cocodreams
Member
Hey all,
I had a specialty function soil-less mix that I just came up with this summer, and as I've had some success, i thought I'd share it with anyone who might find it beneficial.
I recently became charged with fixing up some houseplants with root damage, either from over-watering from poor drainage, under-watering, or becoming root bound. All of them needed to be repotted with some TLC, and I wanted to try a soil-less mix.
Here's an economical mix I came up with...
2 parts coco coir (I use nutrifield mega bricks, pre-buffered with cal-mag)
2 parts washed pea gravel
1 part mature homemade compost spiked with neem seed meal(you could use earthworm castings instead and skip the neem)
After the plant resumes growth, I top dress with 1/4 strength Espoma Bio-tone starter plus.
I've used smart pots with great success. The neem seed oil is added to reduce the chance of fungus gnats or damaging microorganisms. The retively low level of nutrients in the initial mix promotes root growth. (Roots surrounded by abundant nitrogen and magnesium slow in growth) I use pea gravel because it decreases the water retention of the mix, and it is cheap.
So far, it has worked great for me for reviving plants with sickly root systems. I've revived a ficus, cactus, rosemary, spider plant, ivy, and a few others with great results.
Just though I'd share
I had a specialty function soil-less mix that I just came up with this summer, and as I've had some success, i thought I'd share it with anyone who might find it beneficial.
I recently became charged with fixing up some houseplants with root damage, either from over-watering from poor drainage, under-watering, or becoming root bound. All of them needed to be repotted with some TLC, and I wanted to try a soil-less mix.
Here's an economical mix I came up with...
2 parts coco coir (I use nutrifield mega bricks, pre-buffered with cal-mag)
2 parts washed pea gravel
1 part mature homemade compost spiked with neem seed meal(you could use earthworm castings instead and skip the neem)
After the plant resumes growth, I top dress with 1/4 strength Espoma Bio-tone starter plus.
I've used smart pots with great success. The neem seed oil is added to reduce the chance of fungus gnats or damaging microorganisms. The retively low level of nutrients in the initial mix promotes root growth. (Roots surrounded by abundant nitrogen and magnesium slow in growth) I use pea gravel because it decreases the water retention of the mix, and it is cheap.
So far, it has worked great for me for reviving plants with sickly root systems. I've revived a ficus, cactus, rosemary, spider plant, ivy, and a few others with great results.
Just though I'd share
