My soil good to use?

[JohnHerer]

IN CALIFORNIA AND GEORGIA, THIS MIX CONTAINS 68%-72% SPHAGNUM PEAT MOSS, VERMUCULITE, AND PERLITE AND LESS THAN 1% FERTILIZER AND LIME FOR PH BALANCE GUARANTEDD ANALYSIS Total Nitrogen (N) 0.09% 0.04% Ammonical 0.05% Water insoluble Available Phosphate (P2 O5) 0.05% Soluble Potash (K2 O) 0.09% F-1431

:dance::gunfighter2::chainsaw:

[evertking]

Sounds like a keeper:thumbsup:

[stinkyattic]

Sounds like ProMixBX...
I personally can't STAND peat soils. Even if they are properly pH stabilized (good luck, eh!), the water retention qualities aren't ideal. I'd add a bit more perlite to the mix if you want to use that one.
I have said this a hundred times and I will probably say it a hundred times more, go to Agway, get a sack of manure with humus, add ~40% perlite, watch your plants grow happily.

[Dr. Bloor]

Many mixes from the south contain pine. Pine is very acid. You never want to see southern pine in your mix. Terrible stuff. Unless you are building a house. Then it is wonderful wood to use, right up there with Douglas Fir. Wonderful big money wood.
You do no want it though. The other additives are there to try to take out the acid from the wood by products you are getting. The bark and maybe needles off the trees, scrap from the mills. Way high acid.

Another thing you would have to look out for is the soil going more to the acid side after time. As you water you may notice your ph dropping as the buffers they are adding to combat the pines acids wash off. Perlite and vermuculite anr neutral ph.
Bottom line. I would not go near it.

[JohnHerer]

Sounds like ProMixBX...
I personally can't STAND peat soils. Even if they are properly pH stabilized (good luck, eh!), the water retention qualities aren't ideal. I'd add a bit more perlite to the mix if you want to use that one.
I have said this a hundred times and I will probably say it a hundred times more, go to Agway, get a sack of manure with humus, add ~40% perlite, watch your plants grow happily.

Thanks for the info! :D:thumbsup:;)

[JohnHerer]

How much perlite should I put.

[Dr. Bloor]

I had a question like this also and I think the amount agreed upon was 25%. I think I was with Stinkyattic on this one. This ratio was going into a commercial potting soil.

[stinkyattic]

I use 30-40% perlite TOTAL depending on what I need it for. A sick plant suffering from sodden soil and root rot gets repotted into the lighter mix obviously. I've gone up to 50% in extreme cases but that's not really a medium to grow normally in.

Your mix already has a bit in it so yeah, I'd add up to about 20-25% more, if even that.

Light soil is great but remember to keep on top of watering.

[Dr. Bloor]

Thankx again SA!

[whatsthatsmell]

to confirm what Stinky said, i had a premix that had some perlite in it and peat, the plants when to crap. I changed the medium and added some perlite with a good flush the plants snapped back within 24 hours...it was amazing.... stinky wont steer ya wrong....