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Cactus mix for peppers?

austin87

austin87

I was looking to make my own soil mix with some course builders sand, perlite/vermiculite, compost, and potting mix from the soil sticky.

The lady at Home Depot said just get cactus mix - http://www.promixgardening.com/en/product/detail/pro-mix-specialties-cactus-mix - it wasn't this brand but had a similar composition.

She said it's what she uses for her peppers (jalapeños, habs, poblano, Serrano, etc., no superhots) and it works great since it's free draining and fairly course to provide a lot of airspace.

Has anyone ever tried this or have any thoughts on how it might work? Would using part cactus mix and part regular potting soil work?

Thanks!
 
I've no direct experience, but have read several testimonies that suggest cactus mix does indeed work well with peppers.
It's fairly fluffy, which is what peppers like.
Yea, you can mix the cactus (or just some extra peat if you like) with 'normal' potting soil to good effect.
 
it would probably work. but you will need to add ferts of some sort.
 
i dont think its ideal, but im sure it would work.
 
its probably a small bag and too expensive though?
 
i always reccomend promix HP/BX + osmocote to people who ask me what to grow plants in.  its like 40 bucks for a bail that will fill like 8 5 gallon containers. 
 
after that you need to graduate onto mixing your own shit because promix gets too expensive.
 
queequeg152 said:
it would probably work. but you will need to add ferts of some sort.
 
i dont think its ideal, but im sure it would work.
 
its probably a small bag and too expensive though?
 
i always reccomend promix HP/BX + osmocote to people who ask me what to grow plants in.  its like 40 bucks for a bail that will fill like 8 5 gallon containers. 
 
after that you need to graduate onto mixing your own shit because promix gets too expensive.
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My answer is always compost.

If you have grass, you can make compost.

Compost + topsoil + perlite + tomatoe tone. Works really well for me.
 
Its all decomposed veg/protien matter
Search "compose pile",build your own with literally anything you can throw in it
If you ever have one catch fire your pretty close to a badass mix LOL
Grass cuttings,leaves,kitchen scraps from fruits and veg
 I use fresh fish scraps and left over live bait

Its SUPER DIRT
 
Malarky said:
please elaborate. I'm a compost noob.
Click to expand...
 
Malarky said:
please elaborate. I'm a compost noob.
Click to expand...
If you want to make compost it is really simple.

Save your grass clippingd, mulched leaves, etc.

Mix them thoroughly, and pile them up. Every few inches, as you are piling, give it a spray of water to moisten.

I find the best way to start a small pile is to get some chicken wire and make a 3 foot diameter circle, and use C-Clips to hold it together. Then pile it into the chicken wire.

This will make a hot compost. This pile will get quite hot (150+degrees) and steam. Once the center has cooled down to 110 degrees or so, turn the pile by pulling it apart and repeating the original steps. The compost will then heat back up as you introduce more oxygen and non-decomposed nitrogen (green material).

Once your compost stops heating up, allow it to stay moist.

If you see mushrooms, or mold form after the "hot compost" stage is done, don't disturb it. That is ideal for compost. Fungus breaks down what the bacteria couldn't, making more nutrients avaliable.

After your compost has been fungally dominated for a period of time, you will have finished compost.

You can use the compost after the "hot compost" and before the fungus dominated compost.

You don't want to add compost before the compost is done cooking, as the heat can damage the root system.
 
Vicious Vex said:
If you want to make compost it is really simple....
Click to expand...
thanks for the pointers, i don't mean to thread-jack. I know about compost making but i find browns hard to come by. I was intrigued by the "if you've got grass clippings" line. as I've plenty of grass clippings.
 
as for the OP, this year I'm curious to try peppers in Al's Gritty mix. Except I hate trying to source pine/fir fines of an appropriate size. So I'm mixing just the turface(oil dri)/and granite, and fertigating with DynaGrow FP/Bloom
 
just on a couple of plants...not sure how much watering it will take.
 
as for the OP, this year I'm curious to try peppers in Al's Gritty mix. Except I hate trying to source pine/fir fines of an appropriate size. So I'm mixing just the turface(oil dri)/and granite, and fertigating with DynaGrow FP/Bloom
Click to expand...
Don't sweat it too badly. That guy is Mr. N to the Nth degree. His method works, but it isn't the answer to end all debates, and doesn't require nearly the precision that he has a tendency to convey. If you want to apply theories to the utmost, follow him and his crowd. Otherwise, just get close, and grow your peppers. You don't have to screen fines. It will work just... wait for it... fine.

