Hi ya'll ~ I was wondering what ya guys all use for potting soil in containers and hanging baskets. Last yr I used the Miracle Gro stuff. I wasn't that impressed by the stuff, not to mention it was quite pricey when you have about 12 hanging pots, and about 30 containers.
I'm looking for some sort of potting soil recipe that I can mix up that will go a lot farther, and produces a good grow. Most of the Hangers and pots will be getting southern exposure. Thank's a bunch for any help you can give me!
O yeah, one more question - can I reuse some of potting soil from last yr? Or should I just dump it? Thanks.
Potting Soil Recipes
IMHO, the growing medium you use depends upon what you are growing and for how long. For plants grown only for a season, issues of compaction and aeration may not be so important. In this case, a peat-based medium like Promix might work just fine.
On the other hand, if your are growing plants on for months or more, compaction and aeration of these mixes becomes a problem. In this case, you will want a different mix. I have moved to a coconut husk chip based medium that I described in detail in the greenhouse forum: http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/607678/
Tapla gives an elegant and detailed description of container growing media and water movement, along with his recipe: http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/527353/
I hope Al isn't reading...he'll blush...this essay is one of the best and most educational things I have read about container growing media...it should be required reading!
Thanks for the great info stressbaby!
Do you think I might have ran into problems using MG was because I added, potting soil, perlite, and Peat moss to the MG? I was trying to extend the quantity of the bags because I had so many containers to fill.
I try to keep peat at a low % (under 15%) in my soils. It's not so much WHAT you use as it is whether or not it holds sufficient air for the life of the planting. Soils with lots of peat, or compost/manure/sand as components just don't seem to hold enough air to prevent a death/regeneration cycle of roots.
Al