Containers Growing ?

[AlittleSalt]

Here is the difference between the MG Perlite I got at Walmart for $5 (Left side of picture 1). On the right side is the Therm-O-Rock Chunky Perlite. What a difference.

The second picture is the mix of MG Nature's care that I posted the recipe I used on post #49 here. I emptied the covered buckets into a contractor's wheelbarrow, and yes, it was just as wet as when I put it in there. I added a lot more perlite and a couple of gloved double handfuls of 10-10-10 fertilizer. I also had a little bit of the mix left over. Mixed it all very well. Drilled holes near the bottom of the buckets and filled up 5 five gallon buckets packed hard. (There was only 4 five gallon buckets before I amended the recipe today.) I will have to not put plastic on top - otherwise, the mix is going to stay too wet, and it still might?

[Worth1]

You might find yourself plugging those holes when it heats up.

Worth

[AlittleSalt]

Originally Posted by Worth1

You might find yourself plugging those holes when it heats up.

Worth

3M duct tape is already on my list to buy.

I just figured if they need the holes - it was easier drilling them now on my outdoor table.

[Worth1]

Cork stoppers from Walmart craft section.

Worth

[AlittleSalt]

I found out that I have enough Pro Mix for 10 buckets with some left over. One, two, or three of those buckets will have Early Prolific Straightneck yellow squash growing in them. I may try growing squash in three different mix type buckets?

I'm going to empty two of the buckets with MG Nature's Care into a couple of old buckets and use those two somewhere out in the back 40. The two new buckets are going to have regular yellow bag MG so I can see the plants growing side-by-side.

That leaves the last 5 buckets that I'm going to use the MG Raised Bed Soil to grow Louisiana Green Velvet okra in. I want to grow them how Worth has described.

[mobiledynamics]

Save yourself maybe 1/3 bag of Promix. Let is settle in and then top off.

[AlittleSalt]

I did wet down the Pro Mix before putting it in the buckets, but I didn't put too much water in it. I would put a couple of shovelfuls in at a time and then pack it. There was never water on the surface or anything close to it. I do not know if I did this right or wrong? I just copied how I transplant seedlings into 16 oz. party cups.

I do expect settling and having to top off at some point. Just estimating at how much Pro Mix it would take for 10 five gallon buckets - I did guess pretty close with some to spare. It's always better to have a little too much than not enough.

[AlittleSalt]

While writing the above in post #82, I was watching and/or listening to videos about getting soil /mix ready in 5 gallon buckets. Very quickly, I saw and heard many different ways of doing this. I realized that I didn't write enough details about why and how I did things today. If you're interested - here's the details:

Many of you long time Tomatoville members know that I am a disabled/retired 7th generation brick and stone mason. Newer members, now you know. I had mortar mixers and concrete mixers, but many small jobs only require making mortar, cement, and concrete in a contractor's sized wheelbarrow with a shovel and hoe. It's a lot easier throwing a wheelbarrow in the back of the work truck than hauling a mixer. Mixing mortar, cement, and concrete wrong leaves pockets of brick sand which are a weak point - you don't want that. I take that same knowledge and apply it to container gardening.

I used a contractor's wheelbarrow to put the mixes in so that I could weed out the sticks and have room to add things like perlite. It's also easy to break up clumps of compressed Pro Mix. It was dry and needed water, I used around 3 gallons of water per wheelbarrow of Pro Mix. It was time consuming, but I garden to relax and enjoy. Time doesn't mean much to me anymore. I just want to do it successfully and enjoy it.

Is my way right? Who knows? I'm just starting with container growing.

[agee12]

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

I found out that I have enough Pro Mix for 10 buckets with some left over.

Where did you buy your Pro-Mix and how much did you pay?

[ginger2778]

Curious why the hard pack?

[AlittleSalt]

Originally Posted by agee12

Where did you buy your Pro-Mix and how much did you pay?

Walmart - it normally sells for $17.97, but I got it for $9. The local Walmart is about to go into major renovation - it's a pilot store.

Originally Posted by ginger2778

Curious why the hard pack?

Marsha, that's how I pot up to party cups. I looked at the 5 gallon bucket as a Texas sized party cup.

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

Marsha, that's how I pot up to party cups. I looked at the 5 gallon bucket as a Texas sized party cup.

Funny about the Texas size. Salt, one of the reasons you amend with perlite is to aerate the soil and ease the root growth, so it doesn't have to fight to get roots pushed through a hard soil. I recommend a little packing but not hard.

[mobiledynamics]

When I'm working with potting mix, I err on the featherlight hands..

Super Coarse Perlite is not expensive but it's not in-expensive too...
Last thing I want to do is turn it into dust.
If fresh, I pour it out and get it wet. It's less dusty and a bit more water absorbed - so less dusting due to my mechanical mixing.

ALS, if you have access to more Promix, maybe buy 1 bag and leave it in the garage for next year. The mix will settle a bit even more during winter. When you remove you're root at end of season, I try to shake some back in, but more often than not , a bit of the mix is intwined. And or just plan on settling and figure you might want more pmix at some point

[AlittleSalt]

Advice well taken. I am still at the point where I can change it.

I will buy some more when it's marked down again.

[DocBrock]

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

Advice well taken. I am still at the point where I can change it.

I will buy some more when it's marked down again.

My first attempt with that nature's care soil was done with hard packing and the pepper plant I put in it never grew in a month. I ended up pulling it, aerating the soil with perlite, and then putting the soil back in with a spade, only letting gravity compress it. I was able to fill an extra container with the amount of soil I'd used originally with hard packing. I put the pepper plant back in and it grew like no tomorrow. I think you can get away with packing pro-mix a little harder, but that nature's care is super dense. We had 80 degree temperatures everyday at that time and I hadn't watered that pot in 2 weeks when I dug it up and despite the countless holes I had in the bottom of the bucket, the soil on the bottom was so wet and "muddy" that it started to smell like what they dredge out of canals down here in south Florida. I think you'll be fine with the hard pack as long as you're super stingy with water. I can water my containers filled with promix 2x a day and the moisture stays consistent throughout the entire soil column. Anything extra drains from the bottom, but it never gets waterlogged like I saw with that natures care.