Potting Mixes
Garden soil is good for plants in-ground, but growing plants in containers requires a totally different kind of mix. Container mixes are often called soilless because there is no soil at all. They are found under a variety of trade names but are similar in their basic recipe. They are composed of a variety of components like peat moss or coir fiber, bark, vermiculite, and perlite. Soil mixes for containers need to be light, airy and drain well. The basic recipe can change depending on the type of plant being grown. Succulents and herbs prefer a mix that is coarse and doesn’t hold much moisture. Foliage and tropical plants like a finer textured mix that holds more water. Always moisten the potting mix in a tub by adding water and lightly fluffing. When filling pots with mix, leave about one inch between the mix and top of pot. This will provide space and make watering easier. You can reuse the potting mix as long as there were no serious disease issues. Large containers can be expensive to fill with commercial mixes. Adding filler to take up space reduces weight and the amount of mix needed. Aluminum cans or non-degradable Styrofoam packing peanuts work very well. Fill the bottom 1/3 of the pot with filler and lay a piece of landscape fabric on top and fill the remaining space with mix. The landscape fabric keeps the mix from filling into the filler material. When growing plants in containers, be sure to use a commercial mix. They are engineered so you can be successful with your container gardening. I’m Gary Bachman for Southern Gardening.