Making my own soil mix for grow bags and containers

[tgplp]

Hey guys, what are some good container mix recipes? I am thinking of mixing worm castings, peat, coconut coir, perlite, and some store-bought container mix. Any ideas of how much of each ingredient to use? Sorry, I'm sure this question has been asked tons of times.

Taryn

[Boarhead]

3 parts potting mix, 2 parts bark fines, 1 part perlite. That is the Raybo mix everyone raves about here. I will be doing it this year for my containers.

[Tracydr]

Is there a substitute for the pine fines?
What's the difference between vermiculite and perlite?
Do you need to add lime or anything else, bone meal, etc?

[BarbJ]

Is potting mix the same as bagged potting soil meant for containers? If so, is there a favorite brand? Various ones have rather different ingredients.

[elight]

I will let Ray chime in, but I believe his 3:2:1 mix is really designed only for self-watering containers. It doesn't sound like Tracy is dealing in SWCs.

Here is a thread from another message board that deals with a commonly used mix for traditional containers:
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/...444023053.html

[Tracydr]

Thanks, you're right, I'm dealing with big containers.

[Duets]

From what I've read....vermiculite & perlite is basically the same or similiar, no need to add both. I just yesterday mixed soil for my 20gal containers. I used Perlite, Compost, garden soil, steer poo, & topped with potting soil. I added on average about 1/4 of each. except using 1 part perlite. Today my tomatoe plant looks very happy, we'll see!

[Duets]

Originally Posted by elight

I will let Ray chime in, but I believe his 3:2:1 mix is really designed only for self-watering containers. It doesn't sound like Tracy is dealing in SWCs.

Here is a thread from another message board that deals with a commonly used mix for traditional containers:
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/...444023053.html

Thanks for link...as I do all container gardening!!

[JamesL]

People do swear by Al Tapla's mix for raised beds and traditional containers.
Lime in containers - Make sure you use Dolomite lime. You need it for tomatoes to combat against BER (blossom end rot)
Perlite vs Vermiculite - they are generally similar - one big difference - Perlite will help with aeration and drainage, vermiculite will not. It really retains water, probably too much, for container growing. (good call on the perlite Duets)
Substitute for bark fines - hydroton. I was forced into using it this winter for an Inntainer build as I could not get bark fines here in the winter. The plants did great with it as a substitute. Upside, reusable year after year. Downside, not cheap......

Here is a discussion thread I found on it this winter when I was scrambling for an alternative.
http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=17235

Al's mix calls for 5 parts bark fines vs. Raybo's mix, which calls for 2. Might get real expensive real quick to use hydroton as a substitute in Al's mix. Depending on your container size of course.

[BarbJ]

In my area Redwood bark or Douglas Fir bark is available instead of Pine bark.
It's available ground fine and composted or shredded or as small and medium chunks, the shredded or chunks are meant more for mulching.

Would either of these tree barks be OK instead of Pine?

[JamesL]

Barb,
Potting mix is not the same as potting soil. You would want potting mix.
Follow Tapla for traditional containers and Raybo for self watering containers.

Fir bark would be fine. Redwood, I believe it is a hardwood - not ok.
A thread discussing this very issue
http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=21820

I also had this link saved from Al Tapla. A very good in depth treatise on Container soils.
http://clippings.gardenweb.com/clipp...col=forum_name

Good luck y'all!

[BarbJ]

Thanks for the reply, but I'm still confused. I can find Planting Mix or Potting soil, but not Potting mix.

In my area, Planting mix is usually a mix of composted fir or redwood fines (not always the bark alone) or other "forest products" and often with added manure and possibly dolomite. Various brand add other ingredients also. It's intended to be worked into native garden soil (dirt) when planting new landscape or making new garden beds.

Potting soil is usually a pre-made mix for planting in containers, pretty close to what these two formulas are made of, with a few variations, depending on brands. (Those with out water-holding gels that is.)

Do you know what is Potting mix is mostly made of?

I'm pretty sure Redwood is a softwood. Softwoods are from conifer/needle evergreens, right? And hardwood is from deciduous trees, I think. Redwood is a needle/conifer evergreen tree, so wouldn't that make it a softwood?

[BarbJ]

OK, I think I may have found an answer to my question about what's potting mix and what's potting soil.

I guess it's mostly a label game, and looks like they're mostly the same thing, depending on the what part of the country you're in and the brand. This discussion pretty much sums it up;

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/l...741314123.html

[casserole]

Potting soil is just that SOIL you know DIRT
Potting mix is NOT soil, does NOT contain SOIL, its bark based

[BarbJ]

Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't. You have to read the label.

In a lot of the garden centers here, the potting soil does not contain soil, dirt.
The label on mine says; "Aged and processed softwood bark and sawdust, sphagnum peat moss, steer manure,pumice, perlite, bat guano, feather meal, kelp meal, dolomite."
No "soil/dirt" and the label says Potting soil, but that sounds a lot like what is called on this thread Potting mix.

I'm not trying to be argumentative, but just wanting to understand.
And what I've learnt is that you have to read the label, and not go just by what the product is called.

Did you read the discussion at the link I posted?

So no, not all potting soil contains dirt, you have to read the ingredients.