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soil Soil and Pot question

mel

mel

Hi all,

I'm about to head out to Bunnings to pick up some pots and dirt so I can re-pot my recently acquired Rocoto.. quick question... the plant is only about 30cm high but I'm aware that it has the potential to get quite big, so I'm thinking start off in a medium size pot and then repot it again next year.. what do you think? should i start small and work up or just go big to begin with? I'm going to get a trellis type thing to stick in there as well so its got some support.. (underbra for plant.. yay!)

and secondly, I was planning on getting some soil that is meant for fruit/veg/herbs but now wondering if I should mix any sand in with it??

Any suggestions greatly appreciated..

Here's the Rocoto

IMG_1849.jpg
 
Hey Mel,

I'm a fan of potting up to larger size pots to keep the roots happy. I also think it's good for the roots to get a bit crowded first so I would go with the medium one now and the larger one when necessary.

If you're going to pick up potting soil that is made specifically for growing fruit and veges it will probably have all the necessary ingredients in it already. No sand necessary.

Good luck!
 
Mel,

YMMV and I tend to do things a bit different from others. But I look at nature and how plants grow. That's why I only repot once before transplanting, either into a container, raised bed or the garden. Get a large container, fill it with a mixture that allows water retention but also doesn't compact, and add a healthy dose of compost to it. That's usually some good topsoil type dirt, coarse potting mix, mixed green and brown leaves and the finished compost.

Like I said, YMMV.

Mike
 
Thanks for the advice guys.. I'm back after an afternoon of activity and am now nicely settled on the couch with a beer in my hand and dinner simmering on the stove..

I ended up getting a medium sized pot for the Rocoto with some vege and herb dirt... repotted this afternoon after putting out a heap of bug killer and covering up some of the more exposed pots with some pebbles.. hopefully that'll stop those evil bugs!

Didnt pick up any cow poo but I've got an uncle who has a farm with lotsa cows and chickens so I'll probably head over there next weekend to pick some up..

Cant believe its sunday night already!! Only five days till the weekend, and then I get a week off!! Whoo Hoo!


Rocoto
IMG_1907.jpg


Jalepeno
IMG_1910.jpg


Scotch Bonnets
IMG_1909.jpg
 
Just to clarify, you want well rotted manure (at least six months, especially if used for food crops). The fresh stuff has pathogens like E. Coli and can burn your plants' roots with nitrogen.

Good luck!
 
And just my two cents...

Be very wary of some of those herb and vege mixes that claim good drainage. I ended up with a bag and now have some very very muddy pots. I haven't watered the pots in over 2 weeks and the bottoms are STILL muddy. :mad:
 
mel,

that jalapeno plant looks lovely!
and i envy that you have not 1 but 3 scotch bonnets going, mine didnt even sprout :(
 
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