media What media to use? Transplanting from start pods to solo cups

[Pharthan]

Long question made short: What grow media should I be putting in my Solo cups? A lot of the guides are nearing a decade old and pic & links are often broken.
 
I already have a bunch of plants in solo-cups with the Kellogg Raised Bed mix, but they've been like that for over a month and are still stuck on having at most two pairs of true leaves, with their Coty's falling off now. My habs look more like sprouts. Planted those late-March. They're alive, but not making much progress. I know I messed them up in probably a dozen different ways.Transplanted to early (as cotys with no true leaves), humidity dome on too long, not enough light, transplanted to solo cups... the list goes on.

I have a second set of starter plants that I didn't royally screw up, planted May 10th, and many of them are now at the point of showing their third pair of true leaves and the starter-pack is (from Burpee, 36 cell) is looking crowded. I don't want to make the same mistake, but at their current rate they'll need to be transplanted in a week, two tops. When I put them in solo-cups, what media should I use?

Finding the individual components and making a mix isn't exactly an option in my area, that I'm aware of. Places I've looked seem to carry the stuff, but either in small quantities or they're perpetually out. I'm looking for a one-bag solution. I was kind of thinking I might need potting mix? I am also considering maybe getting a bunch of starter-refills and using that for the prematurely transplanted ones.

 

[luvmesump3pp3rz]

there is a ton of great info in this thread here.http://thehotpepper.com/topic/10245-all-about-soil-a-great-resource-i-thought-i-would-share/?hl=soil
 
 
short answer is transplant now and get the plants out of the Kelloggs and into something better. either home mixed or miracle grow potting mix. i bought some of the kelloggs a couple of years ago and didn`t have good results. 

 

[sirex]

A lot of people here mix their own media. I don't. I use either MG potting mix or Jungle Growth potting mix cut with perlite. It's easier for me since I work a lot.

 

[skullbiker]

Use the Miracle Gro potting mix. But, use the stuff in the green & yellow bags, do not use the moisture retaining mix in the blue bags.
The bag should look like this:

 

[juanitos]

go to local nursery, ask what potting mix they use / recommend. buy it

 

[The_NorthEast_ChileMan]

+1...

 

[alkhall]

My one and only experience with Kellogg's was so bad, I would not advise my worst enemy to use it.

As to potting up, FF Ocean Forest is my go to.

 

[Pharthan]

+1...

Transplanted them all today in this mix, we will see how they do.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Takanotsume]

I tried potting up two of my charapitas into the Miracle-gro Moisture Control potting mix after seeing the mostly glowing reviews about the stuff on Amazon.
 
They ended up losing almost all of their leaves due to rather severe nutrient burn in less then a week and currently are in rehab attempting to regrow foliage after being repotted again into an organic Ecoscraps mix.
 
And thus my search for a reasonably priced but effective potting mix continues, homemade or otherwise.

 

[skullbiker]

I tried potting up two of my charapitas into the Miracle-gro Moisture Control potting mix after seeing the mostly glowing reviews about the stuff on Amazon.
 
They ended up losing almost all of their leaves due to rather severe nutrient burn in less then a week and currently are in rehab attempting to regrow foliage after being repotted again into an organic Ecoscraps mix.
 
And thus my search for a reasonably priced but effective potting mix continues, homemade or otherwise.

The problem was the moisture control mix, the regular one probably would have been fine.

 

[acs1]

Speaking of Kellogg potting soil...
 
Had some left over container mix a year or so ago,, organic Kellogg and organic MG. Did a little experiment.
 
Potted up some10" high almost identical adolescents, 2 habs, 2 jala, 2 scorpion. All came from seed and in 1/2 gal plastic pots with my seedling formula. Up potted  into 5 gal fabric containers.
 
3 used the MG, 3 Used the Kellogg.
 
 All did pretty good, but the Kellogg seemed to do best, with bigger plants, more flowers, more and bigger pods. Keep in mind it wasn't a huge difference but very noticeable. But none did as well as my own home rolled media plants...
 Getting the watering correct in the commercial media mixes was more difficult and took time/thinking, they seemed to hold water for way to long. Small plants in big containers makes watering even harder... I feel correct watering is key to using MG or Kelloggs, or any other commercial made media, or home rolled. But home rolled media set up for your environment conditions makes watering easier and more forgiving imo.
 
This was just my own anecdotal experience, ymmv.

 

[acs1]

Well, if you want the best for your plants, tailored for the exact environment they're being grown in, its easy/cheap to make your own pepper plant container media. Some of us are lucky where they grow, commercial bought media mix works perfect for them. Me,, not so lucky here in sFL, commercial media all seem to turn into a mud mix here.
 
