Re: soil vs soil-less
perennials@hort.net
  • Subject: Re: soil vs soil-less
  • From: &* S* O* P* <6*@rewrite.hort.net>
  • Date: Sat, 03 Sep 2016 20:39:57 -0400
Hi, Kitty. In my experience, most "topsoil" sold in bags is actually composted material of random origin, with perhaps a bit of sand in the mix. The "mucky" ones tend to be composted material that's broken down into very fine clay-sized particles. 

Russell

 At 04:57 PM 9/3/2016, you wrote:

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


Russell Stafford
Odyssey Bulbs
PO Box 382
South Lancaster, MA  01561
508-335-8106
russell@odysseybulbs.com
www.odysseybulbs.com
www.facebook.com/odysseybulbs 

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