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Potting mix

I am a big fan of Fox Farm... If you are like me and do not have a yard or the time to mix it yourself... then this is the best soil that ive found.  I have a small balcony and i work 8-5, plus gym and wife time = no extra time.. so I get the stuff thats already prepared..  It is charged with about 4-6 weeks of nouts, then youll have to ammend but its awesome stuff.  Fox Farms Ocean Forrest to be exact.
 
Proud Marine Dad said:
I made my own as well. 1/3 home made compost/EWC (the most important ingredient), 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 5/16" red lava rock, Espoma Tomato Tone, Kelp meal, Alfalfa meal, Crab meal, Neem cake, Gaia Green glacial rock dust.
I will never buy soil from a store again as I can make soil better than anything on the market.
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This is an old thread, I get it. But I've been trying to do some research on using lava rock as an alternative. When I saw this post, I couldn't help but tell myself that this is a shockingly heavy mix. Lava rock tends to hold water like crazy, and 1/3 compost (and especially EWC) is heavy in any mix. Combined with peat, it sounds like mud to me.
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Are you still using this mix? I'd be curious to know what compost you use.
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I'd like to believe that this mix is viable, but we get heavy rains here, and if this works for you, I want to believe that your climate is fairly arid.
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Your feedback...
 
Devil Created Pods said:
nice mix except the miracle gro ewwwww. lol. i hate that stuff. i usually mix my own with compost, sand, blood meal, bone meal, azomite, perlite, vermiculite, mycorrihzae, worm castings and peat moss. i use fish emulsion as fertilizer too its good stuff!
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Ive been using the natures care organic miracle gro potting mix lately, I was incredibly hesitant to try it and started using it about a year ago. 10 years ago I wouldnt have touched anything with their name on it, but their natures care organic soil Ive had success with, and been pleasantly surprised with. Has a lot of the same ingredients youve listed. A very basic mix of dolomite lime, perlite, and the natures care organic potting mix has yielded good results for me, and is all readily available at your local home improvement store.
 
 
Here is the Ecoscraps compost soil. Very nice and wont need much added for pots.
P1020671_zpsxmjkwmgj.jpg

 
This is the Ecoscraps potting mix with coco but i really didn't see much coco in it. Mixed with just one 1.5lb block would likely be ok because its pretty fluffy.
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I actually revived this thread from 2014, so that I could get the fella with the bog mush to weigh in on his mix. I want to see what kind of luck he's had with that particular mix, because most people only use lava rock for orchids.
 
solid7 said:
I actually revived this thread from 2014, so that I could get the fella with the bog mush to weigh in on his mix. I want to see what kind of luck he's had with that particular mix, because most people only use lava rock for orchids.
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I have a plant that I can water every day if you want. It's 1/3 coco coir, 1/3 vermicompost and 1/3 lava rock
Adelaide is a pretty dry city but watering it daily we shall see
 
I really like lava rock though and it brings extra things to the table that perlite doesn't IE holding water and minerals
 
Powelly said:
I have a plant that I can water every day if you want. It's 1/3 coco coir, 1/3 vermicompost and 1/3 lava rock
Adelaide is a pretty dry city but watering it daily we shall see
 
I really like lava rock though and it brings extra things to the table that perlite doesn't IE holding water and minerals
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And what size lava rock do you use?
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Lava rock is generally weathered before use. Did you buy horticultural grade, or just any old?
 
Swartmamba said:
got to love tomato/garden tone wish we got it here.
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 Kan jy nog afikaans praat , of net "swartmamba.".
 
 
I only use homemade compost and 1/3 coco coir. Nothing else needed.
 
karoo said:
Kan jy nog afikaans praat , of net "swartmamba.".
 
