"Why You Should Break Down Your EBs," or "Cleaning 101..."

If you've never dismantled your patented Earthbox, here's a good reason to do so, periodically.

The grate on two EBs was completed covered in a tangled mat of roots. Roots filled the reservoir. Even the wick boxes were matted with roots.

Break it down on occasion, clean it out.

Your plants will be glad you did!

I have to clean mine after every planting. Never could understand how people reuse their mix? Only thing I have been able to reuse some of my mix was from the lettuce box this past winter. Everything else... tomatoes, corn, peppers, broccoli, squash, cucumbers, melons, cauliflower, etc. is nothing but a solid, box shaped root mass when all is done.

Wonder if the growing medium makes a difference? When I used commercial potting mix, I had more problems with this than when I used coir (roots were very easy to remove).

Still, a good reminder to be checking for this problem--otherwise, we could be in for some very poor results. Thanks, Gymgirl.

Ray,
You got me beat with that root box!

I have the worse time after growing the greens. The whole soil bed is just a thick mass of roots. I broke chunks off and sifted them through a sheet of hardware cloth with 1/4" mesh. It took awhile, but I managed to salvage some of my potting mix.

I learned how the tomato root system develops in an Earthbox the first two seasons I grew my first veggies. After ripping for the season, I observed the roots went wide as much as 15" laterally. But they didn't go very deep, only about 11". For this reason, I'm trying to find a growing container that's wider and shallower. At least 15-18" circumference from center and about 12-15" deep. I'll conduct this experiment when I find that planter.

I think that was from a Broccoli box from this past winter. They are a rooty bunch. Cauliflower the same way. Corn is definitely one that makes rootboxes. You're right about tomatoes liking to spread their roots. Last year I had 2 of the same plants growing next to each other in regular black nursery pots. One in a 15 gallon citrus nursery pot. The other in a shallower but much wider 10 gallon pot. The wider, 10 gallon one outperformed, was healthier and lasted longer than the other that had 5 gallons of more soil.

The TSK's are wide and shallow. But they are pricey. What about a Cat Litter Box that has the splash guard on it? Even still they might be too shallow. Hmmm...

Remember how I thought I wasn't going to have to buy more potting mix? Well I had to buy something folks. The coir you just shake the plant and the coir comes loose from the roots, not so with potting mix. Yes, I clean my pots, EBs and all out every time I use them.
joy

Joy,
How much coir to fill one EB? Does one 5lb big bale do the trick?

Ray,
What's a TSK? You got a pic of that squatty planter I could see?

Thanks, ya'll!

P.S. I FINALLY planted 8 out of 10 LONG-SEASON (aaaaaaaarrrrrrrgggggghhhhhh) tomato plants yesterday. Worked steadily from 8-3p. Spent most of that time cleaning out the EBs and sifting potting mix. I only removed 1/2 the EB contents from the first 3 boxes, so that went pretty quickly.

My method is to remove the top half of the mix from all the boxes into a wheelbarrow and mix it all thoroughly together. Meanwhile, I water down the 1/2 empty (filled?) boxes until there's runoff. Then I shovel the amount needed to top off only one box at a time into a small Sterilite container, add the 2 cups of lime and mix that. This is to ensure they all get the proper amount of lime in each box. Fill, plant, hose down again until there's runoff, and finish with the fertilizer and a LIGHT sprinkling on the fert.

I hose down at two major points so I don't send the fert all over the place at the end.

That's my method, and I'm sticking to it!

:0-) ^^_^^ (Linda, who is doing the happy dance 'cause she can finally have a piece of her mind back, knowing that, although she may not get a single edible tomato in the short window she has left, the maters are at least in the EBs, and she can still pray for a summertime miracle...)

Linda: I can fill three EBs with 2 blocks of coir, and I use perlite at a ratio of 50% coir and 50% perlite in mine. They are easy to clean also; as you shake the plant roots and all the coir comes off. I use an 18 gallon tote to soak the blocks in. When I clean my containers, I just dump the coir into the empty tote and start over, shaking the plants' roots out of the coir and reloading the container.
joy

Thanks, Joy.

I have a brand new 40 lb. bag of vermiculite. Can I cut the coir with this, or does it need to be perlite? What's the difference?

Hi, Linda. Answering some for Mark (RayDerPhan). TSK is Tomato Success Kit which I prefer over EB. Mark is trying TSK for the first time this season.

Here's the pricey kit, comparable to an EB kit, though TSK has the cage included:
http://www.gardeners.com/Organic-Tomato-Success-Kit/38-580RS,default,pd.html

Without the cage, mix, and fertilizer:
http://www.gardeners.com/Self-Watering-Planter/PotsPlanters_SelfWateringPlanters,35-901RS,default,cp.html

Thanks, Moonglow!

Anytime, Linda. I'm Mark's personal assistant, LOL.

Here's a very easy to read Perlite vs. Vermiculite info:
http://www.enjoygardening.com/?p=120

Hi gang --- I find if I soak my EBs thoroughly for a couple of days the roots come out fairly easily especially the coir which is all I now use. I never let my EBs dry out. Although there are some stubborn plants that I have to use the scoop to burrough under them they do come out out fairly easy roots and all. I also did not have to lime my EBs this season which was a surprise to me as with the container mix I limed every season? Did have to add more coir as you do lose some when pulling out the old roots. Less money spent and less work. I like it. I never use perlite or vermiculite as the coir stays moist enough as far as I'm concerned. I don't think you want the mix to be to moist but that is strictly up to you and your experience...

Oh nice! I did not know they just sold the TSK container separately. Definitely will be getting some more.





This message was edited Apr 12, 2010 12:36 PM

Gymgirl: For EBs and ebuckets use the perlite, as it is better for drainage, the vermeculite is good for things like topsy turvys where the mix will dry out fast, the vermiculite not only absorbs water but releases it as needed which the perlite doesn't do, but with the coir absorbing and releasing water, unless you expect really dry conditions I would stick with ther perlite. I'm using a vermeculite/coir mixture for the topsy turvys for my peppers and tomatoes due to the topsy's being made of the plastic and drying out faster; but for everything else I'm using coir and perlite.
joy

Especially good to maintain moisture in hanging baskets.

Thanks!