Timberline brand at Wal-Mart - $4 for 2 cu ft. Sold as "Pine Bark Mulch".
 
Malarky said:
thanks for the pointers, i don't mean to thread-jack. I know about compost making but i find browns hard to come by. I was intrigued by the "if you've got grass clippings" line. as I've plenty of grass clippings.
 
as for the OP, this year I'm curious to try peppers in Al's Gritty mix. Except I hate trying to source pine/fir fines of an appropriate size. So I'm mixing just the turface(oil dri)/and granite, and fertigating with DynaGrow FP/Bloom
 
just on a couple of plants...not sure how much watering it will take.
Click to expand...
 
You can compost grass clippings.  When you get your clippings it isn't just grass in there.  There are dead leaves, sticks, twigs, etc.  Unless you have a perfect lawn.   
 
The "brown material" can also be had via sawdust from a home depot or saw mill for free.   I have gone to local saw mills and got 50 gallon trash bags full just because I asked. 
 
Sorry for thread jacking. 
 
     Cactus mix would probably work OK, but there are much cheaper, more effective mixes out there. There's a lot of sand in cactus mix which is pretty much a place holder in soil. It adds texture and macropore space (air holes) but that's about it. Compost (as mentioned above) also adds texture and macropore space, but it also adds micropores which hold water. Plus it adds some nutrients, lots of beneficial microbes and humic acids for nutrient holding potential. All things sand can't do. 
     I start with a commercial mix like MetroMix or Sun Gro (I get a deal on it from a guy) and add lots of compost or leaf mold (whichever I have on hand) and lots of perlite. It's really light and fluffy, but it holds water well and doesn't compact much. 
     If you wanted to get really cheap, you could make your own mix from scratch using stuff like peat, bark fines and perlite. A little lime and wetter and you're good to go. Lots of great soil recipes can be found in the soil thread.

http://thehotpepper.com/topic/10245-all-about-soil-a-great-resource-i-thought-i-would-share/
 
queequeg152 said:
it would probably work. but you will need to add ferts of some sort.
 
i dont think its ideal, but im sure it would work.
 
its probably a small bag and too expensive though?
 
i always reccomend promix HP/BX + osmocote to people who ask me what to grow plants in.  its like 40 bucks for a bail that will fill like 8 5 gallon containers. 
 
after that you need to graduate onto mixing your own shit because promix gets too expensive.
Click to expand...
 
 
I just got 8 bails of Pro-Mix HP 2.2 cf for $ 24 bucks each at Home Depot  I mixed it at a 50/50 ratio  5 gallon PM to 5 gallon last years dirt - 1 bail only got me 8 full 5 gallon bags.
 
when did promix start doing 2.2 cubic foot bails?
 
i wouldnt mind a small bail like that... 24 bucks is pretty expensive though. the 4 cubic foot bails i was talking about are like 36-38 no tax.
 
queequeg152 said:
when did promix start doing 2.2 cubic foot bails?
 
i wouldnt mind a small bail like that... 24 bucks is pretty expensive though. the 4 cubic foot bails i was talking about are like 36-38 no tax.
Click to expand...
 
The 4 cf bails might be a Texas thing lol  I don't know to many Californians that could carry a 4 cf bail out of Home Depot the damn 2.2 cf ones are not lite :)
 
Yeah it will work. I've used it in 5 gallons with decent success. Things have improved drastically since picking up piles from a landscape supply place and mixing my own though.
 
Gargoyle91 said:
 
The 4 cf bails might be a Texas thing lol  I don't know to many Californians that could carry a 4 cf bail out of Home Depot the damn 2.2 cf ones are not lite :)
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I just bought a bunch of 3 CF soil conditioner from Home Depot. I was able to toss those in the back of my pickup, but I wouldn't want to go heavier :P
 
the 4 cubic foot bails of promix are very light. its just dry compressed peat and perlite afterall.
 
maby the stuff you are getting is wet?
 
4 cu.ft ones are maby... 35 lbs? not that heavy.
 
queequeg152 said:
the 4 cubic foot bails of promix are very light. its just dry compressed peat and perlite afterall.
 
maby the stuff you are getting is wet?
 
4 cu.ft ones are maby... 35 lbs? not that heavy.
Click to expand...
 
 
I made a mistake I didn't get Pro-Mix after all  -- I got Sunshine Mix 4 aggregate plus it's 2.2 cf compressed expands to 4.4 cf "supposedly". @ 45 lbs per bag, Could have sworn it was pro-mix.
 
I've used it in a pinch in several pots. Those mixes usually have some perlite, but I chuck a bunch more in there.
 
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