View Full Version : Potting soil
Mason
09-09-2009, 03:21 PM
What is the best packaged potting soil for beginners. I am looking for a potting soil to use straight out if the bag and not having to add anything. A soil that is fool proof as far as over watering.
bencelest
09-09-2009, 03:46 PM
coconut husk but this is expensive.
Mason
09-09-2009, 04:02 PM
I have coco coir. Will that do ?
bencelest
09-09-2009, 04:26 PM
I am not sure if that will do because of its size. What is best are 1/4 and 1/2 size mixed together.
Richard
09-09-2009, 05:26 PM
Coconut husk = Coir. It is a soil ingredient, but not a "soil".
Straight out of the bag in San Diego:
I make "Soil Mix #2" which Tony (sunfish) can bring home on Thursday.
Kellogg's Patio Mix is an excellent soil and reasonably priced at the big box stores.
Sunshine Mix No. 2, which Tony is bringing home on Thursday.
Mason
09-09-2009, 05:41 PM
Thank you Benny and Richard
sandy0225
09-09-2009, 06:40 PM
promix hp--call around--a lot of the independent type garden centers use it.
Richard
09-09-2009, 09:30 PM
promix hp--call around--a lot of the independent type garden centers use it.
Haven't seen it in southern or central California.
LilRaverBoi
09-09-2009, 11:02 PM
I know this is not optimal advice, but I'll be honest....I use Miracle Grow potting mix or Miracle Grow garden soil. I try to avoid the 'moisture control' or whatever that has additional stuff to keep water in it. When I was back in Iowa, I always potted my bananas with topsoil out of our garden (where I planted them during the summer). I can't say that's a good option most places, but in Iowa, we have some of the (if not THE) best topsoil in the US. But yeah, basically, I never add sand, perlite, etc like so many others do here and my plants grow wonderfully. I fertilize monthly with a basic 12:12:12 fertilizer.
Don't hate me...like I said, this isn't the best advice, probably, but it works well for me.
Nicolas Naranja
09-10-2009, 08:15 AM
I have had good results with Jungle Growth from Lowes and Fafard 2B.
Richard
09-10-2009, 10:01 AM
I know this is not optimal advice, but I'll be honest....I use Miracle Grow potting mix or Miracle Grow garden soil. I try to avoid the 'moisture control' or whatever that has additional stuff to keep water in it. When I was back in Iowa, I always potted my bananas with topsoil out of our garden (where I planted them during the summer). I can't say that's a good option most places, but in Iowa, we have some of the (if not THE) best topsoil in the US. But yeah, basically, I never add sand, perlite, etc like so many others do here and my plants grow wonderfully. I fertilize monthly with a basic 12:12:12 fertilizer.
Don't hate me...like I said, this isn't the best advice, probably, but it works well for me.
Well, yeah -- I'm totally jealous of your soil :D
The Miracle-Gro brand potting mix is formulated for neutral to acidic water supplies which are prevalent in the eastern half of the U.S. So if it is cost effective in Iowa and you need something out of the bag, then go for it!
damaclese
09-10-2009, 12:53 PM
I know this is not optimal advice, but I'll be honest....I use Miracle Grow potting mix or Miracle Grow garden soil. I try to avoid the 'moisture control' or whatever that has additional stuff to keep water in it. When I was back in Iowa, I always potted my bananas with topsoil out of our garden (where I planted them during the summer). I can't say that's a good option most places, but in Iowa, we have some of the (if not THE) best topsoil in the US. But yeah, basically, I never add sand, perlite, etc like so many others do here and my plants grow wonderfully. I fertilize monthly with a basic 12:12:12 fertilizer.
