt. at Lowes)
- Vermiculite: Sta-Green Vermiculite ($4.72 for 8 qt. at Lowes)
- Lime: Soil Doctor Pulverized Garden Lime (quick release, powdered) ($3.18 for 40 lbs. at Home Depot)
- Bone Meal: Hi-Yield Bone Meal ($3.99 for 4 lb. at local garden center)
- Manure: Garden Pro 1-0.5-1 Dehydrated Manure & Humus ($2.84 for 40 lb. at Lowes)
- Potash: Epsoma Quick Solutions Potash ($13.49 for 5 lb. at local garden center)
Soil Test:
A one quart sample was isolated out and mixed with distilled water for a day and was shaken frequently. Then the sample was dried out in the sun, crushed and the tests were taken as per instructions. The Mosser Lee Soil Master kit was used to test pH and N-P-K. NPK values are only measured as 'low', 'medium' and 'high', but it gives some idea of contents I would guess.
- pH: 6.0 (I expect that the pH of the mix will rise slightly in time as the lime and other ingredients meld a bit. If I get a chance, I'll measure it again in a couple of weeks and post the results here.)
- Nitrogen: (N) Very Low (Expected, I use Diluted Fish Emulsion to water down transplants)
- Phosporous (P): Medium to High
- Potassium (K): High (Unexpected, too much Potash perhaps?)
