• If you need help identifying a pepper, disease, or plant issue, please post in Identification.

Help me mix!

B

Big_Egg

Many (most, in fact) of my plants are now outgrowing their 1 gallon containers and it is time to repot/plant outside. I've got around 240, most of them are going in the ground since I got excellent results last year, but I'm putting a small group (30-50) into 5 or 7 gallon containers to find out why this seems to be the preferred method of growing on this forum. Not having a ProMix supplier around (if anyone knows of one within an hours drive of Blacksburg, Virginia, let me know) I've been gathering components to mix my own. The following are the components I have available:

Perlite (lots and lot)

Vermiculite (lots and lots)

Peat Moss (lots and lots)

Coconut fiber (8 cubic feet, can easily and cheaply get more)

80% composted leaves (lots and lots)


Compost (cow and horse manure, vegetables) (have about 200 lbs, but cheap and easily obtainable)

Azomite (about 10 lbs. I think)

Black Worm Castings (about 40 lbs, can get more but expensive)

Organic Potting Mix (McEnroe Brand, mainly compost, perlite and peat moss. Much heavier than I would like. About 120 lbs.)

Fresh wood chips (lots and lots)

Shredded bark (mainly pine. Lots and lots).




In addition I have a ton of pelleted chicken manure fertilizer (Harmony 5-4-3 with 9% calcium) that I've seen people use in potting mixes.




Given these ingredients, what would you use and in what ratio? Any crucial component missing that I really should try to obtain?




Odie
 
WOW!!!! Just top soil (free) garden soil (Wal Mart) and vermiculite will do you good alittle compost and shit over the years will help
 
What quality is the peat moss and coco fibers? are the fibers string-like? chips? soil textured?
I would go with a soil-less mix, and that's what I've been doing for that last 3 years. working great.

If the coco is fine, a 40% coco, 40% perlite and 20% worm castings (although never heard of black worm's castings...) will do great for the smaller pots until you need to re-pot. for the big containers... well, I keep mine at 70% coco and 30% perlite. I fertilize with either liquid fertilizers or apply small humus amounts every now and then.

You can still get creative ya know... a peat moss, perlite, vermiculite, worm castings mix with wood chips in top to protect the surface from, well, mainly the sun.
 
I would avoid mixing the wood chips IN the soil. As Omri suggested, you can use them as a mulch. Mixed into the soil they will use nitrogen as they break down.

Generally speaking, store bought containers mixes are peat, perlite, vermiculite, lime, and fertilizer. I know you said shredded, but what size on average is the bark. You may be able to add that so the mix retains less water.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top