Soil mixtures

[Mjw011689]

Hello everyone, I’m starting to look into doing a raised bed vegetable garden and have a question on the mixtures to use. I’ve found lots of info on using the different percentages of top soil/compost/etc, but my question is, does all of this get mixed together, or am I doing layers of all of them? That’s one thing everything seems to skip over. Am I doing say 60% topsoil on top of 30% compost and 10% potting soil? Or do all of those just get mixed evenly?

lastly, any specific brands that make a good topsoil/potting soil? And same for compost I suppose.

thanks in advance!

 

[Chuck]

In the beds you mix everything together. For seeds to use in transplants use either potting soil or compost

 

[SeniorCitizen]

QUOTE: "lastly, any specific brands that make a good topsoil/potting soil? And same for compost I suppose".
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In my opinion, those brands that will guarantee their mixes do not contain Nematodes would be consideed best. It's rather disappointing to work diligently through the growing season attempting to make a few fresh vegetables and fruits only to discover in the fall when the plants are pulled the under developed root systems appear to have Nematodes in an area never before, which points to the purchased soil of a well known supplier.

 

[Mjw011689]

Thanks for the info. Are there any that are premixed? If so, any specific ones to avoid other than the ones that don’t guarantee they don’t contain nematodes?

 

[SeniorCitizen]

In my opinion it's a crapshoot with the odds being worse with those that don't bother testing for nematoads, and i suspect most suppliers don't. Miracle Grow was the one I used and was suspect.

 

[Tommy89]

I only grow in pots, so I have a potting mix question. I live in Florida where pots are known to dry out very quickly due to hot weather. For my potting mix, I am considering to use plain soil (no nutrients) as well as compost. I am now wondering if I should add anything else. I researched perlite vs. vermiculite and learned that perlite helps drain soil quickly, which is something I don't want since pots in Florida dry out relatively quickly. But I was wondering if peat moss would be needed. Don't vermiculite and peat moss serve the same function? I would like light airy soil, that is able to retain water. What proportion should I use of plain soil, compost, peat moss, and vermiculite(if I need all of these)? Would different proportions be used for growing herbs, greens, and vegetables. Thank you so much.

 

[SeniorCitizen]

I would do a simple inexpensive soil test to determine what you are dealing with from the get go, then adjust with other

amenities if you like or that are recommended in your research.

 

[Chuck]

It all depends on what your compost is made out of as to the amount to add to soil. Compost ties up nitrogen so 30% compost is about the max to use. Peat moss has zero nutritional value. It helps retain water and keeps the soil aerated. It also is acidic so be careful as to the amount added to soil if your soil is also acidic. Vermiculite also retains moisture and aerates the soil. When growing in containers the type of container is important. Clay pots need quite a bit more water than plastic or ceramic. As long as your containers have plenty of drainage holes, temperatures are the next most important factor in container gardening. Clay stays cooler as water evaporates through the sides of the container while in plastic and ceramics it does not,k but plastic and ceramics are much hotter, with plastic being the hottest. Colors are also important with black being the hottest. You stated that you wanted to use soil with no nutrition. Plants must have nutrition and plants will not do well growing in conditions where the only means of nutrition is just compost. Even when growing in manure based composts they still need other nutrients that the compost does not provide. If you provide a fertile growing medium, all of your plants will do fine with the same medium.

 

[Tommy89]

It all depends on what your compost is made out of as to the amount to add to soil. Compost ties up nitrogen so 30% compost is about the max to use. Peat moss has zero nutritional value. It helps retain water and keeps the soil aerated. It also is acidic so be careful as to the amount added to soil if your soil is also acidic. Vermiculite also retains moisture and aerates the soil. When growing in containers the type of container is important. Clay pots need quite a bit more water than plastic or ceramic. As long as your containers have plenty of drainage holes, temperatures are the next most important factor in container gardening. Clay stays cooler as water evaporates through the sides of the container while in plastic and ceramics it does not,k but plastic and ceramics are much hotter, with plastic being the hottest. Colors are also important with black being the hottest. You stated that you wanted to use soil with no nutrition. Plants must have nutrition and plants will not do well growing in conditions where the only means of nutrition is just compost. Even when growing in manure based composts they still need other nutrients that the compost does not provide. If you provide a fertile growing medium, all of your plants will do fine with the same medium.

Okay, I guess I wasn't the most specific in my explanation. My bad. My compost will be "Black Kow", which has an NPK of .5-.5-.5. I use 5-gallon black fabric pots, as well as smaller terra cotta pots. Also, you mentioned that peat moss and vermiculite both aerate as well as retain moisture in the soil, so will I need both? If not, which one? What nutrition is needed other than compost? What proportions of each of the five materials (if I use all) peat moss, vermiculite, compost, plain soil, and other "nutrition" should I use. Will the mixture be different for herbs/vegetables/greens and black fabric pots/terra cotta pots? I really appreciate all your help! Thanks.

