Container soil mix questions?

seymour_man · May 3, 2007

I am a new member thanks to Gary M. of Louisville. A very nice gentleman btw.

I started raising toms in containers about 4 years ago.

I read all the homemade earthbox articles, etc and being a cheapskate

I improvised.

I took the 18 gal Rubbermaid totes, drilles some holes around the side at the bottom and filled with Promix, added about a gallon or so of manure with some lime and ferilizer and off I went. I did 2 plants per container and did some light pruning. I made cages out of PVC pipe. i just top watered as needed. I dump the soil every year because i am afraid to reuse it.

It really worked great and has so far.

My question is this:

I use 12 of the containers. Thats over 200 gallons of soil mix or about 30+ cubic feet. I need to come up with a cheaper mix or start saving some or all of my mix and reuse.

I had been buying the 2cf promix comprased bales from Home Depot. But that would still end up being around $80-100. And this year my local one doesnt seem to be stocking it.

I have thought about using Al's mix but (1) I cant find the composted pine bark fines only the regular uncolored, uncomposted pine bark mulch and (2) commercial size bags of perlite.

Does anyone have any suggestions? If I wanted to amend or should i say extend the Promix with less costly ingredients would the regular uncomposted pine bark mulf work? Any ideas on ratios?

Thanks for listening.

jdwhitaker · May 3, 2007

The uncomposted pine bark will work fine--I use it all the time. You may need to give your plants just a little extra nitrogen. The main issue will be getting the bark mulch to take up water. Pouring hot water over the bark will help, and a couple of drops of soap in that hot water will be especially helpful in breaking the surface tension of the bark and getting it to soak up water. Once this is done you'll be fine as long as the bark isn't allowed to completely dry out.

A mix of 3 parts pine bark mulch to 1 part Pro Mix will work great. This mix with some additional perlite would be even better.

Because you are using uncomposted bark, the mix will probably last an additional year before it begins to break down.

I've been doing all this for several years--my first purpose was to save a few bucks...discovering that the mix could grow better plants was a great bonus.

Jason

feldon30 · May 3, 2007

I mixed 2 cu ft compressed Pro-Mix ($12) and 2 cu ft Shredded pine bark mulch ($2) together a wheelbarrow at-a-time and ended up with about 50 gallons of potting mix.

And the addition of pelletized lime and some fertilizer sounds great. I did a 1/2 cup bone meal, 1/2 cup TomatoTone, and 1/2 cup Epsom Salts per 5 gallon pot.

Only time will tell if I've settled on a good technique yet. Plenty of years to learn and try new things.

I am fairly happy with how my pepper and bean plants are looking in containers.

macmanmatty · May 4, 2007

For tomatoes and peppers in 3-5 gallon pots I use a mix of 3 parts mushroom compost, 1 part pine bark fines, and 1 part perlite and sand mixture. I also add some lime to make up for the acidity of the compost. So far it has been working very well for me.

seymour_man · May 4, 2007

Feldon30:

Did you use the composted bark fines or the non-composted bark mulch?

feldon30 · May 4, 2007

It doesn't say "fines" on the bag. It's not the pretty round, fairly uniform bark chips like you would mulch with. It's more shredded pine bits ranging from very small pieces to huge chunks of tree.

creister · May 4, 2007

I used Al's mix with shredded pine bark mulch, the bag did say it was composted. I had to flood the container real well and after that, the plants are really growing well.

rnewste · May 4, 2007

Will Redwood bark mulch work as a substitute for Pine. That is all I have access to here in N. Calif.

thanks,

Ray Newstead

jdwhitaker · May 5, 2007

Quote:

Will Redwood bark mulch work as a substitute for Pine. That is all I have access to here in N. Calif.

thanks,

Ray Newstead

Yes, redwood is good, as is fir bark--though fir is often expensive.

Jason

feldon30 · May 5, 2007

As long as it's not dyed to be "super black" or "long lasting red". It should be the wood's natural color.

May 3, 2007	#1
seymour_man Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2007 Location: Indiana Posts: 48	Container soil mix questions? I am a new member thanks to Gary M. of Louisville. A very nice gentleman btw. I started raising toms in containers about 4 years ago. I read all the homemade earthbox articles, etc and being a cheapskate I improvised. I took the 18 gal Rubbermaid totes, drilles some holes around the side at the bottom and filled with Promix, added about a gallon or so of manure with some lime and ferilizer and off I went. I did 2 plants per container and did some light pruning. I made cages out of PVC pipe. i just top watered as needed. I dump the soil every year because i am afraid to reuse it. It really worked great and has so far. My question is this: I use 12 of the containers. Thats over 200 gallons of soil mix or about 30+ cubic feet. I need to come up with a cheaper mix or start saving some or all of my mix and reuse. I had been buying the 2cf promix comprased bales from Home Depot. But that would still end up being around $80-100. And this year my local one doesnt seem to be stocking it. I have thought about using Al's mix but (1) I cant find the composted pine bark fines only the regular uncolored, uncomposted pine bark mulch and (2) commercial size bags of perlite. Does anyone have any suggestions? If I wanted to amend or should i say extend the Promix with less costly ingredients would the regular uncomposted pine bark mulf work? Any ideas on ratios? Thanks for listening.

May 3, 2007	#2
jdwhitaker Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Andrews, Texas Posts: 104	The uncomposted pine bark will work fine--I use it all the time. You may need to give your plants just a little extra nitrogen. The main issue will be getting the bark mulch to take up water. Pouring hot water over the bark will help, and a couple of drops of soap in that hot water will be especially helpful in breaking the surface tension of the bark and getting it to soak up water. Once this is done you'll be fine as long as the bark isn't allowed to completely dry out. A mix of 3 parts pine bark mulch to 1 part Pro Mix will work great. This mix with some additional perlite would be even better. Because you are using uncomposted bark, the mix will probably last an additional year before it begins to break down. I've been doing all this for several years--my first purpose was to save a few bucks...discovering that the mix could grow better plants was a great bonus. Jason

May 3, 2007	#3
feldon30 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 5,346	I mixed 2 cu ft compressed Pro-Mix ($12) and 2 cu ft Shredded pine bark mulch ($2) together a wheelbarrow at-a-time and ended up with about 50 gallons of potting mix. And the addition of pelletized lime and some fertilizer sounds great. I did a 1/2 cup bone meal, 1/2 cup TomatoTone, and 1/2 cup Epsom Salts per 5 gallon pot. Only time will tell if I've settled on a good technique yet. Plenty of years to learn and try new things. I am fairly happy with how my pepper and bean plants are looking in containers.

May 4, 2007	#4
macmanmatty Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2007 Location: Florida Posts: 55	For tomatoes and peppers in 3-5 gallon pots I use a mix of 3 parts mushroom compost, 1 part pine bark fines, and 1 part perlite and sand mixture. I also add some lime to make up for the acidity of the compost. So far it has been working very well for me.

May 4, 2007	#7
creister Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Abilene, TX zone 7 Posts: 1,478	I used Al's mix with shredded pine bark mulch, the bag did say it was composted. I had to flood the container real well and after that, the plants are really growing well.

May 4, 2007	#8
rnewste Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Campbell, CA Posts: 4,064	Will Redwood bark mulch work as a substitute for Pine. That is all I have access to here in N. Calif. thanks, Ray Newstead

May 5, 2007	#10
feldon30 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 5,346	As long as it's not dyed to be "super black" or "long lasting red". It should be the wood's natural color.