(I do not think he actually used the Cactux Mix yet, he was just
wondering how that might work to reduce the moisture holding
capacity of the MG potting mix.)
Another thing that you could try for the moisture levels is a
container with all Cactus Mix. It usually drains a little too well
for ordinary containers where the water drains out at
the bottom (unless you are growing succulents, palms, etc),
but that might not be a problem in a wicking, self-watering
container like the Earthtainers.
Epsom salt does not lower pH. I read in passing somewhere
that epsom salt had a "slightly alkaline effect", but most
places where it is mentioned it is considered a pH neutral soil
amendment (not enough affect on pH to worry about if used
in moderation). I do not see why one would actually need
epsom salt if using dolomite, but maybe the magnesium in
the epsom salt covers the plant's need for magnesium for
the first couple of months while the dolomite is breaking down.
A note on those pH meters: I have one of the Rapitest meters
with the probe on a little cord. I just checked it in a hot tub,
and it reads pH 5.8 for the water in the hot tub, while a
Kem-Tek test strip reads pH 7.2. Looks like I need to check it
with some neutral calibrating solution and see how accurate
it is before relying on it in the garden. The worst part is that
if it is not accurate, the amount it is off by is not necessarily
linear up and down the pH scale. (It could read 6.0 when the
pH is actually 7.0, off by one full point on the pH scale, but
read 5.5 when the pH is actually 6.0, only off by half a point
at a different place along the PH scale.)
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