AkMark, Ricky Shaw, PureHarvest and others I have a media Q

Nematode · May 26, 2017

Question for those that use a neutral media and feed with a complete nutrient solution.
Do you toss the media each season or stretch it with part new mix?
What is your go to mix?

I need to come up with a grow media for onion, leeks, carrots, beets, garlic, potato. Like to get a few seasons out of it if I can, or at least have it be dirt cheap.

Thx

Ricky Shaw · May 26, 2017

Last year PromixHP exclusively on toms in 15gal fabric pots to stunning success. I've got some pots with PromixHP this year, but the majority will be a mix of peat 40%, perlite 30%, coco 30%. This trialed well in seedlings over the winter and is slightly more water retentive than HP. The coir seems to help reduce the tendency of the peat to mat and aids in accepting water. I can do this mix and add Myco at about half the cost of the PromixHP. It's a lot of work/time, I'll let you know if I think it's worth it.

PureHarvest · May 26, 2017

I am reusing my HP this year. A researcher I met says just rip the plants out, top off with new, and put your new plants in. No need to dump all the bags and break up the clods and mix with new.
So, I took a hand trowel and kinda sawed around last years dead tomato stubs and rootballs and pulled out a hunk that was about the top third or so of the bag's contents. I then took a hose and flushed plain water into the remaining mix thinking I'd wash out any salts etc out the bottom holes of the bag.
I then topped the bag back up with fresh HP and planted my two plants in each bag.
Today they look great. The roots are already growing out of the holes in the bottom and into the ground the bags sit on. Not sure if this will be a problem because that is where the drained nutrients go and could build up. Thinking I need to get the bags up off the ground and onto something. They are sitting on 6" of clean sandy fill, so I am not worried about them pulling a nutrient load from that soil, but it is technically not inert either.
I will note that I did not have ANY disease last year, so I did not fear re-using the mix ( I am under cover, so no wet leaves from splashing rain).
The bags will be too brittle by next season to get a 3rd season, and I will probably just bust them open and spread the mix into one of my fields.

May 26, 2017	#1
Nematode Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2012 Location: massachusetts Posts: 1,710	AkMark, Ricky Shaw, PureHarvest and others I have a media Q Question for those that use a neutral media and feed with a complete nutrient solution. Do you toss the media each season or stretch it with part new mix? What is your go to mix? I need to come up with a grow media for onion, leeks, carrots, beets, garlic, potato. Like to get a few seasons out of it if I can, or at least have it be dirt cheap. Thx

May 26, 2017	#3
PureHarvest Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Mid-Atlantic right on the line of Zone 7a and 7b Posts: 1,369	I am reusing my HP this year. A researcher I met says just rip the plants out, top off with new, and put your new plants in. No need to dump all the bags and break up the clods and mix with new. So, I took a hand trowel and kinda sawed around last years dead tomato stubs and rootballs and pulled out a hunk that was about the top third or so of the bag's contents. I then took a hose and flushed plain water into the remaining mix thinking I'd wash out any salts etc out the bottom holes of the bag. I then topped the bag back up with fresh HP and planted my two plants in each bag. Today they look great. The roots are already growing out of the holes in the bottom and into the ground the bags sit on. Not sure if this will be a problem because that is where the drained nutrients go and could build up. Thinking I need to get the bags up off the ground and onto something. They are sitting on 6" of clean sandy fill, so I am not worried about them pulling a nutrient load from that soil, but it is technically not inert either. I will note that I did not have ANY disease last year, so I did not fear re-using the mix ( I am under cover, so no wet leaves from splashing rain). The bags will be too brittle by next season to get a 3rd season, and I will probably just bust them open and spread the mix into one of my fields. Last edited by PureHarvest; May 26, 2017 at 11:51 AM.

May 26, 2017	#2
Ricky Shaw Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Zone 6a Denver North Metro Posts: 1,910	Last year PromixHP exclusively on toms in 15gal fabric pots to stunning success. I've got some pots with PromixHP this year, but the majority will be a mix of peat 40%, perlite 30%, coco 30%. This trialed well in seedlings over the winter and is slightly more water retentive than HP. The coir seems to help reduce the tendency of the peat to mat and aids in accepting water. I can do this mix and add Myco at about half the cost of the PromixHP. It's a lot of work/time, I'll let you know if I think it's worth it.