Don't hate me...like I said, this isn't the best advice, probably, but it works well for me.
my Missouri pride is all up on it now! i say we have the best tops soil in the country! i had a ditch dug to relocate a water pipe at the front of my property and the good black soil was 16 ft deep you could grow any thing in it and it never got compacted heheheh im sure your iowa soil is good but not quite as good LOL but that was a cow pasture from 1908 to 1997 had alot of organic mater in it if you get my drift LOL
LilRaverBoi
09-10-2009, 01:57 PM
my Missouri pride is all up on it now! i say we have the best tops soil in the country! i had a ditch dug to relocate a water pipe at the front of my property and the good black soil was 16 ft deep you could grow any thing in it and it never got compacted heheheh im sure your iowa soil is good but not quite as good LOL but that was a cow pasture from 1908 to 1997 had alot of organic mater in it if you get my drift LOL
Well, I will agree with you that MO has some pretty awesome soil. As we both know, it varies a lot depending on the region of any state. I did some research just for my own knowledge and here were my findings....
I couldn't find any rankings of national soil samples by quality. But in terms of the % of soils having the least limitations for cultivation, the top five states (in order) are as follows:
-Illinois
-Indiana
-Iowa
-Ohio
-North Dakota
Missouri ranks 19th in the list (http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/NRI/maps/mappdfs/m6175.pdf). Keep in mind this is not ranking overall soil quality (which is difficult since there are so many factors at play). Just thought this was interesting and wanted to share (sorry, I realize this is off topic...but it's soil talk, so it kinda works, right? :ha: ). So though we have over twice the percentage of quality soil as Missouri, the jury is still out on the quality battle. I would much rather compare any midwest state's soil quality to NON-midwest states. Trying to make comparisons of nearby states is difficult to do. Let's just agree that both our soils are awesome rather than trying to compare quality!
Richard
09-10-2009, 03:54 PM
I don't know about national rankings, but Almanzo & Laura Wilder thought the soil in Missouri was excellent!
supermario
09-10-2009, 04:33 PM
I know this is not optimal advice, but I'll be honest....I use Miracle Grow potting mix or Miracle Grow garden soil. I try to avoid the 'moisture control' or whatever that has additional stuff to keep water in it. When I was back in Iowa, I always potted my bananas with topsoil out of our garden (where I planted them during the summer). I can't say that's a good option most places, but in Iowa, we have some of the (if not THE) best topsoil in the US. But yeah, basically, I never add sand, perlite, etc like so many others do here and my plants grow wonderfully. I fertilize monthly with a basic 12:12:12 fertilizer.
Don't hate me...like I said, this isn't the best advice, probably, but it works well for me.
Ive used the miracle grow potting mix before and had good results, but they weren't the cheapest option. I recently purchased a HUGE bag of 'Lamberts ready to use potting mix' for under $10 at my local Home Depot. I've used it with several different fruits and ornamentals with fantastic results.
As mentioned earlier, the only soil I think you should stay away from is one that has 'moisture control' written anywhere on the bag.
sunfish
09-11-2009, 07:17 AM
I have used the Sunshine mix. And never had an issue with it being dry for the first few inches and wet on the bottom. This is one of the main points Jungle growth makes. When the Jungle Growth at one inch depth feels dry to the touch, so is the Jungle Growth throughout the pot---time to water.
Pro mix hp,Fafard 2B. , Jungle growth,sunshine mix and the coconut husk mix all seem to be good potting soils for the beginner ,like me.
Patty in Wisc
09-11-2009, 09:25 PM
Ha ha Sunfish, you are not quite the 'beginner' LOL. Lamberts, Sunshine etc, I never heard of many of the potting mixes mentioned.
I also use miracle grow potting mix - no moisture control, but it has timed release fert. It may cost a little more but it is excellent stuff for me. I also add perlite for better drainage.
sddarkman619
08-04-2012, 12:20 AM
Coconut husk = Coir. It is a soil ingredient, but not a "soil".
Straight out of the bag in San Diego:
I make "Soil Mix #2" which Tony (sunfish) can bring home on Thursday.
Kellogg's Patio Mix is an excellent soil and reasonably priced at the big box stores.
Sunshine Mix No. 2, which Tony is bringing home on Thursday.
what is "Soil Mix #2"?
sunfish
08-04-2012, 06:54 AM
what is "Soil Mix #2"?
