Walmart's new potting mix

[Rajun Gardener]

I went to WW to get some MGMC, last week it was $7 a big bag and today it's back up to $14 so I looked around to see what else they had. They were just loading all of the racks with new mixes and I found a 2cuft bag of Expert Gardener potting mix(4 month feeding) for $9 so I bought 3 bags to try. I've been looking for more info about what's in it but it's not listed on Walmart.com yet and the closest I can find is it's made by Pennington.

Has anybody used this yet? I checked the older smaller bags of the same thing and Walmart has some good reviews except those that used it inside had a gnat problem.

Any thoughts/recommendations on this would help.






I mixed in some of my old perlite from the dutch buckets, it smells earthy and has very little wood chips in it.

[AlittleSalt]

I used Pennington's some last year. I wasn't enthused by the results, but it works. There seems to be more chunks in it compared to MG. I haven't seen the Expert Gardener one yet.

[Ricky Shaw]

Looks good, and I like the Georgia blend you got. The only one without compost, I think anything with compost greatly increases the chances of herbicide contamination.

[BigVanVader]

It is normally cheaper to buy potting mix from a nursery supply company. If you have one local you can get much better mix for better prices than home improvement stores/Wal-Mart. They usually sell to anyone, not just businesses.

[Cole_Robbie]

I think mixing it with perlite was a good idea. Most bagged products like that are too mucky and could benefit from better aeration. I think shoppers must prefer a heavy bag, because they think they are getting more. Fox Farm's products are $30 a bag, and they don't feel very heavy at all.

The pro mix I buy at Menard's comes out to $3.50 a cubic foot. It's highly inert - just peat, perlite and a little vermiculite. But I add mycos and osmocote and it does the trick. Compost in the mix gives me stem rot when I abuse my plants and let them get cold.

[Gardeneer]

I make my own potting mix.
I get pine bark mulch ( $3.50 /2 cu-ft , at Lowes) + peat moss + floor dry (DE). If I can get small pine bark nuggets I mix some of that two. I prefer "soil less " mix for potting. This year I have bigger garden and I will have less potted plants. Maybe some compact tomatoes and peppers. But I will mix some of the mix at the bottom of planting holes, for improved moisture retention in my sandy native soil. .

[pmcgrady]

Walmart bad

[AKmark]

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

I think mixing it with perlite was a good idea. Most bagged products like that are too mucky and could benefit from better aeration. I think shoppers must prefer a heavy bag, because they think they are getting more. Fox Farm's products are $30 a bag, and they don't feel very heavy at all.

The pro mix I buy at Menard's comes out to $3.50 a cubic foot. It's highly inert - just peat, perlite and a little vermiculite. But I add mycos and osmocote and it does the trick. Compost in the mix gives me stem rot when I abuse my plants and let them get cold.

Good choice. It is still the industry standard for greenhouse operators, and they are container growers, that should say something. Sunshine is another popular choice, and Coco Coir is popular too. There are also many choices of specific mixes. I will add that these mixes were not just thought up yesterday, many years of rigorous testing has already been done. In the past I have tried adding this and that too the mix also, no gains, just a waste of time, except for some Mycos as you mentioned.

[Greatgardens]

I tried a bag of that Expert Gardener. It was OK, but the bag I tried had significant rocks in it. Not to be purchased again. MG and Pro-Mix are my "standards." Wish I could get the Pro-Mix HD locally, but not here yet.
-GG

[maxjohnson]

Beware of buying cheap bulk mixes that has styrofoam (polystyrene) in it, instead of perlite. (Guess how I know.)

Originally Posted by Gardeneer

I make my own potting mix.
I get pine bark mulch ( $3.50 /2 cu-ft , at Lowes) + peat moss + floor dry (DE). If I can get small pine bark nuggets I mix some of that two. I prefer "soil less " mix for potting. This year I have bigger garden and I will have less potted plants. Maybe some compact tomatoes and peppers. But I will mix some of the mix at the bottom of planting holes, for improved moisture retention in my sandy native soil. .

I use Ecoscraps potting mix which have similar properties to what you're trying to make. It has more fine pine barks and perlite and is more aerated than MiracleGro or ProMix.

[Gardeneer]

Originally Posted by maxjohnson

Beware of buying cheap bulk mixes that has styrofoam (polystyrene) in it, instead of perlite. (Guess how I know.)


I use Ecoscraps potting mix which have similar properties to what you're trying to make. It has more fine pine barks and perlite and is more aerated than MiracleGro or ProMix.

Max ,
I use floor dry from OReiley (Opti Sorb ?), in place of perlite. It has good moisture retention while not compromising drainage. It absorbs equivalent of 100% of its dry weight in water. It stays intact for 3 years at least that I have used it.
Pine bark fine is better than peat moss, in my opinion. If it has a lot of small particles, I would use less peat moss. For potting, I don't like things like MG Moisture Control potting mix. The stay soggy and have less aeration property, as you have mentioned.
Now pine bark mulch is available at the nearby Lowes , I am going to use it in my garden, in the planting holes. It should improve my sandy soil.

[Ricky Shaw]

I'm a promixHP believer, my results last year were exceptional. I just wish it was less expensive here, the 3.8cuft bags go for $45 that other regions pay $30. I can mix my own coir/perlite or peat/perlite with mircobes for about half the price and will trial a dozen pots this coming season. Interested to see how much of a production drop-off there might be.

[heirloomtomaguy]

I too stay away from bargain mixes. I like Aurora Organics 707. At the local hydro store my guy Carl sells 3 cubic foot bags for 22 bucks. Its hard to beat his price for high end soil.

[Gardeneer]

Originally Posted by Ricky Shaw

I'm a promixHP believer, my results last year were exceptional. I just wish it was less expensive here, the 3.8cuft bags go for $45 that other regions pay $30. I can mix my own coir/perlite or peat/perlite with mircobes for about half the price and will trial a dozen pots this coming season. Interested to see how much of a production drop-off there might be.

I think that a medium is just a medium. Plants need nutrients and right amount of moisture to thrive. that is in addition to other growing conditions, of course. You can grow them in garden soil, soil less mix, in water , in straw bale, etc.

[PaulF]

I have used Expert Gardener as a starting and growing medium. It does seem to have wood chunks and rocks and hard clay balls, but then so does most soilless mixes that are on the inexpensive side.

As I moisten the mix with water, I take out all the big stuff anyway and use the rest as the medium. It has never been a problem for me. I use what is cheapest or what is left over from last year. And I am non-political....Miracle-Gro, Expert Gardener, Master Gardener or Joe's Soilless Mix.....so long as I can get the seedlings up and growing.