Is this for your seedlings for starting?

For your larger transplants, gallon sized and larger, you could make your own mix. I do this for all the hanging baskets I grow. It is really easy.

2 bags of pine bark fines (I have used pine bark mulch and just picked out the big pieces)
5 gallon bucket of perlite
5 gallon bucket of peat moss
2 cups agricultural limestone ( adjusts pH)
2 cups control release fertilizer

Wet it all and mix together on a big tarp. Make sure it is very moist or the bark and pest moss will actually repel the water. To have it retain mire water, I add half a bucket more of peat moss. I have been using this mix for four years now. For the price it is really hard to beat!

I actually learned about this mix over on the container forum. It is called Al's mix. You can search for it and read more about it there.

Jay

Here is a link that might be useful: How we make potting mix

Yes, it's for seed starting. The bigger plantings will be in a compost mix that a local company makes. They take all the clippings and such, grind them up and compost them. It's good for the gallon pots, but the smaller pots, it's alittle too large of particles.

I do really need to make my own, just haven't really tried. Need to get a concrete mixer to make the work easier. Maybe I can borrow one, I'll have to ask around.

Marla

A wheel barrow or tractor bucket works fine to mix soil. Concrete mixers are really just a luxury.

All my seedlings start and grow in my homemade soil which is:
Manure/plant based compost (well aged and screened)
Peat moss (screened)
Sand (from the creek)

For tomatoes/peppers/eggplants I also add screened eggshells.

Thats it. Costs next to nothing and I have tons (literally).

For seedlings very prone to dampening off I sterilize the mix.

-Mark

Just realized that I didn't actually help with your original question on where to buy bulk potting soil. Sorry.

I am another person who makes her own. But instead of peat I use coco coir which unlike peat is hydrophilic (absorbs water well) and not hydrophobic (rejects water)

I don't mind making my own, if I can find a good 'recipe'. I would add some osmocote long term fertilizer. I'm don't mind not being organic, just some good soil. I've been very happy with Miracle Grow with Moisture Control, it's been growing good healthy plants. Just would like to get more for the amount of money that I've been spending. If need be, I'll buy that, but by the time that it comes onto the market, new bags, I've already been growing for weeks.

I don't like using the wheel barrow and don't have a bucket loader (yet), but can probably borrow the concrete mixer.

Perhaps people can share their 'recipes' and help each other and me.

Thanks for your help. I really want to get started on the soil as soon as possible, because I'll start some of my seeds in the next month.

Marla

we use soil blocks. i make the soil mix using a 5 gallon bucket. 2 buckets of top soil (commercial) which is often the same thing as commercial potting soil with out perlite. 1/2 bucket perlite and 1/2 bucket vermiculite. 1 bucket peat moss. 1/2 cup agricultural lime. 1 cup blood meal, 1 cup bone meal, 1 cup greensand. mix well.
if i'm going to use the very small blocks (for example for lettuce)and then be planting them directly into the ground the mix is not very important as i'm just looking for germination and some growth. bigger blocks have to support plant growth for a while.

I will need 3-4 truckloads of mix this year, and maybe more. I really need to find a commercial supplier. Last year, we used several 55qt bags per day, so I don't think the 5 gal bucket will work. Same with the wheelbarrow. I just have to think bigger.

i'm thinking that i'm going to have to think bigger also since this is going to be the first year we are going to sell veggie, flower, and herb starts. not sure yet where this is going to happen.

When it comes to soil mix and "receipes" there are almost as many ideas as there are people trying to grow plants.

Many years ago I mixed my own. I'm so old I can remember when soiless mixes came into being. When it got so it was more than I could handle, with all the other things I had to do, I turned the job over to a couple of the boys who worked here.

In the mix we added trace elements and a couple other things in small amounts. One day I over heard one of those guys say "Did you add this stuff"? The other one said he wasn't sure. That's when I started to realize why some of our plants didn't look as good as they should.

I started buying in ready mixed media in bags and bales and cut back on the labor costs around here. Everything was easier and our plants looked better. We are still a small outfit but use about three tractor trailer loads every year.

I get to meet a lot of people and I read a lot too. Growers from those with just a back porch to those with acres and acres and acres of greenhouses use the shipped in mixes. And there are some others both large and small who mix their own. It's up to you.

We still do a little mixing, by hand. For cacti and succulents we add more perlite and some granite grit to the basic bag mix. I experiment with a few varieties of perenials by adding some compost.

Compare your stuff to what you see others have at the market, or at seminars, trade shows or tours. If you aren't as good as the best than you have to do something different.

It is very difficult for small growers to buy anything at real wholesale. Here in NY we have three suppliers who make weekly deliveries or can UPS small items. I put my list out for bid and can get somewhat lower prices.We have all our supplies in now for the winter and next spring. They have everything you need for greenhouse or nursery growing. Not so much for farm equipment or market supplies.

I'll try to link one that covers most of the midwest,NY too. I got most of my supplies from them this fall.

Here is a link that might be useful: BFG Supply

elrem2002, as usual, you have the answer that I was looking for. After looking at your pictures of your plants, that's what I want. I don't think I'm quite ready for a semi=load, but I can see that coming in the future, and not that far away.

I know that BFG has been mentioned before, but I had just forgotten them. I'll be looking at their site as soon as I finish this post.

Could you please tell me exactly what mix you use? I don't have the acres of greenhouses yet, only wish. Only about 2700sqft, all but 500 undercover now. Also several acres available not covered.

