the mulch is a 3 inch layer in pots and around ground plants.....will the mulch harm the plant if it surrounds the trunk/stem of plants.....in other words should I not put mulch too close to the trunk/stem

thanks

andy

Anything you put against a plants stem can hold moisture against that plant stem which could result in that plant stem rotting, so you do not want to put mulch up against any plants stem.
I'm not sure why you would add sand to a potting mix that is okay. If the mix is okay there is no reason to mess with it.

thanks for your response Kimmsr....so should I take the mulch out of the pots....I have 1,5 and 15 gal pots...the 15 gal I guess I could leave the mulch in as long as its about 6" diameter from the stem or no....what do you suggest....thanks again for your input....

andy

the reason I need construction sand is because the current mix drains too fast.....

Then you should add something with internal porosity, like Turface, or better yet - NAPA floor-dry, which is calcined diatomaceous earth. Builder's sand doesn't slow drainage, and it's actually not drainage that's your issue - it's water retention. Container soils SHOULD drain quickly, but should also hold ample water.

Try a soil made from equal parts by volume of:
Your pumice
NAPA floor-dry (part #8822)
your compost
and I'm very sure you'll be pleased with the results.

You should add 1 tbsp gypsum/gallon of (this) soil or 1/2 cup/cu ft. When you fertilize, add 1/4 tsp Epsom salts to each gallon of fertilizer solution; however, if using a fertilizer that contains both Ca and Mg, you can forget the gypsum and Epsom salts. (Few soluble fertilizers contain Ca or Mg. Foliage-Pro 9-3-6 is an excellent choice as an all-purpose fertilizer because it contains ALL the essential nutrients in a favorable ratio, and derives most of its N from Nitrate sources.)

Al

thanks for your info Al......
would the NAPA floor-dry have any effect on plumerias...meaning since the water retension would be better (using equal parts of my mix as you suggested)....would it cause my plumerias to have stem rot....

thanks

andy

The floor dry is comprised of a high % of particulates in the 1/16 - 5/32" range, which will help promote excellent drainage, and reduce the height of the perched water table (or possibly eliminate it altogether), while retaining lots of moisture internally, so you get the best of everything - lots of aeration, fast drainage, and good water retention.

Additionally, if you don't like the water retention properties:

Too much water retention - reduce the volume of floor-dry & increase the the volume of the pumice

Too little water retention - increase the volume of floor-dry and decrease the volume of pumice.

Try not to let the organic component of the soil get larger than 1/3, and your soil will remain stable for a looong time. There is no reason root rot should ever be an issue unless you work hard at over-watering. You can also increase soil longevity appreciably by replacing the compost component with uncomposted pine or fir bark fines (1/8-1/4" pieces).

You'll end up with a soil that, with the right nutrition, will allow your plants to grow at closer to their genetic potential than any other medium I've seen or tried. The soil as I described, with pine or fir bark, would look like this:

{{gwi:1295}}

Don't think that because it looks unusual that it isn't a superb soil. Enter the search words "gritty mix" here on GW to see what others using it have to say.

Al

thanks Al
going to start a mix based on your recommendation...a couple more question...finally getting somewhere with your info...can I use the mix of my humic compost...pumice and floor-dry on any plants and ultra dwarf fruit trees....the fruit trees are in whiskey barrels...thanks

andy

Yes, you can use the soil above for about anything you'd care to grow. It's going to be a little more expensive to make than buying a peat-based soil, but it will last indefinitely - longer than it's prudent to go between repots. I use it for anything I wish to keep in the same soil for more than a single growth cycle (because of it's structural stability). For veggies & the floral display containers, I choose to use a soil that is still far more structurally stable than peat or compost-based soils, but is less expensive than the gritty soil pictured above. That soil is:
5 parts of partially composted pine bark fines
1 part sphagnum peat
1 part perlite

Al

how often do you water your container plants and raised bed if you have one and do you use a water meter or finger dept

andy

Growing in raised beds (RBs) & container culture are very different. Water behaves in RBs like it would in the garden, except there is more opportunity for lateral movement of water out of the RB soils. On a scale of 1-10, with gardening in the earth being 1, and hydroponics being 10, growing in RBs is about a 1.5 or 2, while container culture is probably a 7 or 8.

I water all plants on an 'as-needed' basis, not on a schedule, whether they are in containers or RBs. I like to grow in VERY fast soils, so when I build a soil for a plant, I try to build it with the thought in mind that when the planting is mature (well established), it only needs to get me through a single day before I need to water. Te soil I mentioned above will retain more water than those I use, btw. All else being equal, plantings that require frequent watering will be more robust than plantings that are able to go for extended periods between irrigations. In essence, you end up trading the grower convenience of infrequent irrigation for a much better opportunity at having plants that are able to realize their potential genetic vigor.

Inexpensive moisture meters don't measure moisture and are worse than useless because they mislead. They actually measure electrical conductivity and are better at measuring fertility (the amount of dissolved solids) in a soil than they are at measuring moisture. Dip the probe in a cup of distilled water it it will read 'DRY'. Add .5 tsp table salt & stir, and it will read wet.

The best way to tell when established plantings need water is to feel the soil at the drain hole, or insert a wick (this can have other benefits, too) into the drain hole & when it feels dry - water then. Soil feels dry to the touch when soil moisture levels are around 40-45%, but most plants can still extract moisture from soils when they have as little as 30% moisture (some, even less). So this gives you a considerable cush between a soil that first FEELS dry and a soil plants can no longer extract moisture from.

Al

thanks for your help Al

if your into plumerias I have several varitys (seeds) that I could send you..

andy