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overwintering Winter-Summer in OZ "Comparison" / Aussie Blabberers
- Thread starter Nova
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I can't remember which, but isn't either Perlite or Vermiculite the same kinda stuff that you get inside bean bags...like those small polystyrene ball things?
25 bucks for a 20l bag just seems a tad pricey...although I guess it goes a long way yeah?
****edit
I just googled what's in perlite etc, and came across a page saying that people mistake perlite for styrofoam balls. It says that both are great for aerating the soil, but goes on to say that Perlite is preffered as it retains the moisture.
So with that, I might just whack a load of bean bag balls in the mix on a couple of plants and see what happens. Gotta be cheaper anyway...
25 bucks for a 20l bag just seems a tad pricey...although I guess it goes a long way yeah?
****edit
I just googled what's in perlite etc, and came across a page saying that people mistake perlite for styrofoam balls. It says that both are great for aerating the soil, but goes on to say that Perlite is preffered as it retains the moisture.
So with that, I might just whack a load of bean bag balls in the mix on a couple of plants and see what happens. Gotta be cheaper anyway...
except that pearlite etc breaks down into nutrients. Polystyrene doesnt
Yeah that's true...although when it breaks down wouldn't it then 'not aerate' the soil whereas polystyrene would continue to?
I dunno, im still new to all of this and was just thinking aloud
Perlite is tiny little rocks. It doesn't break down or hold any nutrients, or any moisture, it is pH neutral and completely inert. It's coarse shape creates drainage channels and allows air to get in. It doesn't compact over time.
On the other hand vermiculite is like little spongey particles, it retains water and nutrients and will compact down after a while. It can vary in pH based on what it has absorbed.
Cheapest place to get it is here.
http://www.truelocal...actory/jandakot
They sell it for about $28 for 100 litres.
I haven't heard about using polystyrene in a soil mix. Doesn't sound like a good idea to me.
Edit: If you are going to use perlite you have to use a lot for it to do any good. If you just use a tiny handful in a soil mix to improve drainage and aeration but each individual bit of perlite is completely enclosed by small soil particles its pointless and you won't get any benefit. You need use a lot or have other large particle things in there to create the drainage channels.
On the other hand vermiculite is like little spongey particles, it retains water and nutrients and will compact down after a while. It can vary in pH based on what it has absorbed.
Cheapest place to get it is here.
http://www.truelocal...actory/jandakot
They sell it for about $28 for 100 litres.
I haven't heard about using polystyrene in a soil mix. Doesn't sound like a good idea to me.
Edit: If you are going to use perlite you have to use a lot for it to do any good. If you just use a tiny handful in a soil mix to improve drainage and aeration but each individual bit of perlite is completely enclosed by small soil particles its pointless and you won't get any benefit. You need use a lot or have other large particle things in there to create the drainage channels.
I dunno, i just read it from this earlier today
http://worldseedsupply.org/blog/?p=113
"Some people mistake perlite in potting soil mixtures for Styrofoam balls. While both mediums are used for aeration..."
$28 for 100 litres seems a bit better though Moo.....might see if anyone more local to me has the same.
Cheers
Ahhh, righty...
I just found a place nearby selling 100 litres of Perlite for $30 or 100 litres Vermiculite for $35, which is more like it!
I don't begrudge spending money if i feel its VFM, but Bunnings prices always get me thinking outside the box to see if there's something else that could do the job!
But with those prices above i'll happily get the wallet out
I think when they say "both mediums" they mean perlite and vermiculite. I can't imagine using styrofoam balls in a soil mix. That's basically what perlite looks like, and its also as light, but it is coarse in shape not round like balls.
I said that perlite doesn't retain water but its obviously porous so it does. I think it drains out easily though. I favour coco coir over vermiculite for holding water in a mix, because it doesn't compact down over the course of the season.
I said that perlite doesn't retain water but its obviously porous so it does. I think it drains out easily though. I favour coco coir over vermiculite for holding water in a mix, because it doesn't compact down over the course of the season.
OK well i made up my own soil to pot them in....I think only time will tell, ill see how they go over the next week.
It was interesting to analyse the pots they were in, you could shake the pot out and the top stuff of mulch etc would just run off....BUT the potting mix under it was all hard and didnt come out, its like the pot was 2 complete different mediums inside.
