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seeds Your opinions on Potting Soil / Germinating medium...?

huntsman

huntsman

I'm convinced I am holding the worst potting soil on the planet, as well as the most expensive germinating medium (Dutch Potting Soil), and I can't help wondering if I'm being gently screwed...:shocked:

I've paid U$2.25 for the poor bag, which contains twigs and bits of wood chips and which really has no substance, and U$ 26 for the Dutch stuff - yeah, it's imported! - which is light, fluffy and moist, and just oozes goodness.

The question is, am I really getting 12 times the quality from the good one? ;)

How important is the growth medium, really??

What are you guys paying for a normal bag of the stuff?
 
It makes a huge difference Paul. People are going to have differences in their opinions of course but just look around here and it's easy to see the differences between the cheap stuff and the spendy stuff.

I went cheap, tried to make a potting soil as good as the money stuff. I used all the same ingredients that the good stuff has but it isn't the same. Go take a look at what AJ and PRF and Josh are bringing in on their harvests. These guys all use the same stuff and swear by it. Look at mine. I'm having trouble filling up one of the dehydrator trays they're using and these guys are using half a dozen.

As far as germination goes, if you can't get the seeds to germinate you don't even need the potting soil.

Hoped that made you feel a bit better about spending the money.
 
I think peppers will grow in anything. But they'll grow bigger and make more pods in good quality soil properly fertilized. I used Pro-Mix BX for 2009 and this is the best year I've ever had. $30 for a compressed bale - 3.8 cubic feet.
 
Just because its expensive doesn't mean that its great for germination. I generally prefer a soiless mixture with very little or no nutrients and pH balanced
 
In college, I learned an important principle that has proven to be 100 percent true: GIGO

Garbage
In
Garbage
Out

I use Fertilome, 40 quart bags. Costs about $11 each. For seeds, I check it as there are a very few small pieces. Two years ago, I used El Cheapo stuff. Poor germination, damping off, very slow growth of the seedlings. This year, great germination (nine days for bhuts, four-five days for most others), no damping, extremely fast growth.

There are more expensive mixes out there, but I have not found a reason to buy them. Plus, in December and January, my compost pile is not really usable.

Mike
 
Huntsman, you don't want potting "soil" for container growing you want potting "mix".

Most important is that it drains well, is within the correct PH range and keeps the roots aerated. You do that and lightly feed the plants and they will do fine.
 
I did a bit of research on potting mixes and all the different types of items use to make up potting mixes which can be soil or soilless. I read the purpose of each ingredient and why it's used and it's importance. I also looked at additives of soil such as fish emulsion, fertilizers, and so forth. I also looked at what ingredients raise and lower the pH level to ensure I have a good stable balance. Good soil will always determine the overall growth of the plants, but you have to decide if you want full control over the mix or if you prefer to have a mix that already contains all the ferts and additives you think the plant will need right out of the bag.

I mixed all of my own potting mixes and depending on the location of the plant I added some of this and more of that. If the plant is going in a full sun area that will need a lot of water I added a bit more wetting agents. If it's in a shaded area I added more agents that help draining. I also compiled a list of what some of the more popular potting mixes used and based my recipe on those. So far the testing has been good. Some mixes seem to be too wet, others too dry, some too spongy and others too firm and compact. I have had a few that really help the plant thrive and others smother the plant and not allow it to breath. Since this is my first year it's all about testing for now. Check out the below post I setup that should be of some help.

Good luck

http://www.thehotpepper.com/showthread.php?t=12020
 
Thanks for the input, lads ~

OK, so I must not skimp on the quality (I was afraid you'd all say that!) and must use a mix,not a soil...

So - once the seed germinates and is potted up, is this potted into potting soil, or still into the mix? I presume that at some point you'll transplant into plain ol' earth unless you're going to grow in containers, right?

I followed your link, millworkman - great plants!

Off to view your link now, LGHT...thanks!

Later...

Oh, that's a sticky for sure! Wonderfully detailed - thanks for your dedication, mate!

coolbouncegx2.gif
 
For containers/pots you want mix, for the ground you use soil if your dirt isn't of good quality already. If you're planting in the ground I'd just use compost.
 
I put some of my plants in the ground and they didn't do as good as the ones in the pots in the same location on top of the dirt. I basically dug a hole in the dirt and just and setup a wetter mix to ensure the plant wouldn't dry out as much. Not sure if it's because the dirt sucks all the water away from the mix or what, but the area gets full sun for most of the day which is probably too much sun for the plants. I guess I would have had to dig up a wider area and use more mix or add a good layer of top soil because my dirt is probably the worse possible for growing anything and is VERY hard. Either way I think it depends on the location and the parameters of the location your going to. Even with the extra wetting agent the ones in the dirt now are about half the size of the potted ones next to it. Next time i'll just plant the entire pot in the ground ;)
 
Yeah, adding good soil to a hole doesn't work well. It's best to enrich the entire area to be planted and what needs to be added definitely depends on what type of soil you have, but adding compost is always a good idea.
With raised beds you can fill it with a good potting soil regardless of your soil condition and get great results as long as the bottom of the bed has sufficient drainage.
I'll still grow a few in containers next season, but also plan on building some raised beds for comparison.
 
Silver_Surfer said:
Yeah, adding good soil to a hole doesn't work well. It's best to enrich the entire area to be planted and what needs to be added definitely depends on what type of soil you have, but adding compost is always a good idea.
With raised beds you can fill it with a good potting soil regardless of your soil condition and get great results as long as the bottom of the bed has sufficient drainage.
I'll still grow a few in containers next season, but also plan on building some raised beds for comparison.
Click to expand...

Yeah I think that's what I need to do. I did use bat guano, compost, worm tea, and some worm castings in the overall mix, and topped it off with a bit of fertilizer on top, but I didn't dig much of a hole for the plant. It was just large enough to fit the plant in. The dirt was soo hard it was almost impossible getting the hole bigger with just a shovel. I did replant one back into the pot and noticed a LOT of red worms in the hole. The planter is huge so I would have had to buy 10 bags to fill the enter area in and I didn't want to spend that type of money. Maybe next year.
 
Coconut coir mixed with some perlite is my favorite media. Plus coco coir is a sustainable resource unlike peat which is what most potting mix is mostly made of. And holy shit do plants love the stuff. I also start my seedlings in straight coco. It holds the ideal air/water ratio and roots you get big fat hairy roots on you seedlings in a hurry.


Plus once you get tired of growing in it outside, you can use it as a hydro medium indoors :) My outdoor plants are in coco + perlite in pots, indoors they're in coco & hydroton in the hydro system. You'll get best results with a coco specific nutrient, but those aren't any more expensive than regular soil or hydro nutes.

All about coco: http://www.thehotpepper.com/showthread.php?t=10111
 
I had no idea that you used mix in containers regardless of size and potting soil in the ground. I figured since it's called potting soil it goes in...pots.(?!) Won't make that mistake again!

I think I will have to play Devil's Advocate and try some in pots and some in the ground, as you have, Surfer. The potting mix is a rich man's toy and I can only justify using it when absolutely necessary.

Hydroponics are a season or two away for me, Tex - this will be my first season for growing any crop and I want to do the baby steps first. Certainly sounds interesting though, thanks!
 
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