i am thinking.. i need to know what you are trying to grow ...

and what the current media mix is ...

and why you think they are self watering pots ... i would not really include an igloo cooler within that definition ...

and i would wonder why you think this is a bug or disease issue.. rather than a soil forum or container forum issue???

we are more than willing to help.. but you havent really told us much of anything...

ken

Root rots are considered a disease issue.

Zolly, vermiculite is one of last amendments to use if your goals are improved porosity, increased oxygen content, and decreased moisture retention. Vermiculite, when moistened, collapses.....turns to mush.

Try perlite instead. It should do the trick, depending upon the medium you're starting out with. I will mention that if your mix contains ingredients like compost, garden soil, vermicompost, or manure it will be very hard to 'fix' with perlite or anything else.

come on rhiz.. work with me.. it isnt going to matter what disease or how its solved..

IF WE DONT ADDRESS.. HOW A BEER COOLER IS USED AS A SELF DESCRIBED ... 'SELF WATERING' FLOWER POT ..

it either has drainage or it doesnt ...

if it drains.. then its not self watering.. and she is flooding it ....

if it doesnt drain .. then she should plant bog plants .. in bog media ... [not to mention ... i think V floats ... and that isnt going to work in a bog] ....

because its not going to matter what the media is ... as there wont be any oxygen.. as you well know.. and V is not going to add any .... i wouldnt be surprised if anaerobic soils cause more root rots.. than randomly occurring diseases ...

then.. on top of it.. you dont even bother to address what her base media is... and whether it can handle copious amounts of flooded water ...

the suggestion of vermiculite.. as a soil amendment... is akin to wrapping a band aid .. on my arm... which is laying out in the driveway ... and declaring the problem solved .... rather than addressing the base issue of .. and i will yell ... MY ARM ISNT ATTACHED TO MY TORSO ...

it simply doesnt matter what the media is.. if she doesnt explain her pot ... and its drainage ... and how and why it might be 'self watering' ...

zolly.. do understand.. rhiz and i consider ourselves great GW friends ... we are showing our passion for the garden ... not really screeching at each other ... [well.. at least i still do.. lol .. right dorie??]

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

KEN...PEOPLE RETOOL COOLERS EASILY TO USE AS PLANTERS, ESPECIALLY FOR SELF-WATERING CONTAINER GARDENS. Self-watering container gardening does not entail flooding with copious amounts of water. And they don't 'drain' in the way that's required for conventional containers.

Zolly, did your City Pickers kit come with its own mix or did you make your own for that container, too? Did both of the container setups perform poorly?

There are sooo many different potting mix recipes, it would be helpful for me to know more about yours. In the meantime, perlite can be used for the reason I suggested, even if it becomes the predominant ingredient in your medium.

If your set-up is based on the design at the link, then you use the vermiculite as the reservoir with a drain hole above that, is that correct? If so, then you need a media that doesn't wick as fast as what you have now. That is where more perlite comes in, but it would help us to know what your "soil" was made up of and if, indeed, this is the same design. As for me, any media that sits atop a water reserve would need to be basically a cactus mix to avoid water logged soil.

tj

Here is a link that might be useful: See the How it works

This post was edited by tsugajunkie on Tue, Nov 18, 14 at 19:35