Container Gardening Complete

Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete

700309 - ContainerGardens_001-272_FINAL.indd 50 5/24/17 11:03 AM
Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete
Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete

700309 - ContainerGardens_001-272_FINAL.indd 51 5/24/17 11:03 AM

50 chapter 1

Creating the Perfect

Potting Soil Blend for

Container Gardening

After deciding which potting mix makes the best

base for your containers, it’s time to kick it up

a notch. Though you certainly can use straight

commercial potting mix, you’ll be missing an

excellent opportunity to make your life easier and

grow even healthier plants.

As you probably already know, compost is

“black gold” to gardeners. It’s made of decomposed

organic materials, and it’s filled with nutrients

and alive with beneficial soil microbes. Compost

also has an incredible moisture-holding capacity,

and containerized plants grown in potting mixes

containing at least 20 to 30% compost have been

shown to have a lower rate of foliar disease.

Adding compost to your containers introduces

beneficial organisms that help your plants acquire

nutrients, and it helps your containers retain

moisture. Compost also helps add bulk to light

potting soil mixes and improves their structure.

To make the ideal potting blend for container

gardening, mix a high-quality commercial potting

soil with compost that’s been sifted to remove

any large particles at a 50/50 ratio. Blend them

together in a wheelbarrow or large bin before

adding the mix to your containers. (Wear a

respirator or dusk mask anytime you’re working

with potting soil.) Using this 50/50 mix means

you’ll cut down on expenses (compost is cheaper

than potting soil, especially if it’s homemade),

reduce watering, and foster healthy plant

growth. The only time I don’t recommend adding

compost to a potting mix is when you’re growing

succulents or cacti—these plants prefer a well-

drained, coarse growing medium.

If you don’t have a compost pile of your own,

you can purchase compost by the truck load or

by the bag, but be warned that not all composts

are created equal. Look for one that’s comprised

of a blend of decomposed ingredients and not

just a single ingredient, such as composted

cow manure or shredded wood. High-quality

compost smells wonderful, has a fine texture,

and has decomposed enough so that the original

ingredients are no longer recognizable.

Adding compost to your containers introduces

beneficial soil organisms and nutrients that help plants

grow. It also aids in moisture retention to cut down on

watering chores. Filling your containers with a 50/50

mix of compost and potting soil results in happier and

healthier plants.

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Getting Started 51

Making Your Own Potting

Soil from Scratch

Making your own potting soil is an excellent way

to save money, and it allows you to tailor a potting

soil mix to suit your needs. Large volumes can be

mixed in a cement mixer or a compost tumbler;

for smaller quantities, blend the ingredients in a

wheelbarrow, mortar mixing tub, or large bucket.

Be sure to mix everything thoroughly to ensure

a consistent result. And remember, if the recipe

doesn’t have compost already added, you’ll need

to mix the final product with compost until you

have a 50/50 mixture of both.

General Soilless Container Gardening Mix

(With Compost Already Added)

6 gallons sphagnum peat moss or coir fiber

¼ cup pulverized lime (if using peat moss)

41 ⁄ 2 gallons vermiculite or perlite

6 gallons compost

Mix together: 2 cups rock phosphate, 2 cups

greensand, ½ cup bone meal, and ¼ cup kelp

meal. Add 1½ cups of this fertilizer blend to the

finished mix. Or, add 1½ cups of any granular,

organic, complete fertilizer instead.

Soilless Container Gardening Mix

(Without Compost)

6 gallons sphagnum peat moss or coir fiber

6 gallons vermiculite or perlite

4 tablespoons pulverized dolomitic limestone

¼ cup bone meal

2 tablespoons blood meal

Potted Perennial and Shrub Mix

1 part compost

1 part coarse sand

1 part sphagnum peat moss

1 part composted pine bark

1 part perlite

Add 1 tablespoon lime for each gallon

of peat moss

Cacti and Succulent Potting Mix

3 gallons potting soil (either a commercial

brand or the homemade mix above,

without compost)

2 gallons coarse sand

1 gallon perlite

When making your own potting soil, use the

batch as quickly as possible. But if storage is

necessary, place the mix in plastic garbage bags

in a cool, dry place, or pile it on a tarp in a shed

or garage and cover the pile loosely with a sheet

of plastic.

The following project uses the cacti and

succulent potting mix mentioned above to grow

a repurposed planter full of unique, drought-

tolerant succulent plants.

To save money on the expense of potting soil, mix up

your own instead of purchasing commercial brands.

The ingredients are widely available at most garden

centers and nurseries.

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