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- General Discussion
I purchased and used several bags of enriched garden soil from Merrifield. I didn't notice until I had planted 9 containers that the soil was not for container planting. I had mixed the soil approximately 2 parts soil with one part peat moss. Why isn't this mixture for containers?
Will I have better results with my container flowers if I pull them out, replace with regular potting soil and replant and if so why?
Potting mixtures generally do not contain any soil. They are composed of sphagnum peat, perlite and vermiculite. These ingredient are mixed proportionately to insure the proper balance between moisture retention, aeration and drainage for growing in containers. You can use garden soil for containers, but one will need to be very careful with how you water. Garden soil will have a tendancy towards holding more moisture and will not be as well drained as a potting mixture, so you will need to take care not to overwater your plants.
I expect that you would have better results using a potting mixture than the garden soil because of the improved drainage and aeration associated with the potting mixture resulting in better root development. Happy planting!!!
On your gardening tv show, I recall Ms. Peg Bier adding small rocks or pebbles into the containers before adding the potting soil. If the potting soil already has that 'proper balance' between retention, aeration and drainage, is it really necessary to add rocks to my container?
Pleasanthill, MO
I drill holes in the bottom of the containers and don't put rocks in but put coffee filters to keep the soil from running out the container holes.