Here are the pics,
This is what i bought to play around with
This is the stuff that i used, blood and bone, cutting sand, organic compost and vermiculite + plus some of the potting mix and mulch.
In the below photo i added about 2x more of that vermiculite as i went because i thought more would be better to keep it airy...
This is them potted up. They look happier already. I gave them a light water of miracle grow (14-12-13 or so which i thinks huge right? but it had a good variety of other nutes). I thought it would do to give them a kickstart. The two smaller ones in paper cups are razzamatazz...they germinated in about a week...my bhuts are still doing nothing from 3 weeks..i think i killed them through heat or something...
in the below photo the two in the yellow and blue pot you wouldnt believe that those are about 2-3 months old!!! thats all they have grown!!
Cant wait for my bunch to come from jungle rain.
Now they are under just a fluro desk light inside to get some more light time...
It will be interesting to see what happens, if they shoot off and start to grow well then it was an interesting outcome and atleast i have an idea of what was going wrong.
The other chilli plant i have is now in the garden so ill see if he shoots off too....
In other news im going to get some more seeds going...im thinking of just starting them all in cotton balls inside shot glasses i have.
Im doing a bunch of other flowers etc and i want to watch them all to see how they sprout and what it looks like as they sweel and sprout etc...
Once they send out their little root etc ill put them into some of my potting mix ill make up nice and airy...
It was interesting to analyse the pots they were in, you could shake the pot out and the top stuff of mulch etc would just run off....BUT the potting mix under it was all hard and didnt come out, its like the pot was 2 complete different mediums inside.
Here are the pics,
This is what i bought to play around with
This is the stuff that i used, blood and bone, cutting sand, organic compost and vermiculite + plus some of the potting mix and mulch.
In the below photo i added about 2x more of that vermiculite as i went because i thought more would be better to keep it airy...
This is them potted up. They look happier already. I gave them a light water of miracle grow (14-12-13 or so which i thinks huge right? but it had a good variety of other nutes). I thought it would do to give them a kickstart. The two smaller ones in paper cups are razzamatazz...they germinated in about a week...my bhuts are still doing nothing from 3 weeks..i think i killed them through heat or something...
in the below photo the two in the yellow and blue pot you wouldnt believe that those are about 2-3 months old!!! thats all they have grown!!
Cant wait for my bunch to come from jungle rain.
Now they are under just a fluro desk light inside to get some more light time...
It will be interesting to see what happens, if they shoot off and start to grow well then it was an interesting outcome and atleast i have an idea of what was going wrong.
The other chilli plant i have is now in the garden so ill see if he shoots off too....
In other news im going to get some more seeds going...im thinking of just starting them all in cotton balls inside shot glasses i have.
Im doing a bunch of other flowers etc and i want to watch them all to see how they sprout and what it looks like as they sweel and sprout etc...
Once they send out their little root etc ill put them into some of my potting mix ill make up nice and airy...
i have stopped even going to my local bunnings which is 5 minutes down the road. i now opt for the 20 minute drive to the closest masters store. A big help in being able to do that is the missus also likes to go to masters. how many of you can say your missus has turned around and said "honey, can we spend money on power tools??" i find the masters stuff better quality as well as value for money as well.
on a side note.. i thought it was supposed to be getting warm and sunny now!!! i put a few of my plants into grow bags and put them near a shed to get a bit of afternoon sun on the weekend... so far all they have gotten is wet! stoopid melbourne weather.
on a side note.. i thought it was supposed to be getting warm and sunny now!!! i put a few of my plants into grow bags and put them near a shed to get a bit of afternoon sun on the weekend... so far all they have gotten is wet! stoopid melbourne weather.
I've only visited the garden dept at Masters, but I have to agree, definitely better value for money. As I mentioned before, there is a big different in the price of the peat moss. Lucerne mulch is another. You get nearly twice as much from Masters for roughly the same price as Bunnings. That Searles 5in1 garden food stuff is also cheaper at Masters. I had to laugh when I saw it on "special" the last time I was at Bunnings. The "special" price was Masters regular price (or at least what appears to be their regular price).
The quality of the products Masters stock (again, only what I've seen in the garden dept) is arguable though. Some of it might be to a certain degree, but it's still commercial crap.
Fully composted, huh?
http://www.masters.c...potting-mix-25l
I don't think so.
