Has anyone used Miracle Gro Moisture Control potting soil for their outdoor pots of herbs? My local Costco has huge bags for sale for a great price. I've used the regular Miracle Gro potting soil with great success, but didn't know if the the MC would give the herbs root rot.
Miracle Gro Moisture Control for outdoor pots
I've heard very mixed reviews of it for different types of plants, including tomatoes and veggies, can't remember if anybody tried it for herbs...
I have used it for herbs as well as other plants. I was a little disappointed as it was coarser than it used to be. If it is a good price, I would still buy it but it wouldn't be my first choice.
Miracle Gro mix in general (the regular stuff as well as the moisture control) seems to be coarser, at least it sure was last year. Not good for starting seeds (IMO), but great for containers.... check out tapla's sticky on water movement at the top of the container gardening forum.
I've used MG moisture control for several years in outdoor pots, and it works fine. I've grown herbs, tomatoes, and peppers with no problems. However, even with the great deals on it at Costco, I need so much mix that I now make most of my own.
You can buy bricks of the coir (coconut fiber) and blend it with homemade or purchased potting soil. Unlike peat, when wetted it has a pH that's nearly neutral, so you don't have to use extra lime just to raise the pH.
Bobby
My only problem is using with herbs that tend to like it dry...the moisture control works too well and I have to let it dry out completely between watering.
I saw the same Miracle Gro Moisture Control soil at Costco and bought a bag. It works great but it's basically their regular potting soil with Soil Moist crystals. I find it cheaper to just get regular potting soil and add in my own Soil Moist crystals. It's just that you have to make sure that you don't add too much. With the Miracle Gro Moisture Control, it's already added in so you don't have to worry.
I find that with the Miracle Gro Moisture Control soil, I need give it a good soaking about once a week. But with my own mix that I add more Soil Moist crystals, I can water every other week with no negative impact. So I just make my own now.
The only thing is the mix is as good as the soil you start off with. I've bought some cheap soil from a no name brand and I found that during repotting, there's millipede and pincher bugs growing. I didn't have any problems with higher quality potting mix.
lcosden ~ what is your special mix blend if you wouldn't mind sharing please?
Hi Podster
Not really a special mix, just a high quality potting mix with Soil Moist Crystal and some time release fertilizer. My husband and I travel full tme for work (usually in two week intervals) so I need to make sure that the potting mix drains well but stays moist for at least two weeks at a time.
What I do for all container gardening:
From the bottom up (eye-balling the amounts mostly):
*1/5 non-water soluble packing peanuts (good for drainage and recycling)
*Fill container up half way with moisture additive potting soil (about 1 teaspoon of Soil Moist per 4 cups of soil)
*Fill container up 3/4 with fertilized potting mix (about .25 teaspoon of Soil Moist and 1 teaspoons of Osmocote time-released fertilizer per 4 cups of soil)
*Fill the rest of the container with mulch.
Just make sure that the container has drainage holes for the excess water to drain out. When I first started out I forgot that mother nature also waters the containers in the form of rain. Some of my plants weren't very happy with me. I was able to re-hab the back though thankfully.
This works really well for me with keeping the container not too wet and not too dry. I just give it a good soaking when I'm home. After water is done draining, I fertilizer with a weak water soluble fertilizer & Superthrive until it starts running out the bottom. So far, my neighbors haven't figured out how my containers look the way they do when we are gone 90% of the time... So, I guess it works pretty well.
Thanks ~ it is always fun to find what works for someone else. I would truly hate being away from home that much, worry myself sick about plants when we go on vacation for 10 days.
The big thing I depend on here is mulch. I am amazed at how few container gardeners mulch. Works for me...
Mulch big time. I also use rubber mulch. It seems to conserve water much more than wood chips.. Also a good way to recycle old tires..
As for vacationing, this works great. And even if you do water often, the crystal will soak up excess water so the roots aren't sitting in it. So, the soil just stays pleasantly moist for the plant.
Great idea thanks. I always try to pot up to a larger size before leaving but have way too many for that these days. LOL
NP. Glad to help..
I use the MG moisture control soil for my Boston fern and I only have to water it once a week. I tried mixing half and half with other hanging plants and I am still watering them almost everyday. I highly recommend it!
Here's an update: I did end up using MG moisture control for all of my herb pots, and have had mostly good results. I am currently growing dill, four varieties of basil, caraway, two varieties of mint, sage, parsley, two varieties of thyme, and bay laurel.
The only problem that I've had has been with the sweet genovese basil. With the exception of one plant (I had six), all of them withered and died. I initially suspected that the basil plants were staying too moist, so let them dry out thoroughly between waterings. No luck - they eventually died. The remaining plant is not thriving especially well. I do wonder if the plants that died had the fungus that that particular variety is susceptible to.
On balance, I'm happy with the MG moisture control. I did a mini-test with my sage plants. I purchased two identical plants in May, and planted one in a pot with the MC, and one in the ground in my herb plot. The one in the pot is now 3x the size of the one in the ground. They receive pretty much identical sun exposure, so I have to believe that the nutrients in the soil are making a difference.
loll... You sound like one of those plant commercials.. yeah... The MG moisture control has fertilizer in it too so unless you know how much fertilizer to add to match the soil mixture, I would have said it's a given
You know, I do sound like the commercial. How distressing. :-)
I'm pretty sold on the soil mix. I'm amazed at how large all of the herbs have grown. The mints have exploded - I had to repot twice (as if mint needs any help).
Forgot to mention - I also used the mix with my container tomatoes, and now that the plants are large I'm glad that I did. In previous years, I would have to water my container tomatoes 2x/day. With the MC mix, I'm watering every other day during cool spells, and 1x/day in hot spells.
I usually do my own setup for the container gardens and I water it really really well every other week. But then again, I use more polymer crystals than the MC potting mix.
It's good to know the moisture control MG mix has worked out for some folks... last year, I remember people complaining about it in containers. Maybe they've improved it? I stick with Pro Mix or regular MG mix and add polymer crystals.
cck, it does sound like your basil might have had something like fusarium wilt. I had that happen to half a dozen plants in a container last year, all the same kind, and no other basils were affected... I don't know if it was something in the seed, something in the soil of that one container, or just a more susceptible variety... but I don't think it sounds like your basil had a problem with the mix.