Understandning potting pix's
NotAnoutherNewbie
Posts: 3
Hello Everybody
This is my first thread so go easy on me lol
Ive been doing quite a bit of research into plant nurtients Macro nutirents micro nutrient etc however the one thing the internet is not good for is zeroing in on certain questions hence I am here
Im hoping to start and indoor vegetable grow, tomatoes peppers etc however IM stuggling to understand potting mixes' I understand what a plant needs from researching etc but not mixing
Im looking to use canna soil which has sphagus moss, compost, worm castings and some speicial mix that they wont disclose (all organic of course) So I know that it will be nitrogen rich great but I want to know How i can determin the ratios of the nurtients. I would like to add a boost of phospherous in there by adding some Bat guano but how do I know how much to add, is it even a good idea to mix it in, is there already enough phospherus in there, the Soil pakaging raves about nitrogen which is great but I want to know about the other major macronutirents, How do I find this out so in short
Should i add bat guano if not why ? and if so how much do I add
Is there an accurate way to test my soil and if so can I alter it before hand or is it a case of trial and error ?
Can i set up a really good bases from the get go in the soil mix and not need to use nutes, or is this something that is unavoidbale in potting growing ?
I know this is a length thread and for that i appoligise but im just so tired of browing the internet and not finding answers lol
if you dont want to explain things do you have any links to any websites that can explain things
Posts
First of all what you need when growing from seed is light soil designed for little seedlings roots to be able to spread out easier. Starting them off in cells with shop bought compost for seeds and cuttings is the easiest way.
I think you may be overcomplicating/overthinking things, when your plants are big enough you can transplant them into your canna soil or even bog standard compost which will both have all the nutrients you need for 3 months before needing feeding then you can experiment with adding a handful of guano to one and organic tomato feed to another and so on.
Seeds need low levels of nutrients - many seeds will germinate in plain sand, or even on a wet paper towel or flannel. (Remember growing cress at primary school?)
I agree with Learnincurve. Buying a good quality seed compost is much simpler than trying to make your own, and once your plants are bigger, then you have the chance to try growing them on in pots of commercial or home-made compost, or in garden soil.
You can test the pH level of your soil easily using a cheap kit. But more comprehensive testing is expensive, and not possible at home, though you can send soil samples away for testing (eg by the RHS) if you suspect you have a problem.
I use John Innes seed and cutting compost mixed with vermiculite. I also give them some bottom heat indoors when the time is right. Sometimes I wonder if people go too much into the physics of plants.
Treat them like babies. Seeds do not need nutrients. When they pop up move them out of the heat and pot on to a weak compost, harden off somewhere, then plant after frosts have passed.Thats about it.
Last edited: 08 February 2018 21:29:11
Thankyou guys for your replies
FRom what you have said I imagine allot of it will be trial and error overtime and getting good with experience. I cant wait to start experimenting with different organic nutirents and getting the best out of vegetables rather then the same old bog standerd vegetables from the shop
Thankyou for this post i will do some research into vermiculite to find out what thats all about
Are you based in the UK? Canna compost is not one readily available here in Scotland so had never heard of it before. And we certainly don't have a source for bat guano either.