All 5 needed ingredients easy to get at Home Depot. Fine tuning the ratio of ingredients for your climate is key for a bountiful harvest/healthy easy to take care of plants.
 
Could go the easy route, more problematic possibly, MG container mix. As its a general purpose media, not tailored to the exact environment most are in. Or use some other container media, just make sure to read whats in it. As many commercial container mixes have  bat crap, bird shit, cow manure, chicken crap, sheep/animal by products, etc... All things that possibly can introduce pathogens into your grow.
 
Myself, would rather roll my own, its easy and cheap and I know exactly whats in it. Does take a bit more time. Imo well worth it for plants I dole over for months and enjoy their sweet hot pods year round. Also don't need more problems introduced from a less than ideal media...

Tell us what your weather is like, how much rain, rains how often, daily temps, etc... All these things will decide the ratio of ingredients you use. Not knowing Jackson Ms weather that well, but assuming its like most gulf states.
 
Here in S FL its very humid with lots of short rain storms almost daily and extreme high UV its at 11 today, mostly sunny, about to rain, but only 86°.

I use a light airy media that drains well, on the hydrophobic side if it dries out completely. So mostly use bottom watering.

My media ratio, 7parts peat moss, 2 parts perlite, 1 part worm castings, 1/2 cup ground eggshells, 1/2 cup Dr Earth fert, and optional or in place of the eggshells a couple/few tablespoons Dolometic Lime for a buffer/calcium. All per 5 gal bucket... Optional, you can add a surfactant if you can't handle a semi-hydrophobic media.

Above mix ratio needs to be adjusted for your amount of rain and temps to get the best, least problematic, results...

Make sure to spread out the peat and wet it down working in the water slowly. Do that first before mixing in the other stuff... Then just roll it all in to together and mix very well, than mix again...

1) Peat Moss__ 3cf bag is $11 @ HD, plenty for maybe 20+, 5-7gal fabric containers

2) Perlite__ (get big bag for bigger size pieces/grains, small bag small pieces, bigger better for drainage)

3) Worm Castings__ might have to order them from HD, some stock it. Or use some good grade compost, but WC are much better. Don't go over 5-10% WC or compost, doesn't take much.

4) Organic vegetable Fertilizer like Dr Earth

5) egg shells, grind to fine powder or get some dolomite garden lime at HD.

6) Aged Pine Fines are optional, but great addition. You can double your media by adding 30-50% aged pine fines making media even more airy light, but still potent. Getting it here for 4.95 for a big bag at a local nursery supply, Walmart sometimes has it.
 
Just for reference was doing some up potting from solo cups to 5 gal fabric pots this morning. These Scotch Bonnets are about 6 weeks old, 8-10" tall. Started in my seed starter formula, than up potted to clear solo cups with my regular light airy media mix, its Solid7 mix formula with a little tweak for my slightly more southern wetter location. Any locals that want some of these SB, pm me, come and get them. Got way to many, seems every seed germinated and grew like crazy fast...
 
Sorry for the long post in your thread... Hope it helps...
 

 
 

 
 

 

 

[Takanotsume]

Am I correct in thinking it's better to have a medium that dries quickly and needs to be watered every day or every other day?
 
I've noticed that pretty much all of the store-bought mixes I've tried tend to take a week or more before the soil becomes parched enough to make the plants start wilting.

 

[The_NorthEast_ChileMan]

Am I correct in thinking it's better to have a medium that dries quickly and needs to be watered every day or every other day?
 
I've noticed that pretty much all of the store-bought mixes I've tried tend to take a week or more before the soil becomes parched enough to make the plants start wilting.

 
My input here is - along with water and nutes the plants roots need oxygen to keep it happy and a "compacted" growing medium restricts this. There are many ways to accomplish this which has been covered ad nauseam.

 

[Mr.joe]

Am I correct in thinking it's better to have a medium that dries quickly and needs to be watered every day or every other day?
 
I've noticed that pretty much all of the store-bought mixes I've tried tend to take a week or more before the soil becomes parched enough to make the plants start wilting.

Not necessarily. With seedlings growing in the garage I have no issues. Growing outside in the sun in cloth bags I need to water daily ( I should water twice a day) this may be the last year with the cloth bags because of this Idk.

What you need is potting soil. Here in California top shelf potting soil is easy to find. I usually use fox farms ocean forest or happy frog both are great. I gifted a bag of ocean forest to a co worker and now he won't use anything else. I bought a bag of vermifire this year and I loved it. I went to buy more vermifire, but they were out, I bought roots organic in a green bag and it seems good so far. For me any of these are good enough, but I'm a rookie compared to most here and most of my plants are grown in the ground.