Three-month results from a comparison of three different container soils
Photo © Jon VanZile

Three months ago, I launched a comparison test of three potting mixes: a custom blend based on pine bark fines, Miracle-Gro Potting Mix, and Miracle-Gro Garden Soil (which isn't even meant for container gardens). It didn't take long to see which one performed better--and there's a lesson here for all of us who want really healthy plants.

Check out the results here.

I remember when I started really using controlled-release fertilizers. Great stuff. Drop it in the pot and forget about it for a few months. I still use CRFs all the time. But (and there's always a but) I still think there's no doubt: liquid fertilizers, used correctly, result in better, bigger and healthier plants. Liquid nutrients are simply more available to the plant, and they tend to be delivered in larger, more effective doses. So I still use CRFs, but when I want a plant to really shine, I reach for the water-soluble or liquid fertilizers.

How's that for the longest blog post title ever?

I am, of course, referring to phalaenopsis orchids. Lots of people get these plants as gifts, but then don't know what to do next. So for your handy reference, I've compiled a list of the most common phal questions and their answers:

Just because this is a sort of funny story ...

I decided to try out some coconut coir for a potting media, so I went out and bought an expandable block of cheap coconut coir, dropped it into a garbage can, poured the water in, and waited. And waited. And waited.

I don't know what I expected, but I thought SOMETHING would happen. Like, isn't the stuff supposed to grow into a fluffy potting media? At least that's what the label said. Well, that certainly didn't happen.

After two hours, the block had disintegrated into a glorpy, brown sludge. No expansion at all. So I guess I learned something here: not all coconut coir is created equal.

Anyway, I ended up composting the sludge and I'm now in the market for a better coconut coir for my experiment.

Photo © Erika Flanigan

These cherry tomato plants sprouted on September 3, making them about 8 weeks old. I'm growing them in the AeroGarden Elite6 as part of an extended product test. And so far, I'm still impressed (but I'll do a formal review when the harvest is in!). You can't see it here, but the first little tomatoes have already started to form...

I can't help it ... every fall, I start more herbs indoors and fight with poor light to keep them going. Fact is, herbs like more light than I can reasonably provide without lights. But I like to think I'm pretty good with plants, and I like to think I'm a pretty hopeful guy, so I poked around About.com for a while, I found this article on growing herbs indoors, and I'm off to plant more seeds. Wish me luck.

I might be late to the party, but I've really fallen hard for succulents lately. When I first got into plants, I dismissed succulents as boring ... maybe I was too young. I only liked the flashy jungle-leaved plants. I dunno. But now, with their plump leaves and complicated structure, succulents have really got a hold on me. So you know what I'll probably be doing this weekend? Buying more houseplants. Just what I probably don't need ...

Photo © Jon VanZile

So last post, I talked about the good qualities of coconut coir as the base for a potting mix. It's a renewable resource and it has excellent water retention qualities. In many aspects, it's very similar to peat.

However, coconut coir does have it's drawbacks--because it's sterile, it lacks calcium and magnesium, just like peat. With peat, these vital nutrients are supplied by dolomite, but because coconut's pH is already in the ideal range, you don't want to add dolomite because it will also raise the pH. So you have to add gypsum to coir to provide calcium, then supplement with magnesium later on (Epsom salts).

Worse though, coconut coir has a faster compaction rate than peat, so it will actually crush down around your plant's roots faster--which is, of course, the major problem with peat. So as a result, many experienced growers avoid coconut for plants they hope to keep healthy over the long-term.

Hmm, right? Tradeoffs, tradeoffs, tradeoffs ... I'm waiting now to locate a good source of gypsum, and then I'll launch a test of coir and be sure to let you know what happens.

If you've been following along, you probably already know how I feel about peat-based soil mixes. Not crazy about them. They decompose quickly, gradually suffocating your prize plants, and peat is farmed from peat bogs, which has an environmental impact. I read an article recently in which the writer remarked that you'd think the world was made of peat bogs from the amount of composted peat plants used in today's potting mixes.

But what can we use to replace it? I'm currently testing a mix based on partially composted pine bark fines on this site here ... yet I'm not sure how practical this is for everyday gardeners. Pine bark fines are not easy to locate and they can be expensive.

But lately, I've been hearing great things about coconut coir. Coconut coir has been used in hydroponics for years, as a seed staring medium. It's made from the leftover byproduct of coconut processing, and as far as I can tell, it's infinitely renewable. Like peat, it doesn't have many nutrients, but unlike peat, it naturally has a near-ideal pH between 6.0 and 6.7. And it's much easier to ship, expand and work with. So I'm excited to check it out, because half the battle with indoor gardening is getting your potting mix right. Stay tuned for further updates ...

After a few months out of flower, one of our African violets just started to bloom again. Very pretty indeed ...

Photo © Jon VanZile