Wonder Soil

[shatbox]

I'm going to try the root pouches and was trying to figure out if it needs pearite, anyone have experience?

[Barb_FL]

Originally Posted by shatbox

I'm going to try the root pouches and was trying to figure out if it needs pearite, anyone have experience?

On my plant that ended up with 100% WS, I used a lot of perlite. I tend to go heavy on perlite.

I checked my plant, and I used the WS on the Minnesota midget cantaloupe.
No fruit yet but lots of flowers.

----
A couple of weeks ago, the top of 2 tomato plants broke off; so I stuck each in WS and added mykos on the stems and watered from the bottom. During the first week, the plants looked limp, (they are in the porch, not direct sun) and today I yanked on them and they were solid......So I transplanted one and it had nice white thick roots. A+ for WS.

[shatbox]

Barb, did you use 100% wonder soil first then add pearlite later?

[Father'sDaughter]

Now that the plants have been out for about a month and a half, I thought I'd share an update.

I planted five tomato plants and 15 hot pepper plants in grow bags filed with straight Wonder Soil. Everyone was happy as could be and got a couple of good feedings of Urban Farms Vegetable fertilizer before our vacation. In hindsight, I should have gone with a granular/slower release fertilizer before we left.

We were gone for 18 days, during which we left the lawn irrigation system (which also waters the garden) running on it's regular cycle. However, we also get quite a bit of rain while we were away. This meant the grow bags were washed out of all nutrients for a period of time. While I came back to amazingly healthy plants, what fruit set there had been on the grow bag tomatoes while we were gone all had BER. Early Wonder Pink and Marovsky Div were hit the worst. The one plant with fruit set that was only minimally affected, interestingly enough, was San Marzano Nano. While I had to pull off about a dozen small fruit with BER, the plant is loaded with at least 60 health looking greenies!

The peppers, on the other hand, have been thriving.

Since we got back, all are on regular feeding schedules again and the peppers have been setting like crazy! The two Dwarf Pink Passion plants in grow bags are absolutely loaded with blossoms and now have their first few fruit set.

All the plants seem to get through the hot spells we've been having with no signs of stress and I'm not needing to water as frequently.

So far I'm pleased with the results.

[kurt]

When I got done with my container maters this past season end(March/May) I always dump my spent soil into yard around trees etc.The containers that I trialed with 100% Wonder soil had a perfect rootball,as in uniform root distribution and no girdling effect as the Pro Mix containers do.Seems like the roots grow evenly throughout the medium.Water intake was less per plant.Plants did develop faster and flower more evenly.I use a tray under each container and this is how I caliber my water intake amounts.The Wonder Soil plants would hold water better than the Pro Mix which seemed to run out faster that the WS.Next season I will be using a 50/50 mix.No hornworms in the WS.I know for a fact that the Pro Mix carries the hornworm larvae.All my container growth is in a screened in enclosed pool area,hence no outside insect vector(moths).Maybe I will contact the WS people for a bulk puchase discount,after I dissect the costs difference from using all WS and or all Pro Mix.

[Labradors2]

Kurt,

Did you mean to say Fungus Gnats in the Pro Mix?

Hornworms lay their eggs on the leaves and the only time a hornworm would be in the soil is as a pupa.

Linda

Originally Posted by kurt

When I got done with my container maters this past season end(March/May) I always dump my spent soil into yard around trees etc.The containers that I trialed with 100% Wonder soil had a perfect rootball,as in uniform root distribution and no girdling effect as the Pro Mix containers do.Seems like the roots grow evenly throughout the medium.Water intake was less per plant.Plants did develop faster and flower more evenly.I use a tray under each container and this is how I caliber my water intake amounts.The Wonder Soil plants would hold water better than the Pro Mix which seemed to run out faster that the WS.Next season I will be using a 50/50 mix.No hornworms in the WS.I know for a fact that the Pro Mix carries the hornworm larvae.All my container growth is in a screened in enclosed pool area,hence no outside insect vector(moths).Maybe I will contact the WS people for a bulk puchase discount,after I dissect the costs difference from using all WS and or all Pro Mix.

[kurt]

Originally Posted by Labradors2

Kurt,

Did you mean to say Fungus Gnats in the Pro Mix?

Hornworms lay their eggs on the leaves and the only time a hornworm would be in the soil is as a pupa.

Linda

Larvae/pupa as a regular layman it is the same to me.Thanx for the info.I have never seen a large moth in the pool area,I guess during the Pro Mix material gathering cycle eggs/pupa get transferred.I know the material comes all the way from Canada.I guess when it gets here the warmth and humidity activates them.Outside in the yard no worms at all.I grow some superhots(peppers)and some wild Everglade cherrys and have never seen them outside.But when I start those in the Pro Mix inside I encounter them.Drives me crazy.

[Labradors2]

Kurt,

Moths are nocturnal so you wouldn't normally see them during the daytime. Since the hormworm is such a large caterpillar, the pupa that it forms would be about 2" long and 1/2" wide, so it wouldn't be difficult to detect in the potting soil, but I wouldn't blame you at all for buying a different medium next time if you think they are hiding out in the Pro-mix.

