Your post doesn't violate any rules, Wyndell, and even if it did you couldn't delete it ;-)

It's odd seeing a mix being labeled as 'justaguy's mix' even though it is what I used last season. It's difficult for me to recomend a mix since I generally change things up and don't consider any mix I have used to be the 'holy grail', some are just better than others.

I think it is much more important to understand the *reason* why a mix is made of what it is than to copy anyone's mix exactly. Al has said numerous times that the mix attributed to him isn't one he uses all that often. I am paraphrasing (from memory) rather than quoting him in saying his mix is kind of a 'general purpose' mix to help folks get started and then modify things as they see fit for their situation. It's offered to help people get started with a faster draining, better aerated mix than what you can find premade at the garden center.

I know it's really hard, especially for people just getting started, to understand all these different recipes floating around the net. Starting with a mix someone else lists takes some guesswork out of the process and that can be a real stress reliever. For that reason I think having a thread with various mixes and what they were used for is great.

To address your last sentence though, I think I am going to avoid adding anymore 'recipes' to the list. Instead I will just point out that the mix needs to retain enough water, nutrients and oxygen to make it until the next time we attend to the plants.

In most cases a mix that does really well at retaining water will not do really well at retaining oxygen and vice versa. That is the dilemma. It is about making compromises. Wouldn't it be great if we could just stick plants in a pot and come back a while later and enjoy their beauty and/or bounty? Self watering and self fertilizing containers try to achieve this as much as they can. Store bought mixes advertise they have fertilizer for 3 or more months in them already (don't believe it). Water retaining crystals are added to persuade people they won't have to water as often (don't believe it).

Building the 'perfect' mix is about understanding the needs of 2 things. The plant and the gardener. The perfect mix for plants may well be a nutrient solution and oxygen (hydroponics), but that doesn't mean the gardener wants to buy a generator to save his/her plants when the power goes out. Plants may prefer faster draining mixes, but what if the gardener is going to regularly be away from home for days at a time in the heat of summer? Will the plants get the water they need or will they be dead and brown when the gardener gets home?

It is all about making compromises to grow the healthiest, most vigorous plants we can (because we enjoy it) while also meeting our needs as growers.

This is where one benefits greatly from understanding what the various ingredients will contribute to the mix (and what they won't). I think Al has done a terrific job of explaining the idea behind well oxygenated mixes, the downside to heavier mixes with a substantial perched water table, how nutrients and water behave in containers etc. I strongly recomend these posts to all. There is a wealth of information in them. It may not all be immediately easy to understand, but worth taking the time.

The perfect mix for one gardener may not be perfect for another, it's a bit subjective, but the properties of each potential ingredient in a mix are not subjective. There are objective facts about what they will add or subtract from water, nutrient and oxygen levels in the mix. They have known pH and nutrient properties, they can be counted on to break down over different periods of time with some lasting almost forever and others not even a season. Armed with this knowledge anyone can build the perfect mix that makes the right compromises between their needs and their plant's needs.

Somewhere in all my reading I remember Al saying that mixes should be tailored to what they are growing. That his is just a general purpose to help those of us who don't know what we are doing to make fewer mistakes. After seeing all the different mixes, I decided to try to figure out why use one mix over the other. I think that is what I wanted most in this post. Not so much that a mix is better for a houseplant than a hanging basket, buy why that mix was recommended in the first place. I know the one you gave you recommended because it wicks differently than others. Thats what I really wanted posted and shown. I couldn't find till last night a mix Al gave me for roses. But it is much different too. The "why's" they are different is what I think is really the most important. There are other mixes than those just coming from Al or you. I think those are important to learn from as well. I remember mistakenly buying garden soil for my container. I wanted potting mix but decided the soil worked in the ground it should work in my pot so I used it. I also liked seeing many on one page to find out what one mix does that others don't and why its recommended.

"Building the 'perfect' mix is about understanding the needs of 2 things. The plant and the gardener. The perfect mix for plants may well be a nutrient solution and oxygen (hydroponics), but that doesn't mean the gardener wants to buy a generator to save his/her plants when the power goes out. Plants may prefer faster draining mixes, but what if the gardener is going to regularly be away from home for days at a time in the heat of summer? Will the plants get the water they need or will they be dead and brown when the gardener gets home?"

That pretty much sums up why I wanted to make this post.

"It's odd seeing a mix being labeled as 'justaguy's mix' even though it is what I used last season. It's difficult for me to recomend a mix since I generally change things up and don't consider any mix I have used to be the 'holy grail', some are just better than others."

I just wanted to give credit for where I found it (from you). I am finding out the holy grail thing is right. Maybe the mix you use won't work for me because its too hot in Texas. But if I don't understand why that mix is recommended or how it works I can't adjust it for the heat (hypothetical example). I can understand the wicking logic behind it though. I do think others with EB's would like your recipes for mixes since you actually use and test them and can defend them. Seems like you and Al really didn't liked vermiculite, then all of a sudden for EB's I see it mentioned. I have to ask why? Thats what I think is interesting about all these mixes.

I do want this post open to ALL mixes. I know and understand some aren't popular but believe it or not I learn from seeing those discussed as well.

I used to think there were containers and ground. I am learning there are a vast array of containers with different needs and they have little to do with the ground soil. I'm learning a raised bed is ground soil instead of container. A container in the ground is no longer a container.

Rose container Mix (from Al)
2 parts bark
2 parts oil dry or turface
1 part perlite

Even this one has me wondering why no peat, lol.

Seems like you and Al really didn't liked vermiculite, then all of a sudden for EB's I see it mentioned. I have to ask why?

The only reason I would ever recomend the limited use of vermiculite is because for all it's drawbacks it does excel at one thing. Water retention. It's a sponge.

If water retention/wicking quickly is of primary importance then it might be worth using in a small percentage. It's that compromise thing.

Other means of extending the watering interval is using self watering containers, large containers (the more mix it holds, the more water it holds) and not overplanting the container.

To expand a little on JaGs comment. I've regularly suggested vermiculite in special mixes and suggest it to folks with special needs for extra water in the soil to extend irrigation intervals. Vermiculite collapses under its own wet weight, but I've found that inclusions in container soils at volumes of around 10% or less present no compaction issues and can improve water retention, and in the case of wicked soils, a substantial improvement in wicking ability. Additionally, since SWCs are generally not watered from the top, which really compacts vermiculite, that also helps to negate the compaction issue. Side note: One of the reasons you can use a finer soil in SWCs is that wicking does not additionally compact soils like top watering tends to.

I think that in your list might be just a little confusing in that there are probably some duplications or variations of more basic soils that I suggested to an individual to serve a specific need. IOWs - just variations on a theme. ;o)

Al

Thank you Al. I agree it was getting confusing but I also thought maybe it could be enlightning to see the different mixes and why they were recommended. Most aren't big changes, but there is a difference for a reason and thats what I'm trying to learn. Maybe there are others who would like to see these subtle differences on one page where we could learn even more. Was just an idea to get several things on one page.

Thanks JAG on your help with vermiculite and where it might be used since I passed by it several times in the store without buying it. I do see there is a certain case where I might want it now.