Outdoor soil mix

Gquebed

Gquebed

Well-Known Member
So I've got some NL beans a germinatin... gonna give outdoor a go just for shits and giggles and to see what I can learn. Hopefully, I'll get some viable seed out of it at the end.

Anyway, I plan to grow in pots so I can move the plants around when I need to and I'm wondering what is a good soil mix for that situation?

I suspect I want a soil mix that has nutrients in it?
 
Vnsmkr

Vnsmkr

Well-Known Member
Promix, compost, earthworm castings, aeration (lava rock, rice hulls) plus neem cake meal is what I use. I then feed with: water, water + fresh aloe, water + fresh coconut water, water + unsulphured blackstrap molasses, and I may add some fish hydroslate time to time and thats it. Neem cake helps control bugs and also feeds micronutrients
 
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MjMama

MjMama

Well-Known Member
You might want to get the 15 or 20 gallon fabric pots with handles. Very handy for moving around but still enough soil to be worth bothering outdoors. I'd avoid any blood and bone meal nutrients so you don't get anything digging around in your pots. Stick with some bagged organic soil and top dress with compost and mulch with a bale of alfalfa. Aged manure is a great addition too. You should be able to find those things in any town. Check Craig's list for manure and compost, and the feed store for alfalfa.
 
Gquebed

Gquebed

Well-Known Member
Vnsmkr said:
Promix, compost, earthworm castings, aeration (lava rock, rice hulls) plus neem cake meal is what I use. I then feed with: water, water + fresh aloe, water + fresh coconut water, water + unsulphured blackstrap molasses, and I may add some fish hydroslate time to time and thats it. Neem cake helps control bugs and also feeds micronutrients
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I never hear of neem cake. ....

What proportions do you use?
 
Gquebed

Gquebed

Well-Known Member
MjMama said:
You might want to get the 15 or 20 gallon fabric pots with handles. Very handy for moving around but still enough soil to be worth bothering outdoors. I'd avoid any blood and bone meal nutrients so you don't get anything digging around in your pots. Stick with some bagged organic soil and top dress with compost and mulch with a bale of alfalfa. Aged manure is a great addition too. You should be able to find those things in any town. Check Craig's list for manure and compost, and the feed store for alfalfa.
Click to expand...
I was going to go with 5 or 7 gal pots... short growing season way up north here...
 
Larry {the} Gardener

Larry {the} Gardener

Well-Known Member
I mix my own. I use the kiddie pools for mixing and they hold 8 five gallons buckets. Right now I'm using one bucket each of peat moss, cow manure compost, chicken manure compost, mushroom compost, cotton compost, kitty litter and two kinds {one cheap, one not} of potting soil. To that I add 12 cups used coffee grounds, 4 cup lime, 1 cup Epson salts, 4 cups each of 3 or 4 kinds of organic fertilizer {3-3-3 and similar}, 4 cups perlite and 1 cup vermiculite. Here is where I go off the reservation. I also add 4 cups of 13-13-13, 2 cups of 15-0-15, and 4 cups of 2 or 3 different kinds of time release plant food.

It's kind of hot, so you don't want to put seedlings in it.
 
D

Duago29

Active Member
I've been thinking about my soil mix outdoors too..for my potted plants i may divide a bag of promix among five 5gal buckets, and fill the rest of the way with cheap black topsoil.
Ill also have one plant in the ground, thats all I could do because of my geographics.. I've been mixing used decaf coffee grinds into the hole for a few weeks, along with the filters but I rip them up into quarter size peices so they can break down faster.

I worry about my pots not having enough space to get nice buds in a 5gal bucket though.. and I have heard people suggesting fabric pots but I've yet to see those anywhere... the biggest thing I have seen is 5gal buckets :(
 
Larry {the} Gardener

Larry {the} Gardener

Well-Known Member
Duago29 said:
I've been thinking about my soil mix outdoors too..for my potted plants i may divide a bag of promix among five 5gal buckets, and fill the rest of the way with cheap black topsoil.
Ill also have one plant in the ground, thats all I could do because of my geographics.. I've been mixing used decaf coffee grinds into the hole for a few weeks, along with the filters but I rip them up into quarter size peices so they can break down faster.

I worry about my pots not having enough space to get nice buds in a 5gal bucket though.. and I have heard people suggesting fabric pots but I've yet to see those anywhere... the biggest thing I have seen is 5gal buckets :(
Click to expand...
Most nurseries sell the used plastic pots. Not as popular as smart pots, but just a few bucks for 15-20 gallon pot. I've also made a few fabric pots using landscape cloth. Real cheap if you do it that way. A roll of the wide fabric is around $30-35, and will make several pots. You will need to find someone with a sewing machine though.
 
Lucky Luke

Lucky Luke

Well-Known Member
I use some good potting mix (seaweed based and locally produced called Kelpomix). Whatever compost is on special. This year it will be some chicken manure and mushroom compost and some Dynamic lifter. Add in some Epsom salt and some slow release fertilizer with some ashes and coals from the fireplace.
 
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