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tutorial All about soil - A great resource I thought I would share

Maybe I am missing something here. From the reading that I have done so far it sounds as though most are growing in pots, bags, tubs, and containers with many potting mixes containing all sorts of ingredients. Does anyone grow their peppers in the ground? I do my gardening in my garden and I improve my soil by collecting masses of yard waste from my neighbors and sheet mulching my garden in the fall. All this material breaks down into fantastic compost and I get megaloads of worms naturally in the garden helping to further improve the soil. Last year I had plants that were incredibly healthy. I was not growing peppers last year but will be focusing on them this year. I will see how it all works out and post pictures. When I saw the title of this thread I thought I was going to get some insight regarding ground soil improvement. Do you find that better plants result from growing in mixes with containers?
 
I've only tried to grow in the ground once and it was a disaster. It was actually only a 3' raised flower bed so it was still somewhat of a large pot or container as it's lined with plastic and sits over concreate with draining areas. For me and I'm sure most others it's about control. Although you can some what control what your plants grow in on the ground you don't have as much control if you grow them in a pot. I couldn't control anything in the ground like water retention, draining, fertilizing, etc etc. If you have your soil already matured you should have much better results.
 
gumbii said:
what about coco coir...?

i have a ton of this laying around... i was thinking about trying it on seeds to see if it works... i use it on my plumerias with perlite...
Click to expand...

Coco chip grow plants fast!!! Or 1/2"-1" pine bark medium. This is as light as a mix you will ever get!

Because this is about soil, I would not recommend using coco. I like good old soil.
 
I'd like to post a bark based mix that is proving to be far better then peat based mixes due to improved drainage, increased aeration, and reduced salt buildup. You will have to water this a bit more often then peat based mixes, but it is well worth it, and pots can be left in the rain. Best used with weak fertilizer in waterings done often. It's called 5-1-1 mix.

5 gallons partially composted pine bark fines (often sold as composted pine mulch or soil conditioner)
1 gallon sphagnum peat
1 gallon coarse perlite
1/2 cup dolomite lime (raises pH)
 
I have a big shredder at the office that I use. I guess the correct term would be "shred". Also works good for worm bedding if you have a worm farm.
 
LGHT said:
I've only tried to grow in the ground once and it was a disaster. It was actually only a 3' raised flower bed so it was still somewhat of a large pot or container as it's lined with plastic and sits over concreate with draining areas. For me and I'm sure most others it's about control. Although you can some what control what your plants grow in on the ground you don't have as much control if you grow them in a pot. I couldn't control anything in the ground like water retention, draining, fertilizing, etc etc. If you have your soil already matured you should have much better results.
Click to expand...


"5 gallons partially composted pine bark fines (often sold as composted pine mulch or soil conditioner)
1 gallon sphagnum peat
1 gallon coarse perlite
1/2 cup dolomite lime (raises pH) "

I have tried it. It is a great mix.
 
Good info there. Thanks!
I didn't see it listed but have any of you used Kellogg Patio Plus?
I am trying it for the first time this year as the ingredients are superior to the SuperSoil I have used in the past.
It contains Bat Guano, Worm Castings, Composted Chicken Manure, Kelp Meal, Rice Hulls, Perlite, Canadian Peat Moss, and Horticultural sand and is only $4.97 for a 1.5 cu. ft. bag at Lowes and Home Depot.
A far better value than MG, which I refuse to use, and other brands out there that I have seen.

7cdd14f2-c381-4cfa-965a-858da2443c22_300.jpg
 
Pepper-Guru said:
thats the one. Yeah on the surface the ingredients read legit, but further investigation proves undisclosed sources of Nutrients.
Click to expand...

I haven't seen a soil yet that listed all the sources of each nutrient, maybe the real good ones do.
Unfortunately some of us can't afford soil that is 4x as much as what I bought.
If I could have afforded it I would have used Happy Frog from Fox Farms.
 
MotaMike said:
Good info there. Thanks!
I didn't see it listed but have any of you used Kellogg Patio Plus?
I am trying it for the first time this year as the ingredients are superior to the SuperSoil I have used in the past.
It contains Bat Guano, Worm Castings, Composted Chicken Manure, Kelp Meal, Rice Hulls, Perlite, Canadian Peat Moss, and Horticultural sand and is only $4.97 for a 1.5 cu. ft. bag at Lowes and Home Depot.
A far better value than MG, which I refuse to use, and other brands out there that I have seen.

7cdd14f2-c381-4cfa-965a-858da2443c22_300.jpg
Click to expand...

this is what i use too, cheap at lowes, and the amend
 
Alex, have you had good luck with it?
Yes it is a great price at $4.97 for 1.5 cu. ft.
I have found articles that say they are putting human waste into the "compost" that is in this mix as well as others.
I hope that is not true.
 
Yeah...a guru that I trust very much even told me that he called them and the person from the company admitted that the ingredients on the bag are not what is really going on...

My rule of thumb....

"if its at lowes or home depot, its not naturally derived"
 
Pepper-Guru said:
My rule of thumb....

"if its at lowes or home depot, its not naturally derived"
Click to expand...

Very true my friend. Could I make my own potting soil for around that price? I am like you in that I would prefer to know every ingredient in the medium.

BTW, I just sent an email to Kathy Johnson at Kellogg informing her of my concerns over using human waste in a soil. If it is somehow safe to do so I would appreciate the input but something tells me this is not right.
 
well lets see...my base for super soils are peat, perlite and compost. Compost is free, 18 lb bag of perlite or verm is $17 and 3.8 bale of peat is $17 at many of my local nurseries or cheaper sometimes. Do the math. The bags of perlite and verm of that wieght are huge and last years. Depending on how much compost one has available the peat could last quite the long time as well. I use one 3.8 bale of peat for 100 gallons of soil. So in the end, making your own soil is much cheaper than buying the pre mixed stuff.
 
I can't produce that much compost so I would once again have to rely on compost from another source and apparently Lowes and Home Depot are not necessarily the places to get it from. :(
 
Dude, you have trees in your yard? You can compost woodchips, brush, weeds, old plants, leaves, food, grass, just about anything. Also, I go around asking neighbors for leaf piles, brush, etc. Compost is easy to come by with a little imagination. Its everywhere! In the end, we are just talking "organic material". Nature provides it.
 
I have a plum tree and a lemon tree and the leaves of the Dogwoods in the school yard behind my fence that fall in the yard. That's it for leaves.
My grass is loaded with weeds so I don't put the clippings in the compost bin as I am afraid I will get weed seeds.
I do put any compostable items in there but it's just my wife and I so there isn't a whole lot to be making compost for multiple plants.
I would have to get the neighbors compost if I wanted to keep my compost bin full.
 
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