Lost roughly a quarter of the bag (I bought to trial) as that crap.
I have to admit though, still better than the last bag of the Brunnings stuff I purchased from Bunnings some time ago. It may as well have been nothing but bark mulch. I felt a bag last time I was at Bunnings and it still feels like the same crap.
The quality of the products Masters stock (again, only what I've seen in the garden dept) is arguable though. Some of it might be to a certain degree, but it's still commercial crap.
Fully composted, huh?
http://www.masters.c...potting-mix-25l
I don't think so.
Lost roughly a quarter of the bag (I bought to trial) as that crap.
I have to admit though, still better than the last bag of the Brunnings stuff I purchased from Bunnings some time ago. It may as well have been nothing but bark mulch. I felt a bag last time I was at Bunnings and it still feels like the same crap.
I'm pretty sure my local nursery has Debco, I will have to check out what they have. I have to say I think I made a mistake buying the potting mix I bought, my plants aren't doing very well for the most part. Most of my seedlings have failed including my Fataii's 
Only survivors are 3 X Bigjims, 1 X Jalapeno and a black hungarian. As for my older plants most are stunted. Only plants doing ok or semi ok are my birdseyes and my Aji lemons.
Part of my issue is my feet are injuried making hard for me to do much in the garden. This is the reason I decided to get a potting mix with everything in it, instead of making up something like Neils mix (from hippyseed). I would have liked to fix up the backyard this winter. You guys would go crazy if you seen the garden beds in my backyard full of grass and weeds. One good thing I have is a bin full of compost. Only problem I'm not sure how I should use it. (that probably sounds wrong)
Aji lemon
Butch T
Seedlings
I too am germinating razzamatazza and they have been the first of my seeds to sprout. I've done bhuts before and almost given in after 3 weeks, almost threw them in the bin lol.
I know what you mean, it is hard being a beginner. All you can do is try to learn from your mistakes.
Only survivors are 3 X Bigjims, 1 X Jalapeno and a black hungarian. As for my older plants most are stunted. Only plants doing ok or semi ok are my birdseyes and my Aji lemons.Part of my issue is my feet are injuried making hard for me to do much in the garden. This is the reason I decided to get a potting mix with everything in it, instead of making up something like Neils mix (from hippyseed). I would have liked to fix up the backyard this winter. You guys would go crazy if you seen the garden beds in my backyard full of grass and weeds. One good thing I have is a bin full of compost. Only problem I'm not sure how I should use it. (that probably sounds wrong)
Aji lemon
Butch T
Seedlings
I too am germinating razzamatazza and they have been the first of my seeds to sprout. I've done bhuts before and almost given in after 3 weeks, almost threw them in the bin lol.
I know what you mean, it is hard being a beginner. All you can do is try to learn from your mistakes.
Mate, I wouldn't be able to talk regarding the garden beds. Mine a few months ago:
It's sorted now though.
Found one of those bins in the shed not so long ago (hole in the bottom and all) so I assume it's for composting. Probably a stupid question, but how do they work?
It's sorted now though.
Found one of those bins in the shed not so long ago (hole in the bottom and all) so I assume it's for composting. Probably a stupid question, but how do they work?
Jayman with my pots i just mixed up some sand and vermiculite and blood and bone into the original potting mix and compost.
When i shook the plants out the plain potting mix was compacted hard and soggy around teh roots.
I havnt been able to assess how they are going as of yet because the last few days in perth have been rainy/cloudy so they havnt had much sun.
IF they sprout out ill know not to use normal potting mix for anything again, ill always atleast mix in vermiculite/
When i shook the plants out the plain potting mix was compacted hard and soggy around teh roots.
I havnt been able to assess how they are going as of yet because the last few days in perth have been rainy/cloudy so they havnt had much sun.
IF they sprout out ill know not to use normal potting mix for anything again, ill always atleast mix in vermiculite/
That bin isnt what the compost was made in. Was taken out of this. Um I have no idea how compost works, you put stuff in it and it turns to dirt. Does that answer your question? Sry I can't give an answer that is useful. This compost was made years ago, I really need to get the bin setup again.
Heres some pics of my yard.
Does that answer your question? Sry I can't give an answer that is useful. This compost was made years ago, I really need to get the bin setup again.
Heres some pics of my yard.