Container Gardening - Salts

mobiledynamics · July 24, 2016

New to container gardening. This post is actually for not my tomatoes in root pouches but boxwoods.

Planning to get ahead of my 3-4 year move. Plants are $$ so I decided to get a head start on my boxwoods - aka, slow 2 inches per year growers...

Anyhow, medium is bark fine, soil, coarse and I just threw in some lime and some osmocote 14-14-14. 20 Gal Pots. The lower 25% of the pot height has this hardish buildup on it. Back in late spring, when I 1st noticed it, after it got really wet.....I took a stiff brush and brushed it clean. Sorta ignored it till now and the film is kinda hardish. Will probably plan another wet/brushout. What is this buildup I'm seeing. Salt ? Mineral from city water ?

Worth1 · July 24, 2016

Don't know where you are but more than likely calcium build up from evaporation.

Worth

mobiledynamics · July 24, 2016

How do ya'll deal with the buildup. Almost every other watering, I'm kinda flushing the pots out. Alternating between watering---just right before water bleeds out.

Worth1 · July 25, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by mobiledynamics

How do ya'll deal with the buildup. Almost every other watering, I'm kinda flushing the pots out. Alternating between watering---just right before water bleeds out.

Anybody have any ideas as to flushing this stuff out?

Worth

Worth1 · July 25, 2016

You might try to mix a cup of 5% vinegar to one gallon of water to dissolve some of this stuff and flush it out.

JamesL · July 25, 2016

You might consider checking your tap water if you are getting constant buildup.
RO can help cut it down.
For a commercial product -Clearex.
https://www.hydroponics.net/i/131062

For a homemade - go with vinegar as Worth suggested.

Worth1 · July 25, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by JamesL

You might consider checking your tap water if you are getting constant buildup.
RO can help cut it down.
For a commercial product -Clearex.
https://www.hydroponics.net/i/131062

For a homemade - go with vinegar as Worth suggested.

James my water changes from day to day.
Yesterday I filled up a kettle and it smelled just like a had opened up a jug of Clorox.
One of the things I did to see what my white build up was is to do a flame test on it with a propane torch.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...CfDbLdQzf2qawA

July 24, 2016	#1
mobiledynamics Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: 7B Posts: 281	Container Gardening - Salts New to container gardening. This post is actually for not my tomatoes in root pouches but boxwoods. Planning to get ahead of my 3-4 year move. Plants are $$ so I decided to get a head start on my boxwoods - aka, slow 2 inches per year growers... Anyhow, medium is bark fine, soil, coarse and I just threw in some lime and some osmocote 14-14-14. 20 Gal Pots. The lower 25% of the pot height has this hardish buildup on it. Back in late spring, when I 1st noticed it, after it got really wet.....I took a stiff brush and brushed it clean. Sorta ignored it till now and the film is kinda hardish. Will probably plan another wet/brushout. What is this buildup I'm seeing. Salt ? Mineral from city water ?

July 24, 2016	#2
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	Don't know where you are but more than likely calcium build up from evaporation. Worth

July 25, 2016	#5
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	You might try to mix a cup of 5% vinegar to one gallon of water to dissolve some of this stuff and flush it out.

July 25, 2016	#6
JamesL Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Long Island NY Posts: 1,992	You might consider checking your tap water if you are getting constant buildup. RO can help cut it down. For a commercial product -Clearex. https://www.hydroponics.net/i/131062 For a homemade - go with vinegar as Worth suggested.