Questions tagged [potting-soil]
Soil used for pot plants
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How to separate and re-use perlite in my potting mixes?
I'm having good results using perlite in my mix.
However, there are few drawbacks which I am planning to overcome. The question is not about the cost but is an issue about renewability of perlite ...
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Green onions planted in potting soil smell intensely of potting soil
I recently bought some green onions from the supermarket and decided to try replanting some of them in a planter box on my balcony. I saved the bottom 4-5 inches of three onions and planted them in ...
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how to obtain information on fertilizer amount per volume
Very simple question but hour long search with no answer. Concentration of fertilizer is relation ship of amount of fertilizer (either mass or molar) with volume, NOT with area, yet all fertilizers ...
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Why my vegetable become prematurely ready?
It has been crazy summer in New Zealand. Hot, wet, cold and plants are acting weirdly. But I just want to make sure what is wrong with my plants. Is it climate or is it soil?
Most of my vegetables are ...
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Inter-veinal chlorosis in AllMix and CootMix potting soil
The soil
Stage 1:
BioBizz AllMix with some additional Perlite. Around 50% as a total. AllMix is originally 30% perlite with mostly peat moss and some organic matter.
The containers were 2 gallon ...
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Using palm frond chips instead of coconut chips
After having success with potting mix containing coco chips (coarser than coco coir, replacing wood chips) for aroids, I want to try and get some pure coco chips for making my own moss poles.
The moss ...
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Does it make any sense to heat soil in an oven in effort to kill pathogens?
So this year, a lot of my inside potted plants got attacked by powdery mildew and other afflictions. All affected were previously given soil that I sifted from the composter that is on the porch of ...
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Artemesia - Silver Mound (Wormwood) - soil and watering
My Artemesia - most likely a Silver Mound (Wormwood) has its leaves drooping, with some of the lower leaves turning yellow and tips browning. The plant is only about 6" tall, and staying outdoors ...
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Mold or precipitate on houseplant soil? Yellow peaks in soil clump tops
Ever since I got my 2nd hand dragon tree, the soil has had these yellowish peaks. Until today, I never really thought about them.
However, I added some new soil on the old about a week ago. The yellow ...
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Is commercial Cactus and Succulent MIx appropriate for Lithops potting in Southern California
I live in the city of Riverside California which is in Southern California. Wikipedia shows the climate to be semi arid bordering on arid (we may have crossed the border). I just purchased 2 species ...
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Why do soil mixes require "drainage" and "water holding" components?
complete newbie here learning how to pot my first avocado. The first tutorial I've watched said to mix equal parts perlite, peat, and all purpose potting mix.
It's to my understanding that any potting ...
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Containers seem to be losing soil in heavy rain
I have herbs & vegetables in containers outside (due to excessive tree roots in the ground itself). However, it seems that the containers are consistently losing soil. I put enough soil to fill ...
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Why should carnivorous plants not be planted in regular soil / watered with regular water?
I have read again and again on website after website that should not plant carnivorous plants in regular soil and only water them with distilled water.
Typically there is no justification given or a ...
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Mold growing on the pot surface
On the surface of this pot there have been this mold growing.
The color varies from yellow-white to bright yellow. Is it dangerous for the plant, can it spread to the other pots I have in the house ...
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LECA in potting mix: Good or bad idea?
I've purchased a bag of LECA for use in hydroponics. Recently, I have taken out the pellets from a pot that is no longer used for hydroponics and then I stored the medium. I was thinking of using this ...
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How to maximize nutrient retention in a coir hanging basket?
I had put potting mix directly into a coir hanging basket:
Whenever I water the basket (or when it rains), the water that drains out the bottom is usually dark, which suggests that nutrients and ...
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Deiffenbachia (Dumb Cane) houseplant
I have watered it according to the instructions, my indoor temp is around 70-75 F° I moved it closer to this backdoor about a week ago and haven’t given it any nutrients after transplant.
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Can I reuse utensils after sterilising potting soil after cleaning it?
For sterilising cocopeat/garden soil/potting mixes, I am thinking of using a big vessel from the kitchen on a stove with water. My question is, will this vessel be usable for cooking if I clean it ...
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How do some seeds germinate and flourish in soil filled pots?
I have regularly seen people not recommending plain soil for pots, since the roots of the newly generated seedlings suffocate in the lack of oxygen due to its compact nature and lack of water drainage....
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Leaves dropping from young variegated lemon tree
I have a young, indoor, variegated lemon tree that I purchased in November 2020.
This is my first tree and I live in PA. I understand that the climate here is not optimal for this type of tree. Leaf ...
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What plant is this root from?
I need some help figuring out what this came from. Looks like a root of some kind, but not sure what it could be. Emptied new soil in a pot and found this at the bottom while digging around.
At first, ...
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Vermiculate has a bad history of being tainted with asbestos; what about perlite?
I avoid vermiculite because of its horrible history of being tainted with asbestos. Wikipedia states that, nowadays, vermiculite is supposed to be tested for asbestos, but knowing a bit about testing ...
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What is the optimal soil composition range for growing salad greens in pots at home?
This year I wanted to experiment with growing edible salads, Chinese cabbage, spinach, lettuce and herbs at home in pots under artificial lighting, so I got the seeds, but not the soil (or lights, or ...
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What are these little balls (green, yellow, orange) in my potting mix?
I've seen these little balls in more than one brand of potting mix / universal compost. I just sifted a large amount of compost and found many.
I've seen them in the following colors: white, green, ...
