mix it 50 /50 with a very good media.. like promix.. and see what it looks like.. add more media if you think it wise ...

and then learn how to water whatever you made.. this is the key ... its your mix.. so you have to figure it out ...

large chunks make the mix course .. meaning large openings for water to move quickly thru the media ... this was favored by hallsons... and many other growers ...

the downside is.. the fast water movement will lead to drenching of the pots.. which MIGHT wash nutrients out the bottom... ergo.. you have to replace that.. during the root growing season.. but stop early enough in fall to allow the plants to go dormant for winter ...

ken

Alfalfa tea for me as well, useful for perk me up action. I mostly use it for veggies though. Milorganite or manure for rest of the garden.

I would use inorganics for pots, they have no micro that will digest organics or at least it is harder to built. Although I do use bone meal and Plant tone for veggie pots but supplement early with various things including foliar feeds. It gets to be science that hosta does not need imho.

I've found when I put pots under shallow rooted trees, the tree roots will find their way into the pots unless I put something under the pots.

Deanna

yes deanna. and that is why you move or turn those pots every so often ...

i forgot... the alfalfa thing was a van wade trick ... it was in his bible of a catallog forever.. im not sure i know a reference for such now ...

heres the best i can do:

https://www.inthecountrygardenandgifts.com/jspece/hostas/0016.html

ken

Thank you Ken, Deanna, Linda, & GardenGal for your comments & advice. The pine bark was purchased for the pots and the alfalfa pellets for my hosta in the ground that could use a boost. It is interesting how you do your mixes and what you use for your potted Hosta - I'll have to experiment a little and see what works for me.

I tried the alfalfa pellets. Wasn't worth the effort to me. But since you already have it use the tea method. I tried burying some in the garden, but animals came by and dug it up.

I try to avoid peat in my pots, I usually get the cheapest potting soil I can find and go from there. Use 1/2 potting soil, 1/2 pine bark FINES and 10% perlite. (I'm good at math). This year the potting soil was really bad. It actually has clay in it. Good thing they ran out. So I added some gypsum to break up the clay and used more bark with a little compost. The pine fines were harder to find but I found a pine soil conditioner I like better. 100% AGED pine bark fines. Yes, please. Yeah, that's way too complicated, sorry.

Thanks Steve. I've just used potting soil in the past with a little compost and peat and worm castings mixed in. But some of the hostas have declined so this was why I purchased the pine bark. I should be fertilizing as well and I've let that slide so I think anything I do at this point will be beneficial!