Re: The Innes potting mixes.
On Wed, 21 Feb 2001 22:14:38 -0800, you wrote:
>Dear Medit-Planters,
>February 21, 2001
>
>One can not even read a good British nursery's catalog without constant
>references to Innes #2, Innes seed mix, Innes plus...etc. I'm sure
>there isn't a British gardener worth his salt that doesn't know the
>Innes formulae by heart, perhaps at birth. They also know sequestrene
>and don't even bother to state that it's a brand name.
snip
>
>Michael D. Barclay, "America's Garden Wizard"
>opga@wenet.net
>better: operatic@earthlink.net
>www.operalover.net
>
>PS-Could our helpful expert state the ingredients in the Innes formula
>first, and then suggest American alternatives, perhaps more than one.
>Blessings!
When I was a garden apprentice, too many years ago I had the J.I. formula
drilled into me. I have spent many days turning great heaps of the mixture
several times to make sure that it was well mixed, only for the Head
Gardener to say "turn it again boy, it's not mixed right" O happy days! Just
to add to the pleasure in those days, and I am talking about the late 60s,
the peat came in bales. These were large compressed blocks of dry peat bound
together with slats of wood and wire. These had to be broken open, the lumps
broken then sieved and wetted. If anyone has tried to wet really dry peat
they will know how difficult it is. As for sterilising the loam, it had to
be cooked in a sort of electric oven. It had to get up to 180F and stay
there for 20 minutes. The oven took a bushel at a time. Strangely I can
still vividly remember the smell of the soil as it came out of the oven, all
steaming.
The John Innes Seed Compost consists of :
two parts good sterilised loam,
one part peat and
one part coarse sand (all parts by bulk).
Add to each bushel* of this mixture
1 1/2 oz. superphosphate of lime and
3/4 oz. ground chalk.
John Innes Potting Composts consists of:
seven parts fibrous loam,
three parts peat and
two parts coarse silver sand (all parts by bulk),
with the addition of fertiliser:
4 oz. John Innes Base and
3/4 oz. ground chalk or limestone per bushel.
The John Innes Base is composed of:
two parts hoof and horn meal,
two parts superphosphate of lime and
one part sulphate of potash (all parts by weight)
The total mixture is known as John Innes Potting Compost No. 1.
Some plants, particularly at the second or third potting, need a stronger
compost than this, and should be given John Innes potting compost No. 2,
which simply indicates that double the quantity of fertiliser (8 oz. base
and 1 1/2 oz. chalk) is used per bushel. The even stronger John Innes
potting compost No. 3 contains three times the amount of fertiliser per
bushel.
* A bushel is an archaic British measure. It is a box 10 inches by 10 inches
by 22 inches.
I do not have any American alternatives.
This makes me feel far too old!
Graham in the Algarve, Portugal
---- Graham Payne ---- dpsgkp@mail.telepac.pt ----
