What makes up potting soil

About how many cubic square feet does the recipe for the general soil make? Thank you, I have several old pots on our NYC deck. But with age years they have become bunch more dense, and resemble topsoil.

How can I get it back into shape for new pots of both flowers and veggies. Then I would suggest adding a little organic granular fertilizer too. One thing I have found looking at almost all DIY mix recipes for seeding, transplanting, etc. Vermiculite often comes in different sizes as well. It would be great if you could update your recipe s with more detail on which you are using. I am wondering if the houseplant mix would be substantial for both?

Which of these potting mix recipes would you recommend for growing heirloom tomatoes in large pots, as well as some herbs in separate pots? I have been looking for soil recipes and it has been a bit harder than I anticipated. This was a very useful post! Many thanks, Love Your videos!!! Yes, I would recommend the same potting mixes for you. I love these recipes! And could I use the fertiziler in water to fertilize my plants?

If so, what would the suggested concentration be for indoor and outdoor plants? Hi Hillary — You can store the unused fertilizer in a zipper top plastic bag or a plastic food storage container. It will last for several years. I would not recommend mixing it with water as the nutrients in granular fertilizers are insoluble and are available to plants slowly over a long period of time as they break down. If weeds are problematic in your pile, consider using a few bags of dehydrated manure in your DIY potting soil mixes instead of compost.

Dehydrated and bagged manures are processed and weed free. Hello Jessica — Thank you so much for these recipes! In your video you use peat moss as well as some compost, for your houseplant recipe is just using coir fibre ok or do I need a compost in there as well?

Thank you x. Hi, I am trying to grow curry limdi indian spice leves in u. Be sure the cuttings are kept consistently moist until the roots form about a month later.

You can cover the pot and cutting with a clear plastic baggie to keep the humidity high. If overwatering is the culprit, the cutting will rot at the soil line. Hello I would like make some potting mix for my outdoor palms. Which Potting mix recipe do you recommend? Really enjoyed and learned a lot from your post on DYI potting soil. A few of your readers asked about how best to replenish the regular mix the following year, whereby your recommendation was to ideally change it out entirely and not reuse.

Sorry for all the preamble, but my question is what do you do with all the mixture at the end of the season. Can this be thrown into my organics compost pile? Thank you and really enjoy Savvy Gardening. Hi Bill. Yes, you can throw old potting soil onto the compost bin.

I save it in trash bags and use it to pot up perennial transplants to share with friends in the spring. Thank you for sharing your potting soil mixes as I am new to growing in container pots. Being from Hawaii, and now living on the East Coast. I used to go hiking a lot growing up and would get my soil from the mountain range as the plants in higher elevation seem to thrive in rich volcanic soil.

But now, living on the East Coast and not knowing much about the soil here I wanted to work with soiless products and I am glad I found this site. I am more interested in Citrus plants and needed some help with formulas.

The only downside is when your living in a apartment complex and having limited space its difficult buying all the soil amendment to store. I recently purchased a product called Pro Mix HP, and will follow your guidelines.

Thanks, for your advice. This is a great article. Starting with something like Promix BX, Promix HP, or Lambert mix will take care of ph balance, they come with just the right amount of lime added. According to those companies, they are extracting peat at a tiny fraction of the natural accumulation of peat in the vast bogs up there and are therefore not making a dent in the overall ecosystem. Coco coir also has a sustainabiliy impact as the coir has to be prepped — washed and desalinized, etc, it is not without impact either.

Although rice hulls have to be trucked to the Northeast from the deep South so there is some carbon footprint there as well. What is the best ratio of soils to add to a new raised bed? Are all of these good, any better than the other, or an even better one out there!! Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Skip to primary navigation Skip to main content Skip to primary sidebar.

What is potting soil? Potting soil is more lightweight than garden soil. Making your own potting soil blends is easy and inexpensive. For example: Lighter, finer-textured mixes are best for use when starting seeds and rooting cuttings.

