First EarthTainers Help Please for Deep South

[Dewayne mater]

NewbieGrower - for a little perspective, you were lucky to get Raybo, the Earthtainer inventor, developer, and Master to answer your questions! If Ray says it, do it! The issue of concern is that you don't want the roots sopping wet all the time as you can get with some bagged mixes, especially if they have water retaining beads in them. Pine bark fines are just pine bark broken down into pieces that are nearly all smaller than a dime and no thicker than a quarter. They don't compact near as much as some mixes do either, which is good for the self wicking from the bottom aspect of the earthtainer. They can be sold under names other than pine bark fines (not the name I've seen used in N. Texas)

Definitely also hone in quickly to the folks Ray recommended as they are frequent posters with much experience and most importantly, are willing to share their knowledge freely to help you solve issues, a/k/a the greatness of tomatoville! I would be sure to have a regular spraying of anti fungal going now before problems arise. Daconil is a strong contender as a preventative, though it is useless once you have disease. Good luck!

Dewayne

[dmforcier]

Originally Posted by My Foot Smells

can you not just rake some bark off a pine tree and mash it down? or does the bagged stuff have something special?

find a lumber mill and bring a truck.......

Finding pine bark is not the problem. Mashing is the hard part. The intent is to use a narrow range of particle size to control the average particle size in the final mix. This strongly correlates to the ability of the pot to drain, thus avoiding the dread Perched Water Table (PWT) that drowns roots.

Even with mini-nuggets you should screen out both the too-large and too-small bits, though I generally accept the too-small bits unless there are a lot of them.

Why pine bark? It's plentiful. It absorbs and retains moisture, and it doesn't rot (lots of lignin). .

[NewbieGrower]

I finished building my last EarthTainer and will plant my mini sweet pepper plants tomorrow. The bushes will only grow up to 2.5 feet tall. The "standard" for pepper plants is 4, one in each corner of EarthTainer. But I think that is for normal-sized peppers which grow tall. So how many of my dwarf mini pepper plants can I plant? If more than 4, where do I put fertilizer trench?

[NewbieGrower]

I see Lowe's here now has Evergreen brand mini Red pine nuggets. Does the species of pine bark matter? Or are these mini nuggets dyed red. If dyed, are they safe to put in container mix? A bag has 2 cubic feet. How many bags do I need for one EarthTainer?

[NewbieGrower]

With Daconil, can you harvest on same day you spray? Not really wanting to use something on edibles that says to wear long sleeves and gloves when mixing and using. Don't spray around pets or children. Is Seranade as effective? Respraying after rain? It rains every 3 days or so all summer (forget weekly spraying unless no rain for a week) . Just heavy downpours or must respray after just 15 minutes of light rain? Daconil doesn't do anything about insects/aphids, etc. So do you spray something else for those?

[ginger2778]

Hi newbie, here is what I spray as a regular every 7-10 day preventive. I use liquid copper fungicide, mixed at 1/2 of the lowest, weakest recommended strength,( believe me it is enough)and I put some BT liquid in after the copper is mixed in, at the rate of 1 Tablespoon per gallon. When it is mixed, I add a little squeeze of dish soap to act as a spreader. The soap will also help to rupture and kill whiteflies and aphids.
I use the Southern Ag brand of copper, it is fungicidal and bactericidal and it is OMRI listed for an organic fungicide. Very effective, and does work on already contracted fungus, new leafs won't have it.
I measure the Southern Ag at 1/2 Tablespoon per gallon. The BT is used for preventing caterpillars such as hornworms. It is a bacteria they eat and it gives them a terminal infection. Harmless to bees, birds, us, etc. Dipel,Thurcide are some brands of BT.

A word of warning since you are a newbie, copper spray gets into the cells, so if too strong, will make your new growth leafs curl and stunt and will slow down growth for about 3 weeks. If it looks blue on the leaf, it is too strong of a spray. More is not better! Also, with any spray its best to not get it on the blossoms.

[My Foot Smells]

Goodness sakes alive Frank, those plants are YUUUUUGE!!

Is that 2017?

I feel way behind......

[NewbieGrower]

I was hoping you would find my thread. I tried to search for your postings but I guess I don't know how to use Forum yet. Raybo says you are expert for Deep South gardening.

I read that copper should not be sprayed when it is hot. When is it NOT hot here? Early morning or dusk? Will dew take it off? Respray after rain or just set schedule? Use this for container gardens? Obviously I have never grown anything and I have killed all houseplants in the past for lack of knowledge. But now I am reading everything I can and appreciate all the shared advice on this Forum. I always check if person is in hot, dry climate because what works there won't work here.

[dmforcier]

Originally Posted by NewbieGrower

I see Lowe's here now has Evergreen brand mini Red pine nuggets. Does the species of pine bark matter? Or are these mini nuggets dyed red. If dyed, are they safe to put in container mix? A bag has 2 cubic feet. How many bags do I need for one EarthTainer?

They are dyed. I can't remember why, but I remember that we're not supposed to use dyed mulches in the mix. Species doesn't matter.

Evergreen is one of the brands I could get in Atlanta. Generally workable (though variable) and cheap.

[NewbieGrower]

Then those won't work (dyed). Home Depot only had BULK ORDER for mini pine nuggets, minimum 5 cu yards $150. Will check local garden centers and ACE HARDWARE. Can't change the 3 containers already set up but can do my last one right if can find mini nuggets.

[NewbieGrower]

ACE has SCOTTS extra fine triple shredded in black, brown and red to order on line. Likely dyed. But doesn't even say it's pine bark.

[rnewste]

While they might "work", you never want to use anything dyed in self-watering containers. The plant roots will absord that dye over time which is NOT a good thing for your health.

Keep searching for pine microbark. As I indicated earlier, Clay Soil Conditioner is a (poor) substitute - but if nothing else is available in your area, it will help minimize the "perched water table" as Dewayne points out.

You want to achieve a delicate balance of good draining yet up-wicking grow media in a self-watering container. The 3-2-1 combo mix I recommend has worked ideally for me. In MS. with all the rain, you may find adjusting for better drainage would be the optimal ratio.

Have fun experimenting!

Raybo

[NewbieGrower]

Something like AMTURF ULTIMATE SOIL CONDITIONER? Here is Amazon description:
"A soil additive specifically designed to balance water, nutrients and oxygen to convert poor soil into a loose, rich-growing medium. Enhances root growth for flowers, vegetables, trees, shrubs, container planters and hanging baskets. Use Ultra Soil Conditioner with all types of problem soils, including clay soil, sandy soil, potting soil and container soils. Breaks up heavy clay. Holds water and nutrients without degrading. Retains moisture in the root zone. Increases drainage in most soils. Can be used as a growing medium for aquatic plants in garden ponds. "

I DON'T WANT MOISTURE RETENTION DO I?

[dmforcier]

There is a type of oil-sorb (essentially kitty litter) that won't disintegrate in water. Primary use seems to be in "gritty mix". Is that what you're referring to Raybo?

Here is Al's latest screed on container mixes. He recommends his famous 5:1:1 mix, but mine turned out more like 3:2:1 and were quite successful.

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discuss...retention-xxii


[Raybo, my mama dubbed me Dennis, not Dewayne.]

[NewbieGrower]

Home Depot in Brookhaven (60 miles away) has limited supply of Timberline 2 cu. ft. Mini Pine Bark Nuggets. Cannot be ordered for delivery to local store. 2 cu feet per bag. How many bags for one EarthTainer?