Soil mix is a dud...

[Ed of Somis]

I am now convinced (learned the hard way) that the MiracleGro Moisture Control is just a mess to grow in (unless you wick or planting in baskets, etc). The additives that grab the water sure works! A little too well for me...My only tomato that is stressed is the one planted in this medium. There are a few minor variables...but I believe this to be true. I will stick to my custom mix or maybe consider something like a "cactus mix" if I have to use commercial mixes.

[SharonRossy]

I have found any mix with moisture control not a good thing. What kind of stress is your plant showing?

[Ed of Somis]

basically it has stopped growing...and all the leaves are totally rolled up. Does not look good! Three feet away my two custom mix/free draining tomatoes are looking great.

[Rockporter]

I wouldn't use that stuff for wicking either, it would make the mix too wet for self watering planters. I had the same results you speak of with non wicking containers as well.

[BarbJ]

We had the same experience with it at our garden center, so we don't carry it anymore. We guarantee all our plants unconditionally, and had so many customers bringing back dead plants that had used this mix, so it had to go. It's a soppy mess.

[cythaenopsis]

Oh no...

"gosh darnoodleyed it all to hell" as Charleton Heston said at the end of "Planet of the Apes". I wanted to experiment with a sucker I'd rooted and given how well it had been growing I figured why not apply a few things I'd learned and prove it out for reference next year. I selected that MG moisture control potting mix, because it looked really "smart" with all the wording printed on the outside. The only things I've done that might help compensate is that I installed a better irrigation flow from the reservoir and I supplemented it with several strips of microfiber cloth that run from the bottom all the way to just below the surface.

[TexasAngel]

Years ago I grew some house plants in pots on our deck, which was shady most of the day. I read somewhere to mix in some plain old cat litter, I finally found some and used it. I think it helped conserve some moisture. I don't know if one can even find plain clay cat litter any more. I guess shade tree mechanics still use it, I will be on the look out.

[Ed of Somis]

T...yes, kitty litter does sop up moisture. Do not use it. It gets mushy after awhile. If you want to hold water in a mix...get Napa Auto floor dry. It holds moisture and stays firm. There is also a horse product called dry stall which would work fine. Most people use turface if they can find it.

[stromato]

Shoot. We just got a couple of bags. We’ve been mixing it with native soil for ornamentals outside that will probably not get quite enough water.

Does anybody know what could be added to this stuff that would “fix” it?

[riceke]

Ed of Somas": Thank you for posting this. I am having the same troubles. Itnever seems to dry out and what ever is planted in it just stays as it was when planted.

[beeman]

Originally Posted by stromato

Shoot. We just got a couple of bags. We’ve been mixing it with native soil for ornamentals outside that will probably not get quite enough water.
Does anybody know what could be added to this stuff that would “fix” it?

I found that the 'soil' packed down, suffocating the roots. So I tried adding Perlite. It prevents the 'soil' from packing keeping it open for roots to expand and grow. Worked for me, but I must admit I won't buy that stuff again.

[Ed of Somis]

B...here is the problem with a poor draining soil: because the particles are fine, water tends to "perch" in the pot. Two forces allow water to drain: gravity and cohesion (the "pull" of similar substances when touching each other). At the bottom of any pot...you lose the cohesive pull (have you ever noticed the bottom 3-4 inches is muck when you dump out a pot of container mix?) This is why wicks work in the bottom of a pot. It "fools" the mix to think the bottom is not there (because the cohesive pull from the wick extends outside the drain holes). As for improving the drain-ability of a poor potting mix: it is not an effective option. To explain this clearly: how many bb's would it take to make a cup of pudding drain well? You get the point. Well-draining mixes is VERY important in container plantings. Hope this helps...

[Urbanfarmer]

Almost certain the "moisture control" ingredient in the Scotts mix is coco coir. On the internet over the last few years it has reached "holy grail" status because it's a renewable resource. Well, the marketing hype made alot of money for some, but the truth is.....it's sponge-like, which means it holds alot of water, too much water.

A big commercial grower in Oregon gave us the warning on coir 6-7 years ago. They lost an entire flower crop because of coir. The roots rotted.

We use it at about 20% in our starter mixes, and it's good. More than that and roots do indeed start rotting.

This has been our experience. Others may differ.

[riceke]

URBANFARMER: Thanks for that info on Coir. I always had my suspisions but you have confirmed it. This was the first year I had trouble germination and I used that stuff. We do learn a lot from our goups instead of listening to the marketing hypes.

[ArthurDent004]

I grew a Sophie's Choice tomato quite successfully in a 5 gallon SWC using a soil mix of 2.5 gallons of mixed Coco coir and 2 gallons of coarse perlite. I'm growing an Early Wonder in another 5 gallon SWC using 3 parts mixed Coco coir, 2 parts coarse perlite, and 1 part vermiculite. I have strawberries growing in other 5 gallon SWCs using 3 part pine bark fines, 2 part mixed coco coir, 2 part coarse perlite.

As you can see I'm trying different mixes to see which one provides the best results. Everyone says I need to try a peat mix so I can compare the results provided by the two mixes.