Mixes containing a high percentage of coarse sand or pine bark are best for potted trees and shrubs. DIY potting soil with a sandy or gravely texture is ideal for cactus and succulent growing. There are dozens of specialized potting soil mixes you can make. Potting soil ingredients Most commercial and homemade potting soils consist of a blend of the following ingredients: Sphagnum peat moss: The primary ingredient in most potting soils is sphagnum peat moss.

Sphagnum peat moss is the most prevalent ingredient in potting soil. Coir fiber: A by-product of the coconut industry, coir looks and acts a lot like sphagnum peat moss in both commercial and DIY potting soil blends. Perlite: Perlite is a mined, volcanic rock. Vermiculite: Vermiculite is a mined mineral that is conditioned by heating until it expands into light particles.

Vermiculite particles are much more fine than perlite, but it, too, is a mined mineral deposit. Sand: Coarse sand improves drainage and adds weight to potting mixes. The basic container mix recipe above should be at about neutral 7. This will tell you whether you are within the 5. Hope this helps! In your above mix recipe would I use a regular measuring cup that measures dry ingredients? However, you can also use a measuring cup meant for liquid ingredients. This type is a little harder to keep the top of the dry material level, since the top measure line falls below the rim, but for potting mixes, it should work fine.

Either would be a good addition to your gardening tool collection. Is the 2 cups of time release fertilizer right in tbe recipe? The reason I ask is that my time release fertilizer basic 3 month type calls for about a cup for 50 square foot beds mixed into the top inches.

The recipe above is for about 1 cubic foot which is far more concentrated. I have already potted veggies. I am just double checking that it does not hurt my plants Please help me! I live in zone 8b, and I would like to start a garden. I have a few questions before I get started. I've read so much that now I'm feeling confused Can Bush string beans go in too, or do they not like acidic soil?

If so, would the beans go in the bottom? I want to make my own potting mix. I want to use 6cuft sphagnum peat moss, 3cuft Kellogg Raised Bed Mix, 1cuft Bagged garden compost, 1cuft steer manure compost, 1 cuft sand and some red wrigglers. If not please fix my "recipe" I want to grow sweet potatoes in an old tub.

Is there a certain potting mix I should use or is mines ok? I'm doing my first container garden. I bought a Big Bag raised bed, which is 50" in diameter and 12" deep. How much potting mix will I need, and can you give me a recipe that won't break the bank? I'm planting tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, summer squash. Thank you for your help. I don't know very much about gardening.

I just bought some organic gardening mix. I am wondering, can I use it directly for planting tomatoes in a pot? Do I have to mix it with native soil or anything else? I don't have good soil at all at home Thanks in advance for your help.

No you can just use that straight out the bag perfect the way it is I wouldn't even add fertilizer for a month or so. I start and transplant about veg and flowers from seeds. I use Bordines potting mix and use 6 bags at 3 cu ft each. Can I mix my own for this volume and cheaper? Also is the compost you buy in bags safe for seeds? Thank You, Dennis.

Bagged compost is weed-free, from my 20 years experience of using it. Price the materials to make your own potting mix to see if it's cheaper to make your own.

Prices vary so much by region, I'd hate to say it's cheaper. I am using a wooden box approximately 24" x " for a garden of fruits and vegetable. Would this type of mix work or what would you recommend? For raised gardens, layer top soil, composted cow manure, peat moss and a double layer of compost. At the start of every season, add more compost. I want to make my own potting soil to save money.

So where can I get the raw components for the best price? I don't know where you live, so it's difficult to cite a specific retailer. Generally, big boxes like Menard's and Home Depot have very competitive prices. Im thinking of starting a program in my town to collect restaurant waste as well as residential. Last year for my balcony container garden, I was advised to use Baccto Professional Planting mix.

