Sorry, that won't work :-) However all is not lost.....what kind of mulch are we talking about and for what kind of plant(s)? You may be okay or okay for the rest of the growing season or you may need to unpot, remix the soil and replant. Depends on answers to the above questions.

assuming I had to repot....what would I buy at home depot/lowes to add to my mix.......I cant use my soil so would I buy a potting mix or.....

thanks

andy

Gardengal will answer your questions, but you should answer hers first to help her along. It is doubtful though, that anything structurally beneficial (to your current soil) can be simply be watered in.

Al

nor would soil be of benefit to your containers. Lots of threads here regarding soilless potting mediums, and also the particle size of said mixes.

Andy, here's a link to a thread on the House Plants forum which gives a recipe for good potting soil. If you need more info you might post on the Container Gardening forum where the poster tapla (Al) knowledgeably answers questions such as yours - http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/contain/

Here is a link that might be useful: soil for container gardening

In regards to the below basic soil mix.....I was under the impression that I needed soil in my mix.....my mix consisted of pumice and humic compost from our local compost facility topped off with 3 inches of mulch....I have about 80 plumeria plants in containers and in the ground and they seem to be doing fine....flowering and all....I also have a varity of other plants doing well also....but in my attempt to get a mix that I can always count on...I know if its doing good then dont change it but my problem is using the finger test or meter to check on water ...the meter says the soil is wet but the top two inches are dry....driving me crazy ...do I water the plants based on the meter or finger test....the finger test says to water if the top two inches are dry....so I was wondering if my mix needed soil.....is this confusing a lot of people.....I hope not.....thanks

andy

Basic Soil

5 parts pine bark fines
1 part sphagnum peat (not reed or sedge peat please)
1-2 parts perlite
garden lime or gypsum
controlled release fertilizer
micronutrient powder (or other continued source of micronutrients)

so which mix do I use and if I use the basic mix......can pine bark fines be substitued with......humic compost, or tierra rica or ?