Thanks Kate.

I use asbestos-free vermiculite when I do use it and the perlite- haha – I throw it in as I walk away. After it settles, I come back and gently mix in so as not to disturb the dust too much. (I just don’t like masks)

These bags were free and are usable as an additive, so I’m not actually complaining. But if I’d bought a lot of  them for my intended use, I would complain.  I just wonder how they can get away with it.

Kitty (btw – I fixed the subject line)

A little off-topic but I am potting perennials so…

 

I mix my own potting soil, usually eyeballing it at 45% bagged top soil, 45% sphagnum peat, and 10% perlite.  This gets adjusted if I happen to have compost or something else available, or if a plant needs it, I’ll add grit. And I always put in time-release fertilizer.

 

A guy just gave me 3 bags of top soil he got at Wal-Mart that he didn’t need.  At a glance it seemed nicer than the usual cheap muck-based top soil I buy. But when I started using it, there didn’t seem to be any actual soil in the bag. I checked it and it is composed of Pine Fines, Hardwood Fines, Forest Fines, Forest Products, and a touch of Sand.  Sand is a component of soil but fines have to break down before they become soil.

 

This seems like a good additive for my mix but it isn’t soil. There’s no clay and I depend on having some clay for  cation exchange. So I’m mixing some of the muck brand top soil in with it but still wondering if this is going to be a good mix.  I also cut back a bit on the sphagnum peat.

 

Maybe I’m overthinking this as nurseries use soil-less mixes all the time.  But do you think my mix is ok for overwintering pots and do you think they should get away with labeling a bag as top soil when there is no soil in the bag?

 

Kitty