 
I only use homemade compost and 1/3 coco coir. Nothing else needed.
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So, I'm really not understanding some points of view, here... I've tried compost and peat or coco coir. It failed, spectacularly. It compacts, it hardens, plants hate it.
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What's so different about your method? No drainage amendment, no structure. Do you get no rain where you are at? How do you water?
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Not trying to be difficult, but what you've just stated, violates every rule of building a container mix. Or are you planting in a bed?
 
solid7 said:
So, I'm really not understanding some points of view, here... I've tried compost and peat or coco coir. It failed, spectacularly. It compacts, it hardens, plants hate it.
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What's so different about your method? No drainage amendment, no structure. Do you get no rain where you are at? How do you water?
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Not trying to be difficult, but what you've just stated, violates every rule of building a container mix. Or are you planting in a bed?
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Have a look at my glog ,
my compost is at least two years old , not the fibrous quick compost from the store , it is very fine with the texture of fine sand or dusty soil when dry. I add coco coir for drainage.
I plant in small and large pots and 1mx1m plastic containers that act as raised beds . Extreme heat and draught means that I water every day or every second day.
 
The plan is not to create a container mix according to rules , but rather to mimic normal fertile soil created by nature. Decomposed/decomposing leaves , wood , eggshells , fruit ,vegetables and a bit of manure now and then.
 
But as I said at the start , the age and maturity is the key to the compost . Created and matured in a hole in the ground .I think there is a pic in my glog.
 
Yeah, I can't get away with that, here. It just doesn't work. You are hot and dry, we are hot, humid, and get loads of rain.
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There is so much that I want to learn about regional growing differences. We all have advantages and disadvantages, and you can never fully understand them, until you've experienced it. It's amazing what can work for one person, and be such a disaster for someone else!
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Your plants look great, by the way!
 
I use no perlite normally and mine do just fine but ours summers don't have many down pours. I had a bur gerkin in a 3gal "ish" pot that literally covered my deck by July. I use a high amount of Just Natural Mushroom Compost in my pots and ive never had a problem.
 
This plant was from seed directly into the pot. Cukes are THIRSTY little buggers though compared to peppers.
BurGherkin_zpsv8z6jmqi.jpg

P1020164_zpshphxllzq.jpg

 
Same with my planter boxes...zero perlite added. My Lemon Thyme was HUGE last year
IMG_0436_zpsxb3cykxw.jpg

 
 
karoo said:
Have a look at my glog ,
my compost is at least two years old , not the fibrous quick compost from the store , it is very fine with the texture of fine sand or dusty soil when dry. I add coco coir for drainage.
I plant in small and large pots and 1mx1m plastic containers that act as raised beds . Extreme heat and draught means that I water every day or every second day.
 
The plan is not to create a container mix according to rules , but rather to mimic normal fertile soil created by nature. Decomposed/decomposing leaves , wood , eggshells , fruit ,vegetables and a bit of manure now and then.
 
But as I said at the start , the age and maturity is the key to the compost . Created and matured in a hole in the ground .I think there is a pic in my glog.
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This is why it doesn't turn to mud when it rains
It's actually been raining the last 3 days here in Adelaide (right on cue) and my pots are draining fine
 
I suspect that there is a high level of mycorrhizal fungi. If I dig down with my finger a little I can see the fungal web very clearly
 
I understand that, but soil that's created by mother nature works best when given the conditions provided by mother nature. Container culture is not the same as in-ground planting, no matter how you slice it. There are variables - there is no absolute answer for this.
 
Powelly said:
I'm talking about containers
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So am I. The very best soil produced by mother nature, is not necessarily the best medium to use in a container.

I can use the same mix that Karoo uses, in my climate, and I won't grow anything even remotely as nice as what he's producing. In fact, most people won't. There is a science to building a soil - or potting mix, in this case - and it takes mitigating variables to produce good results, when it's deviated from. So, that's why this is a mystery to me. What's the difference? Ive just posted a thread with the compost that I make. In small measure, it's great stuff. In any kind of quantity, and especially without drainage amendment, it's mud.
 
As mentioned perlite is likely a poor choice of drainage for you and you should seek some other form of drainage 
Natural mushroom compost has great drainage qualities 
 
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