I mix all potting mixes with Perlite. I mix 1 Scoop of Perlite to 6 scoops of Potting Mix.

MikeInCypress.

[QUOTE=MikeInCypress;693969]I mix all potting mixes with Perlite. I mix 1 Scoop of Perlite to 6 scoops of Potting Mix.

MikeInCypress.[/QUOTE]

I use even more that that.:lol:


Worth

[QUOTE=ginger2778;693953]Salt, will you have drain holes? At the sides an inch or 2 above the bottom? You're not just going to leave water to stagnate in the pots are you?

That MG water conserve is death. But you'll see.....[/QUOTE]

Marsha, as I bought it - the words I spoke were, "I just wasted $16."

The only way I can see and share pictures/results is to try it myself.

I'm still not sure about the drain holes.

[QUOTE=MikeInCypress;693969]I mix all potting mixes with Perlite. I mix 1 Scoop of Perlite to 6 scoops of Potting Mix.

MikeInCypress.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Worth1;693970]I use even more that that.:lol:


Worth[/QUOTE]

I bought Perlite and looked at vermiculite. I don't have enough Perlite to mix it as much as you two are writing about. May I ask, about the benefits from you who use it?

EDIT: I had anxiety problems earlier today - I sure worded my response oddly.

Before I made the switch to pro-mix, I unpotted everything I had planted in the natures care and mixed in a 6qt bag of perlite to every 32qt bag of mix. I think it helped some. I have a few peppers still planted in it and they're doing alright if I don't water them for weeks at a time.

I have never seen this before, but have used MG potting mix with moisture control a lot and my plants have always done great in it. I wonder what the difference is between moisture control and moisture conserve, if any? I think what works for each person can depend, in part, on your gardening habits and weaknesses. If keeping things watered is difficult for you in in the heat of the summer this might be your pot of gold, but if you have a very regular watering schedule or err on the the side of over watering instead of under, this might be terrible for you. If you live in a place with a lot of rain or in a very rainy year it might be bad, but if if you live in a hot dry place or it is that type of summer, again it might be great for you. It will be interesting to see how it is for you, Salt. I generally didn't like MG's organic soils, for some reason. Not sure why things didn't do as well in them. But we just don't have the variety of soils for sale around here that many of you do, so we pick from what we have, and this might work out for you. I will look for your follow ups.

I'll add that the first impression I got from opening a bag of nature's care was that it looked, felt, and smelled an awful lot like the bags of black mulch you put in your flower beds every spring. Very different from the "exclusively peat-y" smells and loose texture of typical potting mix. If I were to solarize the bags first, I would be tempted to throw a few bags into raised beds. Seems like they went for potting mix, but made a better raised bed soil instead. I think I got suckered by their marketing and info on the package because I strive to stay as organic as possible and the other immediate option I had was standard MG mix. I have to drive way out of town to find pro-mix. It's not completely terrible though. Salt, you may have awesome results. I have several jalapeno plants and watermelons in containers and they're producing like gangbusters.

Outside that each aerate, vermiculite and perlite are used for nearly opposite effect. If you want the mix to retain more water, you add vermiculite. And to drain better, you add perlite.

I can't speak to vermiculite, but please be careful when using perlite. Wear a mask. (We wet ours down first to help control the dust, too.) The last data sheet I looked at suggested that once you breathed it in or let it in through a cut in your hands meant your body was going to have a terrific time trying to get rid of it.

I will wear a filter mask when I use the perlite. It will be my first time to mix it in myself.

I have done tomatoes in a 5-gallon bucket here in hot and sunny California. I put the holes in the side about 3 inches up since I'm gone during the day and at the time I didn't have automated irrigation. It worked pretty well considering. I think the biggest problem was irregular hand watering on my part especially during heat waves. Getting one of those cheap Rainbird kits that has the timer was the best thing I've done for my garden.

2 Plants per 5G Mark . Wow ?

When I started testing fabric pots a couple years back, I think we started with a 7G or 10G Anyhow,the tomatoes we end up putting in fabric pots go into 15G pots. It's the perfect diameter for the 18" TTC as well

Come late fall when we turnover the soil in the pots, the roots fill up the entire 15G pot

I had no idea tomato roots can get that big.

Great thread!!!

I have been lining my pots with wood that has been soaked in a solution of 10-10-10 all winter, and Bio-Char that is charged with urea. We will see what happens.

I do have a question for the container folks, do you replace the mix every other year?
I was thinking about replenishing with my compost and growing a cover crop in the pots in the fall.
My potted plants usually get a shot of osmocote or 10-10-10 three times a season after bloom.


Wood, Charred wood, soaked in 10-10-10 solution all winter

[IMG]https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/821/40991382152_605d989bfb_b.jpg[/IMG]



Drip irrigation to pot.
Compost, Bio-char, Rabbit Manure and Bedding, old potting soil, some old clay soil, coffee grounds...pray for me!!

[IMG]https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/798/39370996320_87fe4c8ae1_b.jpg[/IMG]

Salt, If you ever come across more buckets you can use 2 5 gal buckets the same was as you would and earthbox. also creates a barrier. Works almost as well and not expensive to put together. There are so many Youtube videos.
or here is a link

[url]https://web.extension.illinois.edu/dmp/downloads/54278.pdf[/url]