Hi,
I seem to remember seeing somewhere here that someone said to use "potting mix" instead of "potting soil" with an earthbox. What is the difference between the two, and why would there be a recommendation agaist using potting soil?
I intend to grow organic, so the fertilizer strips are not an issue.
I have potting soil on hand, recommended for containers, and was hoping I could use the in my earthboxes when I order them.
"potting soil" versus "potting mix" in Earthboxes
The key thing with an earthbox or any other container is to use a soil-less mix. Potting mix would fit this description, but often things that people refer to as "potting soil" are actually soil-less mixes as well, technically they probably shouldn't be called potting soil but many people call them that anyway. So look at the bag and see if it tells you that it's soil-less, if it does then you should be OK to use it.
Thanks ecrane!
I checked my bags, and the ingredients are:
aged and processed fir bark fines, sphagnum peat moss, volcanic pumice and genuine compost
Does that sound like it would be OK in an earthbox?
That should be fine for normal containers, I'm not sure if EB's need something special above and beyond what a normal container would require. But it doesn't sound like it has soil in it, that's the thing you would want to avoid in any container.
I looked at Lowe's yesterday for the Miracle Grow potting mix. I've noted that everyone says to avoid the moisture control products and the fertilizer containing ones too.
I found the Miracle Grow potting mix.................... but it says it has a small amount of fertilizer in it, enough to supply potted plants for up to 3 months.
Is this no good for my new EB ? I couldn't seem to figure out what Lowe's had that would be acceptable, so I came home empty handed and still have empty EB.
I have a Lowe's and a Wal-Mart Superstore in our town................ do either of them have anything that any of you know for sure is ok for the EB ? Such a quandry . lol
Hey, Peggie. I was just on the Earthbox site today, and a posting from them in one of their forums addressed this:
http://forum.earthbox.com/index.php?topic=29.0
In short, the three-month stuff is okay.
Can someone tell me the width, depth, and length of the Earth Box plus how far up the drainage hole is from the bottom? Thanks!
Thanks Zeppy, that answered my question. Back to Wal-Mart to get the Miracle Grow with 3 mos. fertilizer.
Again, thanks so much. Peggie
I happen to have an earthbox flyer right here. 30" x 15" x 12" high the hole is at the top, not on the side. There is another Container Garden Patch same size that has a hole on the side about 3" up. They show a web addres www.aGardenPatch.com.
Good luck
TDGarden..........
Very interesting. Thanks for the link. I wondered how long it would be before other competative
manufacturers would start selling them. They seem so effective and so simple to make, but quite
expensive if you want more than a couple. I notice that these are somewhat less expensive than
the original Earthboxes too.
I saw another one in the Gardeners Supply catalog too. I think they called theirs the Tomatoe growing
kit or something like that. Theirs weren't any cheaper though.
Maybe eventually, we will be able to pick up a couple at Wal-Mart or Lowe's, for a much better price.
I saw them on the Home Shopping Network on TV yesterday. They were the original EB's and were a couple of dollars more than you can order them from EB.
Soon they will be everywhere ! Fresh, healthy food for everyone ! Yea !
I read where Dave said to use Peat Moss in containers. I went an bought a bag, to use for germinated seed. I mixed it with a little bit of potting mix. I don't like it at all. It doesn't water very well. Any advice? Am I doing it incorrectly?
lII am new at all of this so here goes.How to get the thing iwish only on my home page forum?Are they the same? Need info on EB media.Am I a worry bug? You got it.
Hi! Just happened to tune in on this thread. I think I can be a help to a lot of your questions? First let me say that I use Jungle Growth in my EBs and Boca Bobs Coco Coir and JG in my EBs and containers. I have not been able to work in my garden for six weeks as per doctor's orders because of chronic bronchitis until today as I got the OK from the doctor yesterday and the Lord could not have given me a more beautiful day to work. In the 70's and dry. Anyway a point I'd like to make is I did not have to worry about watering as I have Boca Bob's watering system installed just before getting sick
Well the weeds had a field day in my open containers with the JG except for the ones with the coco coir? One or two small weeds but that was it. The JG containers were packed with weeds and took most my day weeding them out of the JG mix. Of course the EBs were not effected because of their covers. I very highly recommend his coco coir as the plants love it but the weeds shy away from it. My roses just love it. I'll try for some pictures tomorrow although I did some heavy weeding today after six weeks of neglect.
Ted, you say your roses love the coir? Are they in containers? I just orderd some more from Bob. I hadn't considered it for roses. Devota
Boy and how Devota! I was very surprised to see two Don Juans planted mid summer in the coir next to my pride and joy Don Juan of last March in Jungle Growth using exactly the same fertilizer. They are almost as big as the older Don Juan! Fantastic stuff that coir and I am converting everything to coir when it comes time to repot.
Amen. I think I'm a believer. How big are your containers for roses? Devota
At least 20".
Tplant, another guy on the container forum here also grows roses in containers, some beautiful containers he makes himself. His name is GordanHawk I think. There is a David Austin that I want to try which may be suitable for a container.
To the best of my limited knowledge roses grow best in containers that use a quality container mix. No cheap soil! Down here if I were to plant roses in the ground it would have to be on grafted Fortuniana rootstock or the nemotodes will destroy them within a year. I will do so when the costruction here is complete and I will buy my roses from "Cool Roses" as they only grow on Fortunuania rootstock.