Return to the Growing Tomatoes Forum
| Post a Follow-Up
Putrid smelling Pro-Mix BX, can I still use it?
| | |
Posted by californian 10 (My Page) on Sat, Feb 6, 10 at 11:44
I had a big tub of Pro-Mix BX with biofungicide sitting out on my patio when we got a very unusual for California 9 inches of rain in five days. The tub filled up with water and the Pro-Mix in it turned to soup. I used part of it two weeks ago to start some tomato seeds and after draining as much water out as I could the stuff worked great and almost all my seeds sprouted. But after sitting outside for two weeks the rest of the soup has developed a putrid smell. Can I still use it after draining the excess water? Do I have to completely dry it out? Or should I throw it out on the garden. This Pro-mix is very expensive so I don't want to waste it if I can don't have to.
I also have a fresh bale of Pro-mix that didn't get wet. Can I mix the dry stuff with the putrid smelling soup to bring it to the correct moisture content? Or should I mix up a fresh batch using clean rainwater? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Putrid smelling Pro-Mix BX, can I still use it?
| | |
| You can salvage the contaminated stuff - its gone anaerobic from being way too wet for far too long - by spreading it out on a tarp in the sun to dry out completely. Might have to stir it around a bit to make sure it gets good and dry. Once the odor returns to normal is is usable but I wouldn't use it or mix it in until then. Dave |
RE: Putrid smelling Pro-Mix BX, can I still use it?
| | |
| I'd till that smelly stuff into the garden as a soil amendment and I'd take that as a lesson, PUT YOUR SOIL UP, and use the good bale to grow with. Your plants are only as good as your soil. |
RE: Putrid smelling Pro-Mix BX, can I still use it?
| | |
| Follow up post, I used the putrid smelling Pro-Mix BX with biofungicide anyway and right on schedule the first two Neves Azorean seedlings sprouted today after only four days that a poster on this board was kind enough to send me. I was careful to drain as much water out as I could, but it was still saturated. I put the plastic container I use for starting seeds on a heat mat without a cover and didn't get any damping off, maybe because of the biofungicide bacteria that eat fungus and pathogens and are supposed to stop damping off. I immediately put the newly sprouted seedling outside on my patio like I always do so they are hardened off from the day they sprout. Any time it is more than 50 degrees outside my plants are outside, hardens them off and saves electricity. |
RE: Putrid smelling Pro-Mix BX, can I still use it?
| | |
| I used the putrid smelling Pro-Mix BX with biofungicide anyway Fine. I hope they survive for you as that is the concern, survival and health, not germination. Seeds will germinate in swamp water, they won't won't survive in it. So personally I would be concerned about the anaerobic bacteria contamination that is now already in their vascular system. But please do note that since you asked about it on 2 different forums and all the responses recommended against using it, one shouldn't encourage others to try it. There is simply too much research available on the many problems associated with anaerobic mixes/compost to ignore the evidence. Dave |
RE: Putrid smelling Pro-Mix BX, can I still use it?
| | |
Dig
How does anerobic bacteria grow in an serobic medium? Dennis Ps do you have a link to studies with anaerobic mixes/compost? Being my degree is in biology I am interested |
RE: Putrid smelling Pro-Mix BX, can I still use it?
| | |
| Dennis - I assume you meant to say "How does anaerobic bacteria grow in an aerobic medium?" With a background in biology you'd be better at explaining that than I would but based on my reading I assume it is similar to how c. botulinum, for example, survives in home canning - it doesn't require the total absence of O2, it survives and grows even in low oxygen levels. In other words, c. bot like e. coli isn't just an aerotolerant organism but a facultative anaerobe. It can grow without oxygen but it can also use oxygen if it is present in low levels. Anaerobic problems in composting and soil mixes is a common discussion on the Soil & Composting forum here available via search and there are many links available via those discussions. Here are a couple of the links I have bookmarked from WSU if you are interested. Anaerobic Fermentation Destruction of pathogenic organisms in compost There is also a great deal of research available from UC Davis including the studies they are doing in intentional anaerobic composting and aerobic compost tea benefits vs. anaerobic compost tea benefits (a big debate among organic gardeners ;). Hope this helps. Dave |
RE: Putrid smelling Pro-Mix BX, can I still use it?
| | |
Dig
Ok I see they are talking about like in composting - whereas the anerobic process uses up all the O2 and then anerobic decomposition takes place but still IN THE ABSENCE of O2 - you wouldn't think that a bag of promix would use up all the O2 quickly but who knows - that's why you want to continuously turn over your compost after it is aerobically composted - I keep my promix or whatever I use in large covered trashcans with lids and use it up or turn it over in the container to keep it fluffy and dry I bet Californian learned something here
I don't think he will have a problem with it but better to let dry Hey Californian where do you live? I am in OC and I only pay $27 for a 3.8 cu ft compressed bail which when properly broken up will give you twice as much volume Dennis |
RE: Putrid smelling Pro-Mix BX, can I still use it?
| | |
Dennis, maybe some missed the original reason the Pro-Mix stunk, its because it rained 9 inches and turned the tub of Pro-Mix into soup. I didn't want to waste it as I am using the more expensive Pro_Mix BX with Biofungicide, which contain a patented bacteria strain that stops damping off. I now conclude it works, becasue I am also using Pro-Mix PGX but without the biofungicide and I can see little spots of fungus on the soil surface with the PGX, but nothing on the surface of the stuff with the biofungicide. The perfect stuff to use would be Pro-Mix PGX with biofungicide, but Orange County Farm Supply doesn't stock it, if enough people requested it maybe they would. BTW, I get my Pro-Mix BX with biofungicide even cheaper than you, the regular price for retail customers is $31.66 for a 3.8 cu. ft. bale, but Orange County Farm Supply gives me the contractor's price of $25.33 because over the years I have spent hundreds of dollars there. BTW, PGX is a fine grind for starting seeds, and BX is for transplants, but BX works for seed starting if you pick the big chunks out and cover the seed with pure vermiculite.
