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bruce432

Wood chips media to topsoil

bruce432
14 years ago

Last year I used wood chips as my media in my bato buckets which worked rather well except that the drippers kept clogging. I kept some of the plants like blueberries, raspberries and asparagus in the buckets of chips over winter. I haven't had chance to put them back in the hydro system and have been watering them with Miracle-Gro only, up through July 6. To my amazement they are doing as well if not better than they did in my hydro system with all the regular nutrients. The wood chips have broken down and look almost like topsoil. Here is my question for the experts - Would it be possible to take my 5 gallon buckets and plants and treat them as a container garden by just adding water and fertilizer on a regular basis? If so can I get away with Miracle-Gro or soil fertilizer since I am now growing in the soil or must I continue to use my hydro nutrient plus calcium nitrate and epson salt?

Comments (5)

  • grizzman
    14 years ago

    you should be safe using soil fertilizers now as bacterial growth is evident by the breakdown of your chips. this is the same bacteria (or other organisms) required to break down the soil fertilizers.

  • gringojay
    14 years ago

    Hi bruce,
    You'll not find Ca or Mg w/ S in Miracle Grow, so need to consider supplying them. Pine wood bark is deficient in Ca, Mg & S anyway.
    The blueberries like an acidic soil usually below 5.5 pH (most types ideal is 4.5 - 4.8 pH) & if thriving then your woody substrate is an acid growing medium. If it ain't broke then don't fix it.
    The raspberries like a less acidic soil (most types ideal is 5.8 - even 6.5 pH) & if pH is far below the blueberries maximum( cited above) then raspberries will suffer.
    Your asparagus are probably more vulnerable to prolonged stay in the pots, because a lower than 6 pH is unwise. Seems like time to repot asparagus with
    a modified medium, because lime will take 1/2 a month to stably bind up the acidic hydrogen ions.
    In the tropical lowlands I can't grow these crops - but, the birds get to eat my figs instead.

  • jean-luc
    14 years ago

    With PH we also need to consider that some plants that actually need low PH in soil, don't grow that well in soil less culture at such low PH. Nutrient uptake in soil and in nutrient solution is quite different. Here we need to compromise and actually use a PH that meets the hydroponic standard (for general uptake of Elements in a solution), rather than the ideal PH of a particular plant.

    To high PH is even worse, as from 6+ especially Phosphorus (and Boron ) uptake is getting lower and lower.

    To avoid calcium and Mg (sulfur) deficiency in the long run (especially at fruiting stage) It wouldn't do any harm to add some Calcium Nitrate and Epsom salts. But be aware that Calcium Nitrate needs to be used as a second component and is not to be mixed with other concentrates, as it may react chemically with phosphates and sulphates. When adding those, also consider PH-changes to be expected from this action.

    @gringojay,
    I'm also growing figs here in Northern Thailand (actually Iranian mountain figs) and they seem to be heavily hybridized as nearly each plant shows extremly different leave shapes. Do you think they are fertile? I don't know yet, as they are only about 6 month old. They grow extremely well though.

    What about Mango wood chips, do you think they are appropriate as media? They are easily available for me.

  • gringojay
    14 years ago

    Hi jean-luc,
    My figs grow more like bushes, they give lots of sprouts off of their roots. I have to prune it short enough to pick where can see ripe fruit before the birds peck the fig.
    The productivity increases with age, first year was very little. In a few years I had to prune side branches to shape them for ease of getting in to pick.
    It took me years to find a parent fig variety on Hispaniola Island that seemed to like the climate. Mine are purple, but I've eaten yellow figs from wild bushes on a Mediterranean island .
    I remember friends with temperate orchards of fig trees you could climb in to & that may be like your mountain fig.
    Mango wood chips is a new one to me. I bet you are going to dry some to try out ....

  • gringojay
    14 years ago

    Hi jean-luc,
    The Mysore raspberry is a berry fruit that you might locate - it grows in tropical low elevations. Will propagate easily once you have a parent stock.
    I have customs problems, but it grows on Puerto Rico island to my east. Years ago found a southern Florida, USA nursery that sold it.
    My apologies to bruce for crowding in on this post & not starting anew.