It worked fine for my lettuces, but for my pineapple tomato plant, carrots, and strawberries, it was a disaster. I haven't grown food in about 30 years. Thank you. I'm not sure if this is the right post to ask this question I have a pot of calla lily and the leaves are getting yellow Thank you very much. There are two reasons for yellow leaves on callas: too wet soil and not enough light.

Let soil dry out between waterings indoors and move the pot to an East or West facing window. I just bought a pamdree mix from Millers LLC in Hyrum Utah you can google them they supply garden centers all over the intermountain west and they did several tests to get a better pH and balanced nutrients in a clean and organic mix. I haven't planted anything yet it snowed yesterday but it's nice and fluffy and if you live nearby their plant you can pick it up in bulk.

They even scrubbed the bucket clean before scooping it and placing it in our truck. Does that sound like an okay price? This is the first time I've done square foot gardening although I've got two row gardens out back we have high winds and need the harder soil for the plants that could blow away otherwise. I like that it was easy. I'll keep you posted if it grows anything. Prices vary from region to region. If you are happy with the mix and plants grow well, that's all that matters.

Hi there, i have some self sown baby trees and srubs which i dug up out of the garden last Autumn and put into pots, Lilly Pillies, Camilias and Azaleas there all doing very well and are now about 5" tall. I am in Australia, so its spring now over here. Karen, don't pinch until you plant in the ground. If you intend for them to be solely container plants, repot to a larger container and pinch after you see new growth. For succulents and other plants that need dry feet, add perlite.

Half garden soil and half perlite. Then throw in about 25 percent finely shredded pine bark. Hi Doreen,I recently purchased a bulk amount of garden soil from a local landscape suppply outlet. They told me that it does contain some peat and would be suitable to use as potting mix however i find it stays very wet to use for my succulents, what would you recommend i add to it to help it to dry out quicker? I have had vegtable gardens off and on for many years.

With the rising costs in the market, I am wondering if there are any vegtables that can be grown indoors through the winter months in a window with lots of sun, in a cold climate? Thinking of tomatoes and peppers.. Just curious and trying to eat healthy and affordably.

It would be possible to grow small vegetables like cherry tomatoes, lettuce, and herbs inside during the winter months, but with anything bigger, like squash, it would be difficult. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of sunlight during winter, so you would have to have grow lights--lights that produce light sufficient for plants to grow on and produce a little heat. You can pollinate plants yourself too--just take a cotton swab and transfer pollen between the male and female plants.

Because I couldn't go down with a garden, I've built layers in containers and on the ground using the Lasagna method. We've had extreme temperature fluctuations this Spring but I don't know if that is the cause of my stunted tomatoes and peppers. Should I start over? The average temp is in the 90's now. Thanks for your advice. I'm pretty new to gardening, with sand do you use coarse sand or fine sand or both. I was thinking for my summer plants I live in Australia a potting mix of peat moss, vermiculite, shredded pine bark, and either a coarse or find sand?

Can I use this mix for my garden soil in the ground? Or is it best for potted plants? I have raspberry, rose bushes, veggies and herbs that do fairly well every year but I know they can yield a lot more then what I'v been getting. This recipe won't work in the garden. You can augment your soil with compost or manure, peat if you need more acid and shredded leaves. Simply layer the materials over the existing ground and mulch with the leaves or finely shredded bark. All are organic and will break down into nutrients during the growing season.

BTW, roses love peat, as they flourish in a slightly acid soil. So do raspberries, blueberries and strawberries. Also spread your coffee grounds around them. Some rose experts suggest burying banana peels at the base of rose bushes to supply magnesium. Is there something else missing? I am really confused here! Nothing is missing, Jennifer. I left out the peat in the initial posting of the blog. We corrected that error after readers brought it to our attention.

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By Brian Barth on February 26, Brian Barth. Potting soil mixes have many ingredients, and those ingredients are often labeled "natural" or "organic. The USDA does not regulate the labeling of garden center products like it does organic food.

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