Anyway I am salvaging the rest of the Pro-Mix BX with biofungicide by mixing it with spragum peat moss and pumice. I am hoping the bacteria inoculates the added ingredients. BTW, Orange County farm supply sells horicultural pumice for $8.33 for a two cubic foot bag if you want to make your own potting mix. Pumice is better than Perlite because it doesn't break down. You can also buy it directly from the manufacturer for $33 a cubic yard delivered, but need to buy a 60 cubic yard truckload, in case you want to know how much profit Orange County Farm Supply is making on the pumice. If they would sell only 10 cubic yards at $33 a yard I would buy a truckload for my planting holes. |
RE: Putrid smelling Pro-Mix BX, can I still use it?
| | |
| yeah but have you tried mixing pgx and bx - pgx is finer and great for seed starting but bx is not a lot bulkier but contains biofungacide md1600 not bacteria it is from premier horticulture - you can get pgx with biofungacide - but Cris doesn't have it at OCFS - I let him know I wanted it - you should let him know also - it will be awhile because they just got a delivery from Canada - yeah he gave me that price until just the other day they said it went up but I haven't restocked - and the pure worm castings went up to $35 for 40 lbs(was $25) - I also got $5.99 on garden and bloom veggie compost w mycorrhiza and 4th bag free (24 bags at a time) and the same with the garden and bloom compressed bales of compost with mycorrhiza but it is going up to $7.99 before discount - been using the white pumice at pot up and planting time - with bx needs smaller plug grade than the white pumice gives - I have been buying from Chris for years - I lived in Orange just a few minutes from OCFS for 37 years (just moved to Anaheim)- know Chris, Rob, Ron, Junior and have had BBQ with them on occasion Sat's in back - they cook little mini sausages - where do you live? I have 2 gardening plots about 2 blocks from OCFS - do you know Ami who shops there ? her sister wrote the strawberry book Chris carries or Edie(name ?) from Fullerton Arboretum who shops there? She buys enough pro-mix bx w biofungacide to start and pot up 40,000 tomato plants for there mar - april sale Tell Chris you know Dennis (the tomato man)- he'll know who you are talking about |
RE: Putrid smelling Pro-Mix BX, can I still use it?
| | |
The biofungicide is a bacteria, check Premiers website. I was planning to fill my seed starting trays with BX with biofungicide about three fourths the way and top the last quarter with PGX. That way the roots would get inoculated with the bacteria but the top layer would be fine for easy seed starting. I will call them and request they stock PGX with biofungicide, if enough people do that maybe they will. I don't think too many customers know about the biofungicide because they only had seven bales of it in stock, while they have pallets full of the stuff with mycorrhize fungus. I think if you mixed the stuff with mycorrhize and the stuff with biofungicide the biofungicide bacteria would kill the mycorrhize fungi.
The tomato plants they had at last years green scene were in really bad shape, that's not a good advertisement for Pro-Mix if that is what they used. |
RE: Putrid smelling Pro-Mix BX, can I still use it?
| | |
| green scene doesn't - that is OC growing club or something like that and takes place about 2-4 weeks after the Fullerton Arboretum sale - and on the grounds of the arboretum - the Fullerton Arboretum sale takes place behind the potting shed in the big parking lot Where do you live? and your name? maybe we can do seed sharing if you do that - I do that on another site I just signed up for last year OCFS has about 100 bales of BX with biofungacide in stock now - recently got shipment yes you are correct it is a bacteria mb1600 - the mychorrhiza (Micorise brand name) is fungi - I got mixed up as I have a question into premier on the mixing of both but concerned the biofungacide may kill off the mychorrhize Dennis |
RE: Putrid smelling Pro-Mix BX, can I still use it?
| | |
| The Fullerton Arboretum tomato plants were the ones in terrible condition. If they were mine I would be ashamed to even try to sell them. Instead of a nice green color they were mostly stunted with a purple/blue tint which usually indicates salt burn. But the pepper plants were in good condition, wonder why the difference. |
RE: Putrid smelling Pro-Mix BX, can I still use it?
| | |
| wow - I quit going there about 3 years ago to even look because they started them late then put out on the tables with hoops and were stunted only 2" to 3" tall - haven't been back but used to only buy 4-5 when I used to - the ones at the green scene is a few weeks later and held out on the grass and around the arboretum - and there are lots of vendors - Steve Goto used to sell plants there years ago and give tomato talks but he is mostly up in the central valley and north because of grower problems down here after his parents sold their nursery land guess you are not going to adress
Where do you live? and your name? maybe we can do seed sharing if you do that Dennis |
|
|
|
|
