On Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:14:52 GMT, "brooklyn1"
wrote:


"Phisherman" wrote in message
.. .
On Wed, 03 Jun 2009 07:36:01 -0400, Frank
wrote:

AKT wrote:
Thanks, but what is potting soil for if not for plants in the pots?

I was looking forward to your getting a variety of answers. I'm no
expert but I use potting soil for house plants and plain old cheapest
bagged topsoil for my container grown tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and
cucumbers.

I found nothing better than home-made potting soil. Not exactly sure
what is in the bagged products, but these bags (including Miracle
Grow) are not consistent. Bagged soil should be heated to kill
insects, mold and bacteria. I heat mine to 300 degrees.

Many bagged soils, composts, mulches, and manures are clearly labled either
"sterilized" or "nonsterilized", the sterilzed costs a few pennies more but
I'm not about to waste fuel cooking many cubic feet of soil at home, nor am
I willing to spend my time and energy at so frivolous a task when I can buy
soil already sterilized so inexpensively. And I've found the national
brands to be reasonably consistant, as consistant as any claimed to be
custom mixed at some local nursery.



Not really much of a bother, almost like making a cake.

I use this one often for most house plants
------------
Soil Recipe

4 cups soil
4 cups peat moss
2 cups vermiculite
6 teaspoons agriculture lime (powdered calcium carbonate)

Most important do not use dehydrated lime. (It will raise pH to over
10 and plants won't survive.)

Procedure is to mix all ingrediants. Add about half cup of water if
mix is dusting and push through a screen. Place in a baking dish,
wet it down with water and bake at 300F for an hour. Push through a
screen.

Yield: 3 quarts.
------------

For larger amounts, sterilize separate containers of soil and peat
moss and mix together when needed.