I'm using the ProMix BX with Osmocote added for my 4" pots, after just the ProMix for seedlings. Once the 4" pots go into gallon pots, they are in a compost mix. We have a company that takes leaves and other natural materials (including horse manure) and make compost out of it, then sell it. I picked up 2 yds this year, last year was just 1 yd.

I add 1 gallon of Osmocote to 25-30 gallon of ProMix, and it seems to be working just fine.

I don't use the 1/2 gal pots. If I decide to increase beyond the gallon size, they go into 3 gal and then 5 gal. It gets expensive for the extra dirt and people don't want to pay for the extra dirt, so I don't increase many to that size.

Marla

I emailed elrem since I saw an old thread that said he used #2 to pot up. Didn't know if that was straight (with fertilizer) or if he mixes more peat, perlite in.

I wasn't able to get the Fafard, when I got my ProMix. Now my local greenhouse is stocking the Fafard, but I haven't checked their prices. I'm almost done with buying dirt this year, so won't need anymore.

I added the fertilizer into the 4" pots to get them a little more energy, it's a long lasting 14-14-14, 4 months.

I'm glad I checked in here today. I didn't get any email from GW. I've been here since 2002 and about 4 years ago I had to get a new email and I don't know if updated this GW site. Not sure how to get to where I'm supposed to go to find out.

We use a lot of Fafard #2 mix, from the 3.8 bales. We use it for everything that goes into cell packs and any pots up to 5". We do our hanging baskets with it also.

Dump it into something. A wheelbarrow works best. An 8 cu. ft. poly tray double wheel type from Tractor Supply or Lowes will hold a whole bale. Add some water to the mix. Just get it moist, not too wet. Using dry mix is very difficult to handle and not good for the plants.

The only thing we add to the mix is Osmocote. If you think you can thoroughly mix it in you can add it to the wheelbarrow. Or you can add the Osmocote when planting. I just finished potting over 6000 herbs in 31/2" pots from 72 size plugs. I set out on the potting table 72 pots. Then dump 4 or 5 shovelfulls of the mix onto the pots. I then level the soil off filling all the pots. Do not pack the soil down. Just level it off. I use a piece of 1X2 wood. Then pull out 4 plugs, if needed trim them and clean off any yellow leaves. Put those 4 plugs into a small cottage cheese container of water. You want to be sure your plugs are not dry. Then I make a hole in the soil in the pot with my finger and put the plug in and pack the soil around it a little. Now the soil will be down about 3/4 inch or so. Keep repeating this until you've got a plant in every pot. Now sprinke some Osmocote over the soil in the pots. Don't overdo it. If you get 10, 12 pellets or so in a 31/2" pot thats enough. Now take a scoop ( we make them from bleach or juice jugs) of the soil mix in one hand and use your other hand to sprinke some soil mix over the Osmocote in the pots. I fill the pots up. Then I give them a little jiggle when I put them in the trays, 18 to a tray. I'm using a high quality top-of-the-line pot for our retail customers. You can use cheaper pots that come in sheets of 18.

Sounds awfully involved but it goes along real fast for me.

Got a little long winded here, but I would also say we use another mix, Fafard #52 for all our containers 6" or larger. Works great. We use about 1800 bags here and also sell a lot to our customers to use in their containers at home. It's a bark based mix.

Thanks. I bought some ProMix Veggie and Herb OMRI certified soil in Oct at big orange store, but apparently they've clearanced it out and someone bought all they had. I'm going to have to ask the nursery where I bought the Fafard if they could order the ProMix (they did have BX).

For now I'll use what I have left of the ProMix (almost .5cf bag) for my organic seeds, and the Fafard for the non-organic. We'll see how the plants do w/o fertilizer (doesn't the Fafard have some "starter nutrients" in it?), if I don't sell the non-organic plants soon I guess I'll pick up some Osmocote or MG.

Someone on Container forum recommended mixing some perlite in with the Fafard? You don't find it necessary? I had some plants I overwintered in the proMix do fine, others seemed to get a big waterlogged but we're talking months here not just a few (hopefully) weeks.

Related question,

I bought some stuff to do a seed starting mix again. I can't find inexpensive stuff by the yard yet...maybe by next time.

This time I bought some lime since the mix is heavy on peat moss @ 4.2ph.

Doesn't lime take a few months or more to sweeten the soil? How does doing making a mix with lime and then using it right away help with the ph? This is dolomitic lime powder, my choice was that, oyster shell lime, or hydrated lime. Once upon a time I read that hydrated lime works quickly but still see all these recipes with dolomitic lime.

Thinning the mix with good compost has worked well for potting up...but I do have these nagging concerns about the ph in the starting mix.

Different limes work at different speeds. The smaller the particles the faster it works. Perhaps the reason you see dolomitic lime in the recipes is that it will take longer to sweeten since you're using the peat that will also take time to break down.

Have you checked your landscape companies? Around here you can get a good compost mulch in large quantities. We also have a company that takes people's compostable items (they charge for disposing) and then make compost, which they also sell. They call it Soil Makers, I think they are only local.

I did find a place yesterday. They are selling ground up redwood scraps/shavings as a replacement for peat. The rep compares it to the coco stuff. It's $60 a yard and a long drive. Might as well keep working with bagged stuff.

Yesterday, I did half peat/half supersoil( bagged "forest product") with the lime, perlite and vermiculite and a bit of DR. Earth's vegetable fertilizer. I am starting some melons and a last round of peppers in it. Anyway, it seems fairly economical.

The shavings will tie up your nitrogen until it's well composted. Not really a good idea, and definitely not a replacement for peat, except in 'fluffiness'.