Potting soil formula? Perlite substitute?
I want to formula my own potting soil - 50% soil, 50% compost, but how much perlite? And possibly substitute something else for the perlite - more "green", more natural, cheap as "dirt", just as available?
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Answer it!
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I don't know if I can do any better than Gorfram (great answer, BTW) but I'll throw in my two cents. The soil mixture I use is fairly simple, and probably very similar to what you've seen else where:
3 parts compost
2 parts perlite or vermiculite (to address your concern I'd agree that pumice is a good way to go)
1 part crushed eggshells (this can be difficult in large boxes, but for smaller containers it's easy)
1/2 part dried manure
3 parts peat moss
The soil is loose, nutritionally rich, and holds water very well while still draining well (does that make sense?).
How have your results turned out?
3 parts compost
2 parts perlite or vermiculite (to address your concern I'd agree that pumice is a good way to go)
1 part crushed eggshells (this can be difficult in large boxes, but for smaller containers it's easy)
1/2 part dried manure
3 parts peat moss
The soil is loose, nutritionally rich, and holds water very well while still draining well (does that make sense?).
How have your results turned out?
I use pumice (available at most/many garden stores) instead of perlite. It's slightly more expensive and a few garden stores don't carry it, but it's environmentally sound, you don't have to worry about inhaling pumice dust like you do perlite dust, and it doesn't crumble or break down over time. It also doesn't look and behave like some sort of mineral-based styrofoam floating around in my plant pots, which is the thing about perlite that annoys me the most. :(
I'm a balcony gardener, so the mix I actually use is low on soil (which I have to go out & procure), and on weight (so that gravity doesn't someday suddenly make me into a patio gardener :). I'll give you both my own potting mix and the mix I'd use if I had access to large amounts of soil and of weight-bearing-capacity.
Low-weight, low-soil-content Balcony Mix:
Well-Drained Sandy Mix (for Mediterranian herbs & the like..)
I'm a balcony gardener, so the mix I actually use is low on soil (which I have to go out & procure), and on weight (so that gravity doesn't someday suddenly make me into a patio gardener :). I'll give you both my own potting mix and the mix I'd use if I had access to large amounts of soil and of weight-bearing-capacity.
Low-weight, low-soil-content Balcony Mix:
- 4 parts finished, sifted compost
- 4 parts pumice
- 1 part soil (e.g. dirt, ground, earth...)
- 1 part sand (I just use builder's sand)
- 3 parts compost
- 3 parts pumice
- 3 parts soil
- 1 part sand
Well-Drained Sandy Mix (for Mediterranian herbs & the like..)
- 2-3 parts finished compost
- 4 parts pumice
- 1 part soil
- 2-3 parts sand
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