Marla

Marla,

The commercial mixes that I use are the following:

Fafard Superfine Germinating Mix. We use this for starting seeds. We grow a wide variety of plants. Lots of flowers in addition to the vegetables. This mix comes loose in a 2.8 cu. ft. bag.

Fafard #2 Growing Mix. This is the mix we use when we transplant from the seed flat to the cell packs (1204, 804 etc.), 31/2" and 41/2" pots and most hanging baskets. I get this in 3.8 cu. ft. compressed bales. It should be dumped into a wheelbarrow, horse trough or something so that it can be dampened before you fill your flats and pots.

Pro Mix BX with Bio Fungicide. We have had good results with this with some flowers used the same way as the #2 mix.

Fafard #52 Mix. This is a bark mix that we use for all larger pots, annuals, perennials, vegetables,shrubs and trees. We also sell this mix to our customers for their own potting and they keep coming back for more.

None of the above has any fertilizer. We use Osmocote on everything from most of the cellpacks to large trees. Seed flats and a lot of the cell packs get liquid fertilizer.

This is what has worked well for us. Other people have different methods.

Call BFG and see if they deliver to your area.

I'm only about 120 miles from the Joliet, IL location. We might just go and look at what they might have and bring some home with us. I need to call and see if that's ok.

thanks alot.

GMS in Danville would be closer for you, Marla and their prices seem to be pretty much in line with other places. I do not know if they come a far east of Indiana but Hummert out of St. Louis runs a delevery truck up our way IIRC every two weeks and last I knew offered free delivery to comercial buyers above a certain amount. Might be worth a call to them to ask as it looks like your going to be getting quite a bit. I know they offer pallet discounts.

Tom

I've been to GMS and got my no-hole trays. I also buy seeds from Hummert. I didn't know GMS kept soil mix, I need to check that out. I need to find a roladex to keep all these contacts, the memory isn't what it used to be. LOL!

Marla

Just called them, found out that they do keep some on hand, and they are cheaper than BFG. We'll be going over next week and picking up some.

Thanks for reminding me of them. They are great people, and very helpful.

Marla

About that Pro mix BX, I see it is on ebay, but how much does a 3.8 cu ft bale contain?

3.8 compressed cu ft bale should make about 7.5 cu ft loose. I hope no one minds a commercial link, but on page 93 it gives you an idea of how many containers a bag can fill. YMMV.

Here is a link that might be useful: acw soil info

Thanks. Looks like 40-50 flats in 3.8 co ft. I suppose I would need 2. I use sifted compost too. Now I have to do a price comparison with the bags I usually get at Walmart.

I paid $30 for 1 bale, be sure to add lots of water. It's is very, very dry. Right now, I've taken about 1/3 of a bale and it went into a 25 gal pot and I've added about 15 gal of water so far. I did this yesterday and hope it will be ready to work with either day or tomorrow. I usually soak my potting mix for a few hours, but this is taking alittle longer. I'm starting out with much more than normal.

I found a link that shows that the 3.8 compressed bale yield 7 cu ft, which I figured that I could get 37 flats of 1203 per bale, or over 400 4" pots. I'll be using 1 bale for my starting and flats, and hope it's enough.

It does recommend adding fertilizer within 7 days of planting, plus this adds vermulite but not any soil moist. I will be adding osmocote and soil moist when transferring into the 1203s and 4" pots.

I bought mine from megagreenhouse.com, they have a local place that I picked up from. I bought 3 bales, but will need to go back after I decide which size of 4" pots that I will need. The 3 bales fit easily into my Blazer, and I could have added another 3 easily along with a case or 2 of pots, this was with the seats down.

Hope this helps.

Marla

I posted the website for Greenhouse Megastore wrong. It's is greenhousemegastore.com. Sorry for the confusion. here's their contact info. They are super nice and informative. They also have greenhouse.

International Greenhouse Company
1644 Georgetown Road
Danville, IL 61832 USA
Phone: 1-888-281-9337 (Toll Free)
International: 1-217-443-0600
Fax: 1-217-443-0611
E-mail: help@igcusa.com

Minnie, you can definitely get a better price than WM's bags. I used them before I found Sam's bags. Last year's price was $11.82 for 55 qt bag, thats 2.14 cu ft. I bought 14 bags last year, and figured out that I'll be saving with the 3.8 bales. I thought about the 60 cu ft, but decided that was too much for me at this time, plus I couldn't pick it up in my Blazer and didn't want to take the truck.

But are we talking seed starting mix or potting mix? I am talking seed starting. I would really like the Pro Mix BX but the price with shipping is $80-100 for one bale! Walmart has a small bag but not as small as some of organic seed starting mix for $4. I bought about 20 though so that was $80 I guess. It just boils down to shipping costs. I hate them!!!!

I don't use the actual 'seed starting mix' I have found that it is TOO fine and doesn't work as well as the regular potting mix. Check your local greenhouse, they probably use Pro-Mix or something similar. I used my local greenhouse until I found that I was buying enough for me to travel to the local warehouse.

Update on bale of Pro-Mix BX, the mix that I had soaking from Friday late afternoon, is totally ready and I started some seeds today. Looks great.

I get mine in a 1,000 lb. bag at a kinda local GH (1 hr drive one way)$250.00 (plus gas) per bag this is enough to plant my whole GH plus (24'x48'). Some years I get 2 bags so I can repot some perennials into 1/2 or gal. pots and for around 100 to 150 hanging baskets. I add bone meal, blood meal and fish fert.

I don't think I could get that size of bad in my Blazer, I did think about it, but I would have had to borrow a truck from son.

I'm happy with what I have, some small twigs in mix to remove, but not many.

Marla