Re: What am I doing wrong?
- To: propagation@mallorn.com
- Subject: Re: What am I doing wrong?
- From: C* T*
- Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2000 10:35:16 +0000
- Content-Disposition: inline
If seedlings are large enough when transplanted into pots, I use a (roughly)
50:50 mix of potting compost and garden soil....on the assumption that this will
help them settle in and recover from the shock of being put into garden soil
when I finally plant out. I don't seem to have pathogen problems, but I do have
a gritty, well drained soil.
-Carrie- Z8/9
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From: "Marge Talt" <mtalt@clark.net> on 15/02/2000 23:54
Please respond to propagation@mallorn.com
To: propagation@mallorn.com
cc: (bcc: Carrie Thomas-CR/PGI)
Subject: Re: What am I doing wrong?
Well, Nan, as Diana said, I think your basic problem is the use of
garden soil when potting on. Although you may think it's a light
mix, garden soil simply does not drain well enough - and perlite has
a tendency to float to the top of the mix. Not only that, but garden
soil comes complete with all the pathogens living out in the garden,
which your seedlings and cuttings have not been exposed to in a
perlite or vermiculite home. You'd have to use, probably, 80%
perlite to 20% garden soil for a mix like that to drain well enough
(I'm guessing here as I don't use garden soil).
When you plant something in the ground - either from sowing seed or
transplanting a growing plant - the plant has a chance to put roots
out wherever it can find suitable conditions for them.
In a pot, a plant is very limited in its options and needs a potting
compost that is extremely loose and of an organic nature. (That
said, many plants seem to grow quite well in pure _coarse_ sand).
I make my own potting mix, using screened, finished compost, pine
bark fines and either screened leaf mold or humus from my rotting log
or wood chip piles. To this, I add about a third granite grit - more
if the plant *really* wants sharp drainage. The highly organic
nature, along with the high grit content, permits extremely fast
drainage, which is what is needed in a pot. The water you add should
drain right out and not sit on the top of the pot at all. Garden
soil tends to get waterlogged because (unless you garden on pure
sand) it generally contains a high percentage of very fine silt
particles which clog things up. Plant roots need air as well as
water to thrive.
The point that adding a layer of sand to the top might be a problem
was also good. Layers of dissimilar materials act differently than
you'd think. Water could easily be passing through the sand and
stopping at the soil level.
If you don't have the organic material - compost, leaf mold, humus -
to mix your own potting compost, it would be better if you bought
some good bagged potting mix - not potting "soil" - preferably a
non-soil type. I've used Pro Mix for both starting seeds and potting
on. I generally add grit to it, too. If you can't get pine bark
fines, get a bag of fine bark mulch and screen out the really big
pieces. Chipped is better than shredded. Grit is better than sand -
again because of particle size. If you can't get grit, then use
sand, but make sure it's as coarse as you can find. Aquarium gravel
works, too - but is rather expensive for potting soil. Failing all
else, you can get a bale of peat moss and add grit, fine bark and
some bagged cow manure (small proportion). You want the coarser
grade of peat - not peat humus. Most soiless bagged mixes are peat
based.
Peat will degrade in about a season and become soggy, creating
problems on its own - whether you use a bagged soiless mix or make
one with a peat base. You will need to pot on regularly (always a
good idea, anyway).
Root rot appears to be the major problem with your losses. Unpot one
of them - if you haven't already tossed them in the compost - and
shake off the soil. If the roots are black and slimy and the soil in
the pot is quite wet...root rot and lack of sharp drainage is the
problem. If you can't find any roots at all - rot is definitely the
culprit.
Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@clark.net
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----------
> From: Nan Sterman <nsterman@mindsovermatter.com>
> Date: Monday, February 14, 2000 1:46 PM
>
> Thanks everyone for the variety of responses. I guess I should
have been
> clearer with my original post, please forgive me as I was writing
out of
> frustration of having lost yet more babies to the dreaded
transplant demon.
>
> Okay, I am talking about all kinds of plants started from seed (veg
and
> perennial) as well as soft wood cuttings, mostly of perennials. I
start my
> cuttings in perlite or vermiculite/peat/perlite mixture (the only
water
> started plant I have ever been successful with is curly willow
which would
> start in a gutter if it had any water in it!). The problems occur
when I
> pot on, not when I transplant into the ground. Example, I did
cuttings of
> the california native monkey flower, diplacus (formerly mimulus)
that is
> native to the foothills around my house here in southern
California. I
> started several dozen cuttings in pure perlite. They rooted like
crazy --
> roots were even coming out of the bottom of the pots. I potted them
on into
> a mixture of garden soil and perlite (pretty light) and promptly
least at
> least 70% of them. Same goes for tomato seedlings when I start my
summer
> veg garden. lots of plants germinate and get to be good sized, but
when I
> pot them on, I loose them. I've lost salvias this way (from
cuttings) as
> well.
>
> Any suggestions?
>
> Nan
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