What do you mean by sunken containers?

I have grown tomatoes using Al's mix in both self watering, and large containers that have drainage holes (large containers we got from a local landscaping company). They did really well. I think they did best though in the self watering containers. Very strong, healthy plants. Little to no splitting of fruit from inconsistent moisture.

Finding the thread on Al's mix a couple years or so ago has made a big difference for me. Almost everything I grow in containers, including flowers of course, do well in it. With some things, I tweak the formula a little based on suggestion of the good people on this forum. Guess it's time to say thanks again to Al and others on this forum who graciously share their knowledge.

Hi Kirk,

What types of maters are you growing in your containers. Take it since these are sunken that your emitter is some sort of drip irrigation.

I have a bonnie original in a 66 quart box SWC.It is growing very well but only been in the mix about 10 days. Also have 2 big beef in 5 gal SWC. They have been in less than a week but are growing gang busters. Have some more seedlings from seeds Tom sent me which I am going to try in 5 gal containers.

bernie

justaguy i have i pot inside of another pot sunk in the ground all the way to the top.This way i can take the pot out with the mix in without the hole caving in.Being in the ground keeps the roots cooler.If you go to the florida gardening forum and look for toms pot in pot method you will see how it works.

opal i have 4 of the original earthboxes with half jungle mix and half pinebark fines,i ran out of perlite so i just threww that toguether.I have emitters to the earthboxes also.

opal the emitters i bought can be set to drip or spray.The saydten at lowes is easy to set up.

kirk

justaguy i have i pot inside of another pot sunk in the ground all the way to the top.This way i can take the pot out with the mix in without the hole caving in.Being in the ground keeps the roots cooler.If you go to the florida gardening forum and look for toms pot in pot method you will see how it works.

I have a high level understanding of what you are doing. Some say 'don't mess with Texas', but when it comes to gardening I say 'Don't mess with Florida'.

You folks and your state bird (nematodes) rewrite a lot of rules so I prefer to just not go there :)

The pot in a pot method is tried and true and well supported by scientific principles.

One thing i really like about this mix is how light weight it is.I can carry these 7 gallon pots with ease.Another thing is how easy everything mixes together.I plan on growing my fall tomatoes in these same pots,then i plan on refreshing the mix up for next spring.I know the mix wont be as good after i refresh it as it is now but it should still grow some nice plants.I hope.

kirk

I use Al's mix for all my container plants....except tomatoes. Last year, I'd water the plants in the morning and they'd be wilted by mid-day. Even watering twice a day wasn't sufficient.

I think it's probably good for people using irrigation systems or self watering containers; for people watering by hand, not so much.

Which mix did you use, buzz? The 511 or gritty mix? I assume your username indicates you are in zone 8 as well?

Initially I had problems with the 511 mix myself in SWCs. What I have since learned is that not all bark fines are created equal.

For the 511 mix you really want well composted bark fines for maximum water retention without sacrificing a whole lot of aeration. The supplier I used to buy from only offered fresh bark fines and they were great, but not really what I needed for my containers when this ingredient made up the majority of the mix. I had to up the peat component to compensate.

I have since found a supplier of (overpriced :( Fafard Aged pine bark which is much, much better in terms of it's state of decomposition for potting soils.

I love the stuff, but I am going to have to engage in some serious negotiation with the wholesaler to get the price down to the point I would consider it reasonable.

The moral is not all pine bark fines are created equal. Partially composted fines are much more water retentive and thus are not as likely to provide you with wilted plants at mid day.

Hi JAG, I've had a similar experience. My first one-yard load of fines were really mini-nuggets. The bagged stuff I can get is much finer; more decomposed and clearly holds more water. Still, all in all, even in the Florida heat I don't have to water more than once a day with the mininuggets after moving to the in-ground pot-in-pot model to keep the mix cooler.

All I can say about Al's mix is its kick-*** stuff, I'm a convert for life!

Tom

Oh no! I'm running late!

Since this is my first large scale gardening attempt I'm still gathering supplies.
I was thinking of starting some stuff "early" to get pretty big inside but maybe I should be starting everything now. I think I'm 7a. 4/10 - 4/21 is the estimated last freeze date. I'm pretty close to the 4/20-4/30 dividing line.

Am I running late? For either starting seedlings or putting seedlings into bigger containers?

Alice

alice seems to me around the march 1st would be about right for you.

kirk

Just a note guys - the recipe for any of the mixes are just close to what I use & are prolly not going to fit every application. As JaG noted upthread, he had to adjust the peat volume upward when using uncomposted bark until he found a source for composted or partially composted pine bark.

It was never my intent to sell anyone on 'MY SOIL'. My pitch is that your life will be easier if you try a well-aerated, durable soil. I posted the long container soil thread so together we could figure out how some of the ingredients work with others; and, so you could adjust your mixes to suit your own crops & growing styles.

Take good care.

Al

Talked to the nursery today and they said early/mid march as well.

However I just went and started some seeds literally in the past hour. 4 3" pots. 2 with Roma tomatoes and 2 with mini bell peppers. I figure they are smaller so I can probably get them well along inside.

Especially once I have two lights with 4' tubes, one with two 2' tubes and a super bright 18". Close up with the wraparound reflector it is supposed to be like a sunny morning. Not quite a sunny noon in the desert Southwest, but close enough.

I'm stubborn. I figured I'd start some determinate seedlings now, and then every 2-4 weeks start some new determinates. The indeterminates/full sized peppers can wait.

Alice

Al, I want you to know how much I appreciate you wisdom. By accident I actually increased the peat content ever so slightly with the mininuggests; I used a dry weight 1/5 peat so that by the time it was wetted and expanded I'm sure it was, as you would say, "prolly" 20-25% vs. 15% peat that would be in a true 5:1:1. Here in my region of Florida apparently that was just right such that during the hottest days I only have to water once a day, and when cooler I can back off to watering every other day, it doesn't get better than that!

Tom

Thanks, Tom. I get a big kick out of thinking I might have helped. ;o) Maybe I misunderstood, but just a note (in case) - you prolly have much more peat than a 5:1 ratio bark:peat if you measured by weight. That's not to say it won't work, but the ingredients are usually measured by volume. Since bark has a much greater bulk density (2-3 times) than peat, if you were using them 1:1 by weight you would have a 1:2-3 bark:peat. 5:1 bark to peat by weight translates to about 5:2-3 by volume. If it works well, don't change it - unless you know something else is likely to work better or if you get the mad scientist urge to experiment. ;o)

This isn't cross-talk, is it Capt'n? ;o)

Al