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Can I use cat litter in potting mix? Has anyone tried it?
I've read in some bonsai forums that it's possible to use cat litter in alternative to the traditional bonsai soil, which is really expensive.
I want to try it in the potting mix I'm making for my ...
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A material that holds little water suitable for potting mix for interior plants?
I'm working on a potting mix for interior plants. And I want it to hold very little water and it should have great aeration and drainage.
I'm looking for a material (organic/inorganic) that is cheap ...
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What would be the non-organic part in this vegetal compost mixture?
See the composition of this substrate mixture I've bought:
It only mentions organic stuff, like vegetal compost and composted pine bark. At the same time, it says that the organic matter content is ...
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Dying Blueberries - Burned Leaves
I bought 2 blueberries about 8 months ago and they summer in Cyprus was really long and they seem damaged.
Both of them are planned with soil of 4.5 to 5.5ph and watered with normal tap water. They ...
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haworthia scale bugs are too tough
This is not a long question (down at the end), but I would like first to share with you some of my attempts as well as results before proceeding to the question itself.
EDIT: 1) Added picture, 2) ...
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What is soil mold and how to kill it
I used neem oil spray on a succulent that had mealybugs. 5 days later, This fuzzy, stringy white mold appeared all over the soil. It stunk, and I hated it. I sprayed the mold with neem oil, and the ...
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What does this plant need?
I spontaneously adopted this succulent from a shop.
I've never grown a plant before.
I learned what I could from videos and people and the internet.
My request is for information, help me understand ...
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Very superficial roots in large planter boxes
At the start of this year I bought some large wooden planter boxes (lined on the inside with root cloth), filled them up with generic purpose potting soil and got to planting some homegrown vegetables....
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Usual plant Qs: what, how, when etc
What plant is this? How do I care for it? Placement, watering, feeding, pruning...
I was given this plant when somebody left the country. It seems happy enough. As you can see it's gone native! But ...
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A good substitute for perlite to be used in potted plants soil mix?
I would really like to make a soil mix with some perlite, so it becomes really light and has good drainage and won't hold up too much water.
This is to use on potted plants.
But I couldn't find any ...
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Do stones in potting soil provide any benefit wtasoever?
I have several pots on my apartment's balcony and am looking to increase the number. I use soil dug out from a local mountain forest.
It is not difficult to remove the stones from the soil before ...
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What type of soil should I use for a galvanized steel planter for growing veggies?
I am not sure whether I should use potting soil or raised bed soil. This would have a bottom so the roots would not be going down to the actual soil (going to be putting it on concrete anyways).
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Is spruce bark equivalent to pine bark in potting mixes?
Composted pine bark is a standard ingredient in potting mixes. Most of the local forestry is spruce. Is there any reason to not use spruce bark?
I know that generally barks need to be composted at ...
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What is the name of this "zombie plant"?
When I moved into my flat a couple of years ago, there were a couple of truly pathetic-looking plants. I went to the local (in Scotland) diy home & garden store, and bought a bag of potting soil ...
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Is it necessary to replace old soil when repotting a rootbound plant?
Yesterday, I repotted a rootbound monstera into a larger pot. I had been told that replacing the old soil wasn't a high priority if it meant cutting out too many roots, so I simply added new soil ...
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Is old un-used potting soil still good for use
I've had a larger bag of potting soil sitting outside on a deck for about two years.
Recently I decided to try and grow fruits and I was wondering if the potting soil would still be okay to use
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Peat moss substrate for Cactus and Lemons
I am growing cactus, lemons and some strawberry in pots. I just bought this peat moss from my local store to fill the pots with it(only with this) On top of it it says tree and vegetable. Is it okay ...
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Is this soil ok?
I just want to buy a new potting soil and I found this in my local market. I wonder if this is ok for plants like cactus lemons etc. Don't know much about soil.
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Not sure if there's a pest in my soil!
I had potted some garlic to grow recently, and yesterday when I lifted the pot to clean under it, the soil seemed to look like pest excrement, of some sort. Here is a picture. Can someone help me ...
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Garden Soil Mix
First time gardener her.
The wife and I decided to get our thumbs green and give veggies a go.
We are going to be growing in buckets and garbage cans, and a few potato sacks.
I was investigating ...
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Should ProMix potting soil absorb water slowly?
I used to use Miracle Gro potting mix and it always absorbed water quickly and passed it through the pot. I recently purchased ProMix potting soil to grow some vegetables and I'd like to figure out if ...
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Can I approximate bonsai potting soil with regular commercial ingredients?
I have a bonsai ficus that may need repotting; however, I do not have any specialized bonsai soil, and in the pandemic environment I'm not sure I could get hold of any. (I know the nearest nursery is ...
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Can we use coco and peat moss at same time?
As a soil mix, is it wise to use both coco peat and peat moss to have the good of both the worlds?
Since some plants requires soil to dry out in between watering, peat moss will compact and pull ...
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leaves of Areca Palm is drying after moving to a different flower pot
I had bought areca palm from a flower shop and kept it in the hall, it was flourishing all the while from past two months. Since, it was doing well, I thought of moving this plant into a bigger flower ...
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For how long succulent mix should stay moist?
What will be the acceptable duration of sogginess and moistness for the succulent mix to be soggy and then moist?
I thought succulent mix should become dry after a few hours. My succulent mix (...
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Can you substitute Turface for Vermiculite?
I had a recipe for some seedling potting soil that called for vermiculite. I didn't have vermiculite. I did have Turface, so I used it instead of the vermiculite. I figure since Turface & ...
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