As a Canadian, I think it's a really neat idea to send all our Hornworms to the US , hidden in Pro-mix

Linda

[kurt]

Originally Posted by Labradors2

Kurt,

Moths are nocturnal so you wouldn't normally see them during the daytime. Since the hormworm is such a large caterpillar, the pupa that it forms would be about 2" long and 1/2" wide, so it wouldn't be difficult to detect in the potting soil, but I wouldn't blame you at all for buying a different medium next time if you think they are hiding out in the Pro-mix.

As a Canadian, I think it's a really neat idea to send all our Hornworms to the US , hidden in Pro-mix

Linda

Did some research if the eggs(small)were on the plant material at time of collection and survived the compaction and maybe winter freeze process it is possible.The Pro Mix does have its fair share of twigs and sticks,so it is all not the peat and whatever they claim.Also the distributor for the USA portion is in PA.,chances are they compact large quantities there.In short if I would see a moth that has a 4" wingspan flying around in the enclosure(and I do spend a lot of evening hours gardening/swimming at night) I would notice it.I do not mind the maybe three or four worms I encounter per season we all must eat,keeps some of my lizards active(wild running around).When I see 20-30 then I will be worried.I buy 5-6 bales per season for all the other growths.Problem I have is the screened in enclosure is a isolated growing area with no real beneficial predators to keep things in check.I am glad for the Canadian Pro Mix product.Most of our nurseries and farms here use it for the ornamentals and other planting mediums.

[greenthumbomaha]

I could not find any specific information on Stockosorb® AG Polymers, the patented ingredient that is used in Winder Soil as a soil moisture enhancer. Is everyone convinced that this is a safe product for using with vegetables?

I'm going to try a brick for cuttings but still not too sure about growing anything edible in it.

- Lisa

[kurt]

Originally Posted by greenthumbomaha

I could not find any specific information on Stockosorb® AG Polymers, the patented ingredient that is used in Winder Soil as a soil moisture enhancer. Is everyone convinced that this is a safe product for using with vegetables?

I'm going to try a brick for cuttings but still not too sure about growing anything edible in it.

- Lisa

STOCKOSORB® used in landscaping, forestry and agriculture is environmentally sound. In-depth ecotoxicological testing was performed in laboratories certified according to the rules of Good Laboratory Practice (GLP). No evidence for adverse effects of STOCKOSORB® to animals, plants, soil or ground water was obtained. STOCKOSORB® is classified as “inert ingredient” by the US Evironmental Protection Agency EPA under 40 CFR section 180.1001(c).
STOCKOSORB® 660 is free of any toxicological listings and is exempt from California Proposition 65.

http://www.creasorb.com/product/crea...s/default.aspx

[Father'sDaughter]

The tomato season is winding down for me and I've started pulling plants. Yesterday I pulled four that were in grow bags with Wonder Soil. The root balls were the largest ones I've ever seen when pulling tomato plants.

I did notice something strange. In the past I've used a combo of potting mix and composted manure and the tomato plants have always grown a few long roots out of the bag's drain holes and into the ground below. With the Wonder Soil the roots formed more of a dense mat that stayed near the top of the grow bag with no sign of any "tap roots." Before I shook them out, they looked kind of like the flat root system you see on an evergreen tree that has tipped over.

The fact that the roots never even ventured into the bottom half of the bags makes me think the plants might have done just as well in even smaller containers.

Average production was more than double what I typically get from my grow bag tomatoes and hot peppers are still healthy and loaded up.

I'll be stocking up on Wonder Soil and Texas Tomato Food again for next year. It was a winning combination for me.

[greenthumbomaha]

I'm thinking about buying a few bricks of WonderSoil for a raised bed, to avoid the transportation and lifting of heavy bagged products into the bed. Obviously I wouldn't be dumping at the end of the season so longetivity is important.

If you are re-using WS in the same bed or container, how has the product characteristics evolved over time, exclusive of using up the ferts. Has it compacted, broken down, etc. Have you added any amendments such as composted manure or vegetative compost and were they mixed in or top dressed.

I'll be filling a galvanized steel raised garden kit in partial shade near a hose bib with the possibility of a drip system so I'd like to not have the water retention if at all possible if this is an option with WS. I'm thinking of layering it with peat or composted manure next year but I'd like to hear how this product worked out in the field beyond the first season honeymoon period.

The dimensions of the bed are approx 7 feet long, two feet wide and 15 inches high


- Lisa

I called the nice folks at WS , and the organic product doesn't have the water retention polymer. The core ingredients vary slightly from product to product as well.

[Father'sDaughter]

I've only used it in grow bags, so I don't know how it would hold up in a raised bed.

When possible I have reused in the bags with no ill effects, change in texture, or compacting, and very little apparent breaking down. The problem I often have at the end of the season is that the plant's root ball has completely encompassed all the Wondersoil and locked it into an almost cohesive mass. I can lift the entire root ball out of the bag and no matter how hard I shake or bang it against the ground, the roots just won't let go of the medium. The price I pay for an extensive and healthy root system...

[kurt]

Our local hydro store has the coir now in bales.check it out before you buy Ws for savings.