How much is 1 part equal to? A quart, gallon, cu ft ...? What was the 'all-purpose fertilizer' - brand & NPK %s?

Al

I used a tupperware container to do the measurements, 1 part was approx. half a cubic foot.

The all purpose fertilizer was 10-10-10 CIL brand
The potting soil plus was 0.08-0.12-0.08

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh184/lil_wilde/salt001.jpg
this is what it looks like, notice that there is a white color forming on the bits of bark, almost like salt accumulation.

1/2 a cu ft is just under 4 gallons, is that about right? That's a BIG Tupperware container.

It looks and sounds like you have an extremely high level of soluble salts in the soil. P levels would be especially high, based on what you're saying here, and you could be getting some phytotoxic effect from the decorative bark - not sure. If it was specifically for playgrounds & walkways, it may have some allelopathic properties as a result of being treated to help suppress weed growth in those areas.

I think you need to look to reasons other than the soil.

Al

Thanks Al,
The container was about the size of 2 thick sandwichs stacked up, lol, I'm not much of a math person.

I was afraid maybe there was something in the bark. I can't find a website for the stuff. I'll call the garden center I got it from and perhaps they can give me some info. on it.

How can I balance out the P level?

Would it help to flush the medium by running water through it constantly for a half hour or something?

From here it looks like you are far too heavy on the fertilizer. I would mix another batch leaving out the fertilizer altogther and mix it with this batch which would cut the fertilizer in half for the total amount. You still may be too strong but it is hard to tell by your measuring methods. Calistoga Al

Al agrees with Al. I nibbled at the edges of too high a level of soluble salts (fertilizer) in the soil and was pretty sure of it by my second post. I would be using about a level teaspoon per gallon of soil. You really should consider going to a soluble product like Miracle-Gro 24-8-16 or 12-4-8 for your fertilizer needs. Foliage-Pro 9-3-6 would be even better if you're unable to find it locally and are willing to order it.

Al

OK, so I'll take your advice and mix a new batch minus the fertilizer. Then report them into half that and half what their already potted in.
Minus the potting soil plus, bone meal and lime too?
Just straight bark and perlite?

I'm a little worried about how hard this will be on them to be repotted so soon though.

You haven't given us much guidance as to how much soil you made to go along with your 1/2 C fertilizer, so it's even possible that doubling the amount of soil will still leave you with too high a level of solubles in the soil solution. W/o knowing how much soil you made, it's also not possible to guess at whether the amount of lime you used is appropriate for either the first batch or if letting the original amount ride w/o adding more is appropriate for the double batch. The bone meal isn't necessary & reacts so slowly it wouldn't be much good in containers anyway. You're also not likely to be low on P, given that the soil + the fertilizer you're using will supply more than enough.

Al

Erin, I use Al's basic gritty mix for houseplants, which includes the main ingredients of:

1 part uncomposted pine or fir bark
1 part Turface
1 part crushed granite
1 Tbsp gypsum per gallon of soil

To this I add perlite, vermiculite, and occasionally a handful or two of quality potting soil, just to help with water retention. The unaltered mix is great alone, but I also have good luck using just a tiny smidge of soil... and I do mean tiny!

As I mentioned on the other forum, I tweak the mix a bit depending on what sort of plants I'm potting. I also make certain the medium is pre-moistened so it will absorb the water I add after potting.

Bulbs are very resilient, and even if you lose a leaf or two, or have a few bulbs decide to rest, the best idea would be to re-pot them using a fresh batch of mix. After reviewing your recipe, and reading all the great responses here, I have to agree that you may be burning your bulbs with too much fertilizer.

I would get them out of the medium you first mixed, re-pot into a fresh batch, minus the fertilizer... and I'd rinse heavily and repeatedly the first batch of mix you made and use it at a later date for something else... if that's possible. I can't see wasting what you originally made, but it's clear that it's not healthy for your bulbs in the state it's in.

If you go back and read Al's original posting with the recipes, you can see that there are several different ones... I use the one about halfway down the post, the one for houseplants, but I don't add any fertilizer. I prefer to use a diluted liquid as I water, so I'm in control of how much.

I hope this helps... though Al and everyone else here are definitely steering you right.

Here is a link that might be useful: Container Soils - Water Movement & Retention VI

Thanks, Jodi,
I repotted them in a mix of half old stuff and half more bark and a bit of soil.
I guess Ill see how things go.
Definately want to get a good mix before I get those bulbs from Maguires.
Its really too bad you cant get in on that order. Stupid car, huh?
Erin