CULT: Potting Soils

In a message dated 12/21/2006 9:46:51 AM Eastern Standard Time,  
Autmirislvr@aol.com writes:

In 1991  half of my seeds were planted in an off brand (for me-Rusko)  
potting  
soil.  The seed came up, developed tip burn, and only  grew to  about an 
inch. 
At first I thought I'd overfed with Miracle Grow,  but  withholding MG didn't 
help any.  It took a year for them to   recover and start growing.  There 
were 
several bags of the Rusko,  and  everything planted in it reacted in this 
manner.  This is  why I always use  Bacto.  


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I believe the bad bag of stuff I had had been stored incorrectly  and 
overheated at some point, creating toxins. I understand this can also  happen with 
mulches.   

The absolute *worst* product I've run into is the new  Miracle-Gro with the 
moisture holding properties. I suppose it may have  some utility for the 
container gardener looking to plant a small pot for a  hot spot, but you could not 
give me a bag of the stuff for propagation purposes.  I got a bag when it came 
out. They were out of the conventional  stuff--which I consider mediocre but 
serviceable-- and I thought  it might be useful because a wetting agent would 
make repotting go  quicker, and the moisture levels in my propagation 
containers might remain more  constant in hot weather. 
 
The first sign of trouble was with some infant abutilons, and it did not  
take long for it to show up, either! I transplanted them from vermiculite into  
the potting soil in four inch pots, watered them in, and set them on the  
marble table on the deck--meaning they got good ventilation, adequate sun, and  
plenty of attention. A mossy slime developed on the soil surface. I  ignored it 
initially because the  abutilons appeared unfazed, but then they stopped 
growing, so I  took a pickle fork and poked about in one pot to investigate. That 
green  mossy coat was half an inch thick, and you could pull it back like a 
carpet!  Underneath was really extremely wet. I removed the mess, shook the 
preponderance  of the medium off the little plants and repotted them in something 
different.  Some perennial seeds sown on the stuff were a total loss. Short of 
germinating  fern spores, maybe, I don't think the stuff has much value.
 
I prefer an all organic mix for most of my stuff. I hate perlite, what  with 
that dithering way it floats around. When I am starting cuttings of  shrubs 
etc. I use a mix of organic medium, vermiculite, and traditional  clay cat 
litter. 1-1-1. Art Tucker gave me the recipe.
 
Cordially,
 
Anner Whitehead
Richmond VA USA USDA Zone 7

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