 

[Chuck]

Black Kow is normally a very good compost although I have heard of a bad batch or two. I would not hesitate to use it. .5 is very low in nutrients. A good all around NPK number is about 4.0. As for the use of peat moss you must know the Ph of your soil and compost. Composts are usually more acidic. Black Kow is usually fairly acidic, depending on which manure was used. If your soil is acidic don't use peat moss as it will only add to the acidity. There is no set ratio of soil mixtures as each soil is different. You must know what you have before you can fix it. As for "other nutrients" , any OMRI approved fertilizer will work fine. As a starting point I would use 20% Black Kow, 10% vermiculite and zero peat moss. Instead of peat why not use coconut coir. It does the same thing but is neutral. But you probably won't need it.

 

[Tommy89]

Black Kow is normally a very good compost although I have heard of a bad batch or two. I would not hesitate to use it. .5 is very low in nutrients. A good all around NPK number is about 4.0. As for the use of peat moss you must know the Ph of your soil and compost. Composts are usually more acidic. Black Kow is usually fairly acidic, depending on which manure was used. If your soil is acidic don't use peat moss as it will only add to the acidity. There is no set ratio of soil mixtures as each soil is different. You must know what you have before you can fix it. As for "other nutrients" , any OMRI approved fertilizer will work fine. As a starting point I would use 20% Black Kow, 10% vermiculite and zero peat moss. Instead of peat why not use coconut coir. It does the same thing but is neutral. But you probably won't need it.

You mentioned that a good NPK is 4. Does that mean a 4-4-4? Also, how do I make my 0.5-0.5-0.5 black kow and my soil with an unknown NPK into a NPK of 4? I guess I wouldn't need to find the pH if I don't use peat moss. If I use 20% Black know and 10% vermiculite, would the rest just be my normal soil (no nutrients)? Thanks.

 

[Chuck]

You mentioned that a good NPK is 4. Does that mean a 4-4-4? Also, how do I make my 0.5-0.5-0.5 black kow and my soil with an unknown NPK into a NPK of 4? I guess I wouldn't need to find the pH if I don't use peat moss. If I use 20% Black know and 10% vermiculite, would the rest just be my normal soil (no nutrients)? Thanks.

You still need to know the Ph of your soil, no matter what. Some plants like it more acidic, others like it more alkaline. There are ways of changing both to suit a plants needs, especially in containers. Organic fertilizers come in all sorts of NPK ratios. I personally use 3-2-3 but there are many other formulations. NPK numbers are determined by the amount of Nitrogen-Phosphorus-Potash in the fertilizer you will add to your soil. You don't make your Black Kow into anything, it is what it is, basically organic matter that slowly breaks down into macro and micro-nutrients. How many nutrients and what kind are determined by the compost that you use. Of NPK the first number is for nitrogen and is mainly used by the plant to grow foliage. The second number phosphorus is mainly used for blooming and fruiting. The third number is potash (potassium) and it takes care of everything else a plant needs. Compost also has micro-nutrients such as Iron, Zinc, Manganese plus other trace minerals, but, it lacks in NPK, thus the need for fertilizer and its higher numbers.

 

[Tommy89]

You still need to know the Ph of your soil, no matter what. Some plants like it more acidic, others like it more alkaline. There are ways of changing both to suit a plants needs, especially in containers. Organic fertilizers come in all sorts of NPK ratios. I personally use 3-2-3 but there are many other formulations. NPK numbers are determined by the amount of Nitrogen-Phosphorus-Potash in the fertilizer you will add to your soil. You don't make your Black Kow into anything, it is what it is, basically organic matter that slowly breaks down into macro and micro-nutrients. How many nutrients and what kind are determined by the compost that you use. Of NPK the first number is for nitrogen and is mainly used by the plant to grow foliage. The second number phosphorus is mainly used for blooming and fruiting. The third number is potash (potassium) and it takes care of everything else a plant needs. Compost also has micro-nutrients such as Iron, Zinc, Manganese plus other trace minerals, but, it lacks in NPK, thus the need for fertilizer and its higher numbers.

I guess for each plant I can look up what pH is ideal. What do I find the pH of(my plain soil and my black kow separately or combined), and how in a quick and inexpensive manner.

 

[Chuck]

I guess for each plant I can look up what pH is ideal. What do I find the pH of(my plain soil and my black kow separately or combined), and how in a quick and inexpensive manner.

There are numerous inexpensive soil Ph test kits you can buy online. All you need is a simple Ph test kit, one that shows with a fair degree of accuracy how acidic or alkaline your soil is.

 

[Tommy89]

Which one of the black cow or just my plain normal soil