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#64173 September 6th, 2006 at 01:11 AM
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zizzix Offline OP
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i want to try container gardening in 15 gal pots.my small yard is wall to wall plants so i have to go someplace. my soil is heavy clay which i have amended fairly well and get pretty good crops but my efforts with growing in containers have been miserable. i have been to the store and bought-superphosphate, sul-pro-mag, gypsum, dolomite lime,blood meal, bone meal, worm castings, bat guano, citrus growers mix. i have tried to use the suggested amounts in relation to a 15 gal pot and this is what i have. i would really would appreciate your input on this -- please be kind--
71/2 Gal just plain old dirt
2 C Gypsum
5 Gal Super Soil
2 Qt. Worm Castings
1 Gal Compost
5 T Super Phosphate
7 T Sul-Pro-Mag
2 C Blood Meal
1 T Citrus Growers Mix
thank you for your time

#64174 September 8th, 2006 at 03:23 PM
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Crikey zizzix. All you need to do is buy a premium quality potting mix and plant into it. A weekly feed with an organic liquid fert and you are there. You can always mix the compost and worm castings with the potting mix but i reckon that'd be enough. You're making it all too hard IMHO. BTW, Just plain old dirt is not a good base for container plants.

#64175 September 8th, 2006 at 08:58 PM
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It probably would have been cheaper just to go with the potting soil instead of buying all the amendments. I feel for you big time. What are you trying to put in the pots? Different plants need different conditions. Like my chinese lanterns. They like an alkaline soil so they are in 100% compost with lime (oyster shells) added to increase the pH of the soil.

And that's the place to start with your garden soil. Do a soil test and check the pH. Then amend as necessary for the plant you wish to grow. But remember some amendments take as much as 6 months to change the soil.

Good luck with your containers.

BTW I found that my clay soil was extremely low in nitrogen. So I added alphalpha pellets. I really get good results adding them to the planting holes.

#64176 September 9th, 2006 at 04:19 AM
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zizzix Offline OP
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thank you Longy and tkhooper. i tho't that what i did would be seen as extreme and probaly was. i have been down the ptting soil only road many times and used all kinds of fertilizers. the plants start out good but don't last as they do in the ground and also are develop diseases more readily. sooo we'll see what i have wrot. thanks again

#64177 September 9th, 2006 at 11:12 AM
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Zizzix, I usually buy the packaged potting mix now, but I have made my own in the past. For my containers, I would use 3 parts sifted compost, 1 part sphagnum peat moss, and 1 part perlite. I found this mix worked extremely well and gave me excellent results. thumbup Now, it just seems easier to buy it already mixed and I don't have to mess around with mixing it. wink

#64178 September 10th, 2006 at 06:18 AM
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"the plants start out good but don't last as they do in the ground and also are develop diseases more readily."
++++++++++++++++++++++++
Yeah i know what you mean, tho i reckon that's the lack of organic matter so adding compost and worm castings helps to overcome this. Also the liquid organic ferts. However, it's an interesting experiment you have embarked on and i'd be interested to know how it goes.

#64179 September 10th, 2006 at 09:38 AM
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i have been down the ptting soil only road many times and used all kinds of fertilizers. the plants start out good but don't last as they do in the ground and also are develop diseases more readily.
Geesh, Zizzix, I'm not sure what could be causing your problem with planting in the containers. Duh It seems I've always had my greatest success whenever I was planting in containers with potting mix. thumbup I figured it was because I could keep a better eye on them and control what was happening with them. wink


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