"David E. Ross" wrote in message
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On 5/4/2009 1:07 PM, Phisherman wrote:
I have been buying Miracle Grow potting mix. Anyone else notice
that potting mixes have a great deal of wood chips and no peat moss?
The wood chips decompose, draw nitrogen and encouraging small gnats to
breed in it.

That is why I always blend my own potting mix. See my
http://www.rossde.com/garden/garden_potting_mix.html.


That's all fine and well but if your gardening is done on a 6' x 8' balcony
5 stories up mixing up potting soil isn't an option. I usually buy one bag
of potting mix a year now to just do some minor repotting or new planting. I
stick with Miracle Gro or Black Gold. Both have been fine so far for me.
Most of my bigger containers of perennials, vines and bulbs have had the
same soil in them for over eight years. My tree peony was planted in Miracle
Gro potting soil 10 years ago and it's still going strong. I top dress
early each year with a bag of Cedar Grove compost, then when I plant my
annuals in the Spring I dig a handful or so of alfalfa meal into every
container. My garden just gets more lush and better every year.

The last indoor plant repotting I did a few gnats showed up hovering a few
days later. I good sprinkling of cinnamon over the surface of the soil took
care of that.

Val