Container w/ reg. soil not doing well...

16 years ago

Hi All,

I have a container filled with soil from the yard and some bagged mix.

It is not doing well and my plants are croaking off at a very fast rate!

It is holding way to much water.

I added some bark fines at the beginnig of the season, but I guess not enough.

My question is...

Should I remove my plants and add more bark.. and maybe pearlite? and if so.. should the bark be sifted to remove the largest pieces.?

or should I chuck it all together and replace with 5-1-1 :)

which I had wanted to do to begin with, but time and transportaion were a huge issue with getting materials.

I hate moving plants this late in the season, we are so hot and monsoons are building up..

But if I don't they will die soon anyway.

petunias and mint right now.

JoJo

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Comments (6)

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
16 years ago
I'd try to salvage the plant material & forget the soil. If you start with a mix of topsoil and bagged (peaty) soil, you'd need to add enough pine bark and perlite so the 'other' fraction of the new mix is extremely small - like maybe 5% or less ....... so why bother?

You COULD bury the containers w/o amending the soil though, and maybe get it to work marginally well. It's that whole 'turn it into a raised bed to alter the physical behavior of the water' thing.

Al
particentral
16 years ago
What about drainage holes? How many and where are they located?
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meyermike_1micha
16 years ago
I ditto that Al!!!!!

Take the plants out and put them in a well draining mix....if MG doesn't belong in containers for very long, then most assuredly yard soil is a no no.:-)

Have you ever added nuts to pancake batter? You can add all you want, and yet the m ix is still pasty, if not yucky..:Add all the perlite and bark you would like, it still doesn't change the fact you will have yuk in between the larger particles that will still fill in the spaces and suffocate your roots anyway..:-(

Good luck and let us know what you do...

Mike:-) :-) :-)
jojosplants
Original Author
16 years ago
Hello!

Al~ I'll start over. and put 5-1-1. It wont help to bury it. It alread is like a raised bed. It's a tire with one side trimed away so it sits on the ground.

I figured adding to it was a longshot.. and seeing the 5%, I guess I was right. lol.

You've been a huge help and I hope others learn from this.

Part of the problem here, is my yard has a curb the whole way around, and when it rains, it becomes a small lake.
So the container doesn't wick very well.

I put the plants in it before losing my car. they were sposed to be temporary.:(

I have all I need now for the 5-1-1 so I will do that. It's still a long season here.. so I want it ready for fall.

Hi Mike!
Your funny! LOL! NOPE... No nuts.. but chocolate chips work well..;)

In my defense.. I've been stuck at home all summer.. and never meant for the plants to be there more than a week or so. ;) It's from last season.. before I knew about Al's mixes..;)

Thanks Guys!
Have a great evening!

JoJo
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
16 years ago
Did you look behind the oleanders .......... for the car you lost?

Al
jojosplants
Original Author
16 years ago
ROFL!!
Your funny too Al!

Too many wasps in there ;)

I think it's out running around and will be home in about an hour.
But it leaves again the next day. It's the strangest thing.
LOL!

JJ