Hi, everybody,

I am a beginner, focusing on vegetables in containers. So I have
been buying lots of "potting mix," which is mainly peat and bark.

I have tried a couple of different brands, and I noticed a big
difference in texture. One is fairly smooth, with mostly small
particles, I guess, and the other is rough, with more of the
bigger particles. When set in containers (with plants), the
rougher mix is quite visibly different.

I also notice that the seedlings I buy (usually in 4-in pots)
seem to have a finely-ground soil.

It is somewhat easier to plant the seedlings into the finer-grade
potting mix (i.e. pushing it up to support them.)

There is a slight price difference, although that may be due to
the rougher stuff being in larger bags. Both types claim to have
"slow-release" fertiliser.

So my question is... should I come to any conclusions about the
quality of potting mix, based upon texture??? It seems that the
rougher stuff is more bark and less peat, which I suspect isn't
so good.

Any advice???

Thanks in advance...

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