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Potting mix for wildflowers in container planter

marcodelvalle1marcodelvalle1 Posts: 9
in Problem solving
Hey there!
I'm planning to grow some annual wildflowers (Flanders poppies, cornflowers, etc)  in a long hessian planter (70x30x35cm). I've currently got a coir-based mix with some all-purpose compost mixed in.
  
I've heard wildflowers don't need particularly fertile soil - but is there not enough organic material in this mix?  Would I need to add things like chicken manure pellets or bonemeal/fish blood & bone?

Thanks!

Posts

  • rachelQrtJHBjbrachelQrtJHBjb Posts: 819
    Hi. I would go for more of a soil-based compost. As you say, it should not be rich (you won't need fertiliser such as chicken manure or BFB). Perhaps a John Innes No 2?
  • Butterfly66Butterfly66 Posts: 970
    It’s an urban myth that they don’t like good soil. I did some excellent webinars from the WildflowerTurf company. The problem is when you are trying to create a meadow and the soil is rich, the. Then grass and more thuggish weeds (usually the wild flowers we all dislike) will take over, hence the common advice to reduce the fertility.

    Ina container you won’t have the same problem. Havung said that I would have thought that a good MPC will be fine for annuals. I would go for a soil based compost if you were planning to include some perennial wild flowers.
     If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero
    East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
  • marcodelvalle1marcodelvalle1 Posts: 9
    Thank you!  I've mixed a lot of multi-purpose compost /John Innes with the coco coir - it's gonna be a mix of perennials and annuals!
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