Sun Gro Horticulture | Products (http://www.sungro.com/products_displayProduct.php?product_id=2&brand_id=1)
sddarkman619
08-04-2012, 10:24 AM
Sun Gro Horticulture | Products (http://www.sungro.com/products_displayProduct.php?product_id=2&brand_id=1)
and that['s what you guys make? where do you get the big bags of spagnum moss and coarse perlite? what nursery or do you order online?
Thanks
andy17
08-04-2012, 08:37 PM
Hi Mason,
The potting soil you use is rather dependent on how you grow them. If your plants spend most or all of their time indoors, then a really fast draining soil is best. But if they spend a lot of time outdoors or even more, in full sun, a really fast draining soil can be more of a curse than a blessing as they have a tendency to dry out before you can get a chance to water them. All of my bananas are in containers, but they stay outdoors as long as the weather is warm enough. I have had good success with Miracle Gro Cactus and Palm and standard Miracle Gro Potting soil which is easy to find in most big box stores. Definitely recommended for "outdoors during summer" plants. Adding perlite to about a 1/4 to 1/3 of the pot with the Cactus and Palm soil should make for a pretty fool proof potting mix for mostly indoors plants. Its also really easy to mix. Hope this helps.
KYpalmer
09-22-2012, 09:46 PM
Hi Mason,
The potting soil you use is rather dependent on how you grow them. If your plants spend most or all of their time indoors, then a really fast draining soil is best. But if they spend a lot of time outdoors or even more, in full sun, a really fast draining soil can be more of a curse than a blessing as they have a tendency to dry out before you can get a chance to water them. All of my bananas are in containers, but they stay outdoors as long as the weather is warm enough. I have had good success with Miracle Gro Cactus and Palm and standard Miracle Gro Potting soil which is easy to find in most big box stores. Definitely recommended for "outdoors during summer" plants. Adding perlite to about a 1/4 to 1/3 of the pot with the Cactus and Palm soil should make for a pretty fool proof potting mix for mostly indoors plants. Its also really easy to mix. Hope this helps.
Is this what a lot of people would recommend as far as overwintering as a banana beginner plus some perlite??? I've used this a lot of times before (Cactus and Palm soil) when doing some of my palm seedlings. :waving:
sunfish
09-22-2012, 10:02 PM
Is this what a lot of people would recommend as far as overwintering as a banana beginner plus some perlite??? I've used this a lot of times before (Cactus and Palm soil) when doing some of my palm seedlings. :waving:
Sounds good to me. Peat and perlite should be just as good.
KYpalmer
09-22-2012, 10:08 PM
Sounds good to me. Peat and perlite should be just as good.
Well hot diggity dog, slap me in the face with a cucumber. I think I may have gotten my answer. Let's see what others have to say.
If you're in favor of this thank it!
austinl01
09-22-2012, 10:10 PM
Pro Mix is best.
sunfish
09-22-2012, 10:17 PM
Pro Mix is best.
Pro mix is good but cactus mix and added perlite will work just fine. There are many soil mixes which will work.
Pallen
01-21-2014, 03:41 PM
~ When I go through all the work of either repotting my current SDC or starting fresh with on of its pups in a larger pot for its eventual better chance of success at blooming I will be changing my soil choice as well at the same time. I am currently using general Bi-Mart outdoor potting mix unmixed with any of our local clayish soil that does not drain well at all.
~ Based on informatin from Bananas.org and specificly from this thread, it looks like what ever I choose, be sure to get a soil that does NOT have any 'moisture control' ingreadients.
cincinnana
01-21-2014, 08:41 PM
~
~ Based on informatin from Bananas.org and specificly from this thread, it looks like what ever I choose, be sure to get a soil that does NOT have any 'moisture control' ingreadients.
True , it is generally believed that the use of these types of soils leads to root rot, especially during the dormant stage for many northern growers, which is now being discussed in another thread.
http://www.bananas.org/f10/what-root-rot-19716.html
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