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soil Let's Talk Soil...For Container Growing

I used the MiracleGro "Organic" premium potting soil mix for the 2008 growing season. The soil has performed well based upon my plant's growth and overall health. I do not think that it is extraordinary, however.

Anyone else use the MiracleGro Organic premium potting soil for their container peppers? Like the results?

I'm thinking about using the MiracleGro Cactus soil next year. Maybe mix 40% Cactus with 60% Organic and see how that goes?

What brand of soil have you had the best results for your container pepper's?
 
PeteyPepper said:
I used the MiracleGro "Organic" premium potting soil mix for the 2008 growing season. The soil has performed well based upon my plant's growth and overall health. I do not think that it is extraordinary, however.

Anyone else use the MiracleGro Organic premium potting soil for their container peppers? Like the results?

I'm thinking about using the MiracleGro Cactus soil next year. Maybe mix 40% Cactus with 60% Organic and see how that goes?

What brand of soil have you had the best results for your container pepper's?

I tried miracle grow last year and it didnt work out very well for me. I believe it had too much nitrogen. This was not the "organic" type, but just their regular potting soil with fertilizer added. They did really well from sprout till they had 8 - 10 leaves and then they seemed to go to hell and never really thrived. In the end I got one teeny mutant dwarf hab out of 6 plants and they all died.

I dont blame all this on the soil, though. I was a total newb and did everything wrong you could think of. I think the soil played a part though.

This year I decided to make my own mix that did not start out with any fertilizers "built in". I mixed topsoil from a friends garden, , bagged topsoil from the local garden center, peat moss, and pearlite.

I use this mix in 5 gallon pots and fertilize with a balanced timed release fertilizer, and I also add some liquid seaweed to their water once a week.

My plants this year are awesomely healthy, growing rapidly, and all producing
way more fruit than I expected for their small sizes.
 
I used a bunch of miracle grow potting soil last year for my 50' long raised bed...the results were as you said...thrive until about 8-10 leaves then just struggle along...

This year, I added 60% compost and 40% cushion sand to the top of the MG and "stirred" it in.

Lesson learned...it is better to use a non-fertilize containing potting mixture and add the nutrients yourself based on the growth phase of the plant than it is to use a time release formula.

I contacted MG about this and their comment was...."the MG has a tendency to release its nitrogen faster than the other nutrients...that makes sense kinda...use the N first for growth and then the time release kicks in for the P and K...but...what kind of plant was this time release formula designed for...hmmmmpppp...not all peppers...maybe the annuums but definitely not chinense because the chinense mature slower than the annuums...JMO

You got me going on this one...sorry to ramble...

bottom line...I will use a good quality potting soil without any nutrients and add my own concoction weekly or every other week depending on the growth phase of the plants..
 
Ditto what AJ said...I first started with MG..and had terrible results.

I've learned more and have a better 'feel' for the peppers.

Now, using around a 2:1 mix of Pro-Mix BX and generic potting soil with extra Perlite and my own mix of ferts and some Epsom salts The plants are waaaay happier. A lot of it is better drainage and overfert from the MG IMO. Remember how my plants were last month?

Well, this is now..they are bushier, healthy, and generally doing well.
Also..no more damn soil pests. :)

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The two on the right were the half dead Bih and Dorset from a month ago..much better now.

S6301215.JPG

Fatali is slow growing, but getting big.

(these are 8x8 fiber pots btw...approx 1.62 gallons)

-QS
 
Dead dirt from the garden with a bit of peat moss and cow manure in the very bottom, a nice layer of topsoil from a store, a bit of plain, generic, no-fert potting soil just around the root ball with bought top soil around it, topped off with more of the dead dirt. The peppers are doing quite well and all the plants that don't get overwintered - their dirt will be mixed with my compost pile so I can reclaim some dead space next year.

But wait - there's more. If the fair wants me to do a pepper display again next year, I'll use containers but bury them in the ground. Rotary till and remove the dirt to a depth where only the top of the container is showing. Place it in the "trench" and fill the trench with soil. This should solve the problem of having to water daily because the sun won't be baking the plastic. This will allow me to use part of the garden that is useless now, show the peppers and bring the ones I want to overwinter inside without having to try and dig them out of the ground.

Mike
 
Im experimenting with this current mix for container growing over Australia's upcoming spring/summer season:

6 parts Yates Professional Potting Mix
4 parts Canna Coco
2 parts 50/50 Perlite/Vermiculite

Plants are in seedling stage, and I originally started with the potting mix only, but after two days under a 130W CFL light, they were dry as hell. The mix above seems to eliminate that issue, given that the Coco and Vermiculite have high water retention attributes
 
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