Re: loam-based compost for ivy
- To:
- Subject: Re: loam-based compost for ivy
- From: M* T*
- Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2000 20:34:20 -0500
I don't think there is a commercial equivalent to John Innes #2 this
side of the pond. You can make your own, but I'd suggest going easy
on any kind of topsoil. I have lots of ivy in pots - plants I've
bought that haven't found a permanent home yet and cuttings I've
rooted. My own brand potting mix is a combo of screened compost,
screened rotted wood chips humus and/or screened rotted leaf mold and
bagged pine bark fines with added granite grit (chicken grit). All
seem to do quite well in this. My compost does have a small amount
of soil in it from weeding stuff, but not a lot.
You could even get bagged fine bark mulch and screen out the really
big bits and add bagged composted cow manure if you don't have
compost or leaf mold or access to rotted woodchip humus. Most of the
bagged composted cow manure I can get around here is very low in NPK,
but you'd need to check so your potting mix wasn't too rich. If you
can't get grit, perlite will do but I hate it because it tends to
float to the top of pots.
Concern with a lot of "soil" in pots is drainage. Think you'd do
better sticking with pro mix and fertilizing than using "soil" of
about any kind. Ivy will actually grow in pure coarse sand:-)
Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@clark.net
Editor: Gardening in Shade
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> From: joseph a. tannian <jotan@stlnet.com>
> Date: Tuesday, February 26, 1980 3:03 AM
>
> I have two flats of rooted cuttings of variegated ivy that are
ready to
> pot on. They're currently in Pro-Mix. I know they'll do OK outside
in
> Pro-Mix for one summer, but I'd like to keep this group going and
achieve
> large plants. My RHS publication on ivy strongly recommends using a
> loam-based compost, specifically John Innes #2. I have recipes for
the
> John Innes composts, and I want to try making my own if necessary.
My
> questions are:
>
> 1. Is there a U.S. commercial equivalent to John Innes #2?
> 2. If I make my own, can I use bagged topsoil from the big chain
hardware
> store without sterilizing it?
>
> Thanks,
> Trish Tannian (zone 6)
>
>
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