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Potting mix questions

Twice the Spice

Twice the Spice

So I decided to mix my own potting mix this year for my pepper plants. I tried to keep it simple, just wondering if this ratio was going to work or if I needed to go back and add something else to it.

1:1 peat moss to compost, added 1 cubic foot of perlite, and about 5 cups of tomato-tone. Planning on growing in 5-10 gal containers. Will this work well, or did I leave some things out? Thanks in advance!
 
How many ft3 do you think you made total?  Odds are I would think you would need quite a bit more perlite.  Can't tell unless we know the quantities of the other 2 ingredients though.  I would up it to at least 1:1:1.
 
Scuba_Steve said:
I think that statement can be simplified to just:
Don't use the Miracle Gro.
Anything!  I learned my lesson quickly...
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I'm pretty sure they bought Aerogarden just to outmaneuver that statement.
 
Scuba_Steve said:
How many ft3 do you think you made total?  Odds are I would think you would need quite a bit more perlite.  Can't tell unless we know the quantities of the other 2 ingredients though.  I would up it to at least 1:1:1.
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probably made around 6 cubic ft used one whole 3 cu ft of peat, in total I have about 75 gallons give or take.
meinchoh said:
Don't use the Miracle Gro perlite that has the fertilizer already added to it...
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I made sure I didn't, I ended up going to 3 different stores before I found the 1 cu ft bag of epsoma "organic" perlite.
Also I've been told peat is acidic should I of added dolomite to the mix? If so how much?
 
Did a quick PH test this morning to see if i was way off. Used a cheap test i had laying around not too reliable but it still gave me a general idea. Thinking i should add some dolomite to it later today.
 
You said you used a whole 3ft3 of peat.  Was that a compressed bale, or loose peat?  If it was compressed, then you actually have probably closer to 5-6ft3 of peat.
 
meinchoh said:
Don't use the Miracle Gro perlite that has the fertilizer already added to it...
Click to expand...
Didn't know they offered perlite w/fertilizer.That is very interesting and crazy at the same time.
 
Twice the Spice said:
It was a compressed bale. If I add a 4 cu ft bag of perlite should that make up for what I didn't add in the beginning?
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Yes.  I would also add another 2ft3 of compost.  That way you have 5ft3 of each.  As for the lime, I had read 1 Tbsp per gallon.  My soil tests neutral though, so I may have over done it with that calculation.  You want it slightly acidic.
 
I did fluff the bale of peat up before I used it. When mixing I used equal parts 1 5 gallon bucket of fluffed peat to 1 5 gallon of compost., so I'm confident the compost to peat ratio is pretty equal. I'll add a 4 cu ft bag of perlite a little bit of lime, unless the ph on that test looks fine.
 
Added 4 cu ft of perlite, 3-4 tbsp of garden lime each 15 gallon batch. Thanks for the help everyone who gave me advice/info! i hope this looks good.
Finished Product
 
That looks like the fluffiest potting mix in the land. Good stuff! Just be aware with a mix like that you will likely be watering more often when your plants get big.
 
Looks good!  Depending on the local geology, a few scoops of local dirt will add a variety of minerals to the mix.
 
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