im sold on MG now, thanks guys
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Mixing own potting mix?
- Thread starter KurruptKlown
- Start date
Capsicum
Banned
Lol.
It is best if you get a 8 qrt bag of perlite to add, it not only adds drainage but cuts the soil which is very rich in nutrients.
8 qrt bag for how much MG?
You need to be careful with using any bagged potting soils that contain added ferts, as well as bagged compost (especially manure-based compost). If they sit around for a while or if they get water in the bag, the nutrients can start to release within the bag itself, and in the case of compost, if it isn't fully broken down then it can create a nitrogen-rich environment as the materials continue breaking down inside the bag. In either case you can potentially burn your plants if you use them in your mix without accounting for this.
Just make sure the bags you buy feel relatively lightweight and look like they haven't been sitting out for a while and you should be fairly safe. Miracle Grow tends to be a bit nutrient rich anyway, so like Capsicum said, if you want to use it you should probably cut it with something.
Just make sure the bags you buy feel relatively lightweight and look like they haven't been sitting out for a while and you should be fairly safe. Miracle Grow tends to be a bit nutrient rich anyway, so like Capsicum said, if you want to use it you should probably cut it with something.
Can someone post a picture of the MG everyone is recommending? There are so many variations and types of potting soils MG offers. Thanks!
I'm going to go cheap this year as I'm buying in bulk. A decent topsoil and compost or manure mix. What's a good mix ratio? I was thinking one bag of compost to 4 bags of top soil. More, less, what do you think?
Capsicum
Banned
For pots or in ground? Because what you have there would be good for in ground. I went through trying to go cheap too. A mix that does not have the right air will not give you a good harvest thus I wasted time and space. I use smaller pots, better soil, and a complete fertilizer every other watering.
Anyone have any ideas on this product? Shrimp compost
http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/2/OutdoorLiving/Garden-Care/SoilsMixes/PRD~0594881P/Premier+Bio+Max%2C+Peat+Shrimp+Manure+Compost.jsp?locale=en
http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/2/OutdoorLiving/Garden-Care/SoilsMixes/PRD~0594881P/Premier+Bio+Max%2C+Peat+Shrimp+Manure+Compost.jsp?locale=en
I just like pro mix hp because it has 25-30% chunky perlite which in itself it a good deal. At 35-40 bucks for a 3.8 cuft bale that expands to 7 cu ft!!!! That is a good mix for a good price!!!!! I just like the miracle gro because it almost seems to have a better buffer do to the forst compost
Yea I think it has a stronger buffer then promix.
What do you mean by buffer? Are you talking about pH buffering?
And which MG has forest compost? Every bag I've used pretty much just looks like peat, perlite, and time released fertilizer. I'm sure it varies by region though.
I don't think MG is that bad, it drains pretty well and is light, but it seems to burn pepper plants, especially when the April-May monsoons start. It doesn't seem to drain as well as Pro Mix either. I used some of the MG seed starting mix this year and it worked pretty well.
Speaking of Pro-Mix, I found 2 cu ft. compressed bales at Menard's today for $14, they expand to 4 cu. ft. Last year I bought the 3.8 cu. ft. bales that expand to 7 cu. ft. for $28, so that's a little cheaper, plus I don't have to drive an hour to get it.
I haven't read the labels on every bag of Miracle Gro, I don't think anyway, and I've yet to see "forest compost". Or is it disguised as something else? Can't say I would know exactly what it looks like in the mix but I'm thinking larger bits.
MG has always been good at growing plants. I'm curious about how it does with pod production. Hope you guys keep your grow logs updated I am really interested in how this all turns out.
MG has always been good at growing plants. I'm curious about how it does with pod production. Hope you guys keep your grow logs updated I am really interested in how this all turns out.
i use MG in all my plants, veges, herbs and now peppers, and my peppers producing pods already after 40 to 50 days
I've got a much better soil mix to tell you about. I got it from the the container forum on another site. I used it last year, and had an incredible harvest. It's called 5-1-1. It's 5 parts partially composted pine bark fines and 1 part sphagnum peat and 1 part perlite. Also, Dolomitic lime is added to raise the pH. This mix is a fast draining superior mix, that is cheap to make. The advantage is that it does not hold perched water in the bottom and has superior oxygenation. It's almost impossible to overwater. Currently I have one tray of peppers in this mix and one half in Pro-mix BX (my ingredients for the 5-1-1 were frozen outside, and that's all I had). My peppers are more then twice the size in the 5-1-1 then in the BX. This can be used with fertilizers such as MG 24-8-16 and others that do not have Ca and Mg in their list of micronutrients. Try it, you'll be glad you did. I am in zone 5a, and had ripe superhots in July through to frost after starting in February. Got an incredible yield.
The problem with peat based mixes are they hold too much water, and not enough oxygen. That's why a lot of people bottom water in peat based mixes. With this mix, always water from the top, which flushes out the bottom refreshing the oxygen around the roots. You also don't get salt build up in this mix due to fast drainage. Best way to use it is to use a weak fertilizer mix in order to maintain the proper nutrient ratios.
The problem with peat based mixes are they hold too much water, and not enough oxygen. That's why a lot of people bottom water in peat based mixes. With this mix, always water from the top, which flushes out the bottom refreshing the oxygen around the roots. You also don't get salt build up in this mix due to fast drainage. Best way to use it is to use a weak fertilizer mix in order to maintain the proper nutrient ratios.
Capsicum
Banned
Yes get a bag of Miracle gro potting mix and look at what is in it, forest compost.
Like I said pro mix hp is the best mix out. It is much like hydroponics, that is what I meant about it not having the same buffer. A good potting mix with some light compost will always have a different buffer then peatmoss and perlite. Pro mix my have more air porosity but a mix like fox farm ocean forest soil would be easier to grow in.
Just like miracle gro soil, fox farm has forest compost in it.
Capsicum
Banned
I have the opposite problem with peat-based mixes, they do a very poor job of holding water when it gets hot, and are very hard to wet when they get dry and it's hot outside. Once they're dry I have to flood them with tons of water to get them wet again. Otherwise it all just runs out the bottom.
I would like to use pine bark fines, but they're nonexistent in this part of the country. If I want to use composted pine bark I have to buy untreated pine bark mulch (which is also difficult to find) and compost it myself.
Yes, hydrophobia is another property of peat that makes peat dominant soils difficult to work with. Theres no middle ground, too wet or too dry. Some have found that fir bark is available where pine bark is not and works well also.