soil Ive soiled myself.....

[2fishminimum]

ok.. ive read a TON of posts on soil.. recipes, and mixes.. and i realize that the standard Miricle Gro, potting, and the MG, veggie soil ive been using is probably not the best soil i could be using.. there is lots better out there.


but all my plants are in that soil now, so im kind of stuck with it unless i want to redo it all.. i have 33 plants in 5 gal containers.....


since all the MG soil i have has plant food in it, how long do i need to wait before i fertalize? if the bag says 6 months do i need to wait 6 months?

 

[Capsicum]

33 plants to go in 5 gal. I would get some promix. For 30-40 bucks you get about 7 cuft of grow media. I got some MG soil and my chillies started to yellow right away in it this year so I dont think I will go with that soil anymore even though I used to be a big fan of it. But promix HP has always been at number one on my list of top grow media. Its cheaper and has higher air porosity then potting mix. You will have a little less of a buffer but it is easy to grow in. Just get a complete fertilizer and feed very light at every watering or every other watering and plants will thrive.

Otherwise if you cant find promix or do not want to go about growing in a soilless media, I would say make sure the soil you get is fresh and not sitting out for a while. But yea with most soils you will not have to fertilize much. I would say wait to fertilize a month or so with good potting mix. Then fertilize at very low strength.

 

[hooda]

If you watch your watering and just watch your plants to get an idea when to start a fertilize cycle, you should be fine. Your going to cause them a lot of stress if you plan on rinsing all the roots out and repotting. I'd only do it if it's a last resort.

 

[spongey600]

^^^^what he said, you just need to be careful not to over water. and you will know when your plants will need to be fed again.

 

[HotPeppas]

i start ferts after about a month and a half. Remember its not about how much water you give them its about how often you water them

 

[Cayennemist]

Promix, FoxFarms OF, Edna's, or make your own for cheap.

Since I took cuttings today, I figured why not go ahead and share a great soil mix I like to use as well as give a small pictorial on taking cuttings from pepper mothers.

Anyone can make this soil and its much cheaper to make than buying pro mix or any other brand name mediums. Its light and airy so roots can ROCKET through it. This mix can be used for starting seed and propagating cuttings, as it is very conservative in the nutrient department.

If I'm using a standard 5 gallon bucket, the ratios are as follows:
First I start with 2 shovel fulls of native garden soil (from where the plants will be going)

Then 2 shovel fulls of peat.

1 Shovel full of Vermiculite

2 Shovel Fulls of Perlite (don't be stingy with this stuff, its great)

Then some Mychoraeze innoculant (great for helping roots "eat" more)

Then a small amount of a light N source( i used Kelp here, but worm castings is a great alternative)

Mix really well with your hands and you will end up with a great soil mix tailored for these types of applications. It should look something like this beauty here.

Cutting pictorial cont on next post...

 

[HotPeppas]

Agree. Foxfarm OF is perfect! If i wasnt so cheap and had money to drop id go ffof all the way

however i do have a good soil mix i came up with. Its

50% mg organic choice (the one that says ITS NOT MADE FOR POTS) i used it in pots anyhow
25% sphagnum peatmoss
25% perlite

perfect blend and with the weekly fert feeding i had plenty o good plants

 

[Cayennemist]

Agree. Foxfarm OF is perfect! If i wasnt so cheap and had money to drop id go ffof all the way

however i do have a good soil mix i came up with. Its

50% mg organic choice (the one that says ITS NOT MADE FOR POTS) i used it in pots anyhow
25% sphagnum peatmoss
25% perlite

perfect blend and with the weekly fert feeding i had plenty o good plants

Not my first choice, but that should be fine.

Personally, as the Organic nut that I am getting a Rep for (Ras Trent), Id mix up a tea it to get it going. What ever you have is ok, compost, Worm castings, Fish stuff, Kelp.
Just make sure to aerate it and add some sugars like black strap molasses. Get that soil going so it can start feeding your plants for you. And Be careful on the salt you add to it I.E. synthetics.

That's just how I roll. I'm sure many will disagree...

 

[Obsidian]

As stated above I would only worry about fertilizing if the plants show signs of distress. Miracle Grow may not be the best but its not all bad. Having the amounts you do would be prohibitive to try to swap out mid season. A nice mild organic after about a month or two if you doubt it all should keep your plants up to snuff.
One big thing aside from it being based on how much you water is that plants in containers have no source for anything that you do not provide and most of anything you put in the soil is washed out as waste.

However, for next year you can take all your current growing mix and amend it with any of the recipes found on this website. Again its not a bad mix what you have, just not optimal for pod production in most cases. Use that stuff as your base next year and add things to it and it should be fine.

 

[2fishminimum]

thanks you all! this looks great.. now i gotta go up to wally world and get me a new print cartridge so i can print this... dang it!