Decomposed Granite as outdoor planter/potting soil?
brownmola
13 years ago
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13 years agobrownmola
13 years agoRelated Discussions
MiracleGro Potting Mix versus SuperSoil Potting Soil ???
Comments (9)Do you have an easy recipe of making your own mix for a gardening-beginner? Yes. I would recommend using what is known around here as 'Al's 5-1-1 mix' for annuals and perennials grown for just a year or two before being repotted. For plants that will stay in the same container/mix for more than 2 years I would recommend what is known around here as 'Al's Gritty mix'. The 5:1:1 mix is 5 parts pine bark (very small pieces), 1 part perlite and 1 part peat. The gritty mix is 1 part pine bark fines, 1 part Turface MVP and 1 part grower grit (#2 sized). For more information on this I will refer you to this thread. Don't get too hung up on specific ingredients and percentages. The principle is using ingredients that will be of a large enough size (above 1/16th inch) for as long as the plant will be in the mix. This provides superior aeration. The higher the percentage of organic matter such as peat or bark, the faster the mix breaks down and aeration suffers. The bark breaks down much slower than peat though. Anyway, read the thread and you will learn a lot. If you can't find suitable ingredients to make your own mix in time to get the season started then just get the regular MG potting mix and take until next year to learn more and locate sources for ingredients you want....See MoreDecomposed granite and soil pH?
Comments (9)Its a relative thing, that pH. If I take my neutral pH compost and mix it with alkaline soil, it will lower the pH of the soil. If I take that very same neutral compost and mix it with an acid soil it will raise the pH. Ultimately, it cannot bring acid soil higher than neutral, nor bring the alkaline soil lower than neutral as that is its own pH. As for granite dust, it is much less soluble than, say my compost or even limestone, so even if it is acidic, the relative effect is close to neutral. tj This post was edited by tsugajunkie on Thu, Jan 31, 13 at 20:19...See Moresoil mix for large outdoor planters
Comments (5)For that large of containers, it will be cheaper to make your own unless you have access to wholesale sources. There are scores of different potting soil recipes - seems like everyone has their favorite - but all good ones have in common very good aeration and drainage. That's why garden or topsoil and compost are not recommended. A very common mix is 1 part peat (or coir), 1 part bark fines, 1/2 part perlite, pumice or Turface (high fired clay) and 1/2 part coarse (builder's) sand. For each 1/4 cubic yard, you will need to add 3/4# dolomite lime and some sort of slow release fertilizer, like Osmocote (according to directions). For short term or seasonal plantings you could add some compost or composted manures, but for long term plantings this is not recommended. As it continues to decompose, compost or any other highly active organic material will break down and compact and you will lose aeration and begin to experience drainage problems. And for long term container plantings, I'd avoid using anything but the potting soil in the containers. Any other material not incorporated into the soil mix will create interface problems, ultimately impacting drainage, and adding any significant quantity of styrofoam or other material will alter watering requirements. Plus, several of the plants you plan to include will appreciate the full root run of all the soil available....See MoreKeeping tomatoes growing in decomposed granite
Comments (14)Feel free to skip this but I recently moved from norcal down to SD area. We have many different types of dg. In my back yard I excavated about 1000 yards of dirty dg. My plan was to amend it, but as the soil weighs to much I'm thinking I'll only use about 10% sand in my soil mix. Right now current mix is 8 parts bulk soil, 1 part wood mulch, pearlite small and largge, azomite trace minerals, Coco coir. 1 part BBB ( blood bat and bone) then I let it sit for a month to homogenize. This soil has proven amazing for any soft leafed plant (tomatoes, melons, tomatoes, etc). So now to your question. I have a couple ideas 1: I suggest you dig your hole asd you said 2 x 3. Then go buy clay dust, wet clay pellets, or bentonite. AI hold water and restrict flow. From my research the only way to get dg back to soil is to ad clay to coagulate the aggregates. This will also give you a large inert medium in between mulch and dg. Another option is to put about a foot of mulch on top of your soil add amendment as well as later in year you can till in for better soil makeup. The last option is to put I water hold medium such as woody mulch or Pete, it Coco under dg. It's extremely important to use slow drip irrigation with dg as it tends to erode an area with heavy watering. Look up a water well. Roots will not rot as long as you use cold water as child water has ability to hold more oxygen. If your worried about that. Throw pearlite in at the bottom so there is always air down there. Feel free to message me for more info Veda...See Morejun_
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