billevans wrote:
Sorry, I got the wrong end of the stick.
However, the modern use of peat-based potting soils also seems to me to
be all of a piece with the worst of chemical growing practice, while
fitting in fine I guess with the mechanist approach. For the large
commercial grower raising plants in a medium which has no intrinsic food
value is no problem, they just get their regular automated feeding and
watering. The problem starts when the pots leave the safety of their
controlled environment and are thrown on the mercies of the public. For
most this means very haphazard lifestyle, often with watering only
after the mix has become so dry it takes considerable ingenuity to wet
it again, while feeding can vary from glut to starvation (and even back
again).
This has naturally led to a throw-away mentality, with plants being
enjoyed only for a very short period. With some this may indeed be the
best way to go, but for most it is a pity, as they could give pleasure
for a much longer period. if I ever buy a potted plant myself these days
my first care is to repot it in my own mix.
And here I come to an even more serious bone of contention, the practice
of selling such soilless mixes to the general public, where just the
same problems of ongoing care soon develop.
It was the proliferation of these abominations which led me several
years ago to start making my own mix at home and having seen the good
results it gives I would never go back to the purchased variety.
I receved the inspiration from a recipe issued by an organic lab in New
York and quoted by OG. Essentially the mix is based on good quality
finished compost, with all its proper microherd operating and not only
does it go well for long periods with no further feeding, but it is easy
to wet and holds moisture very well. The main care needed is in storage
where it should be kept evenly moist in somthing like a lidded bucket to
preserve its live character.
There were many arguments in the past among growers against using
unsterilized materials, as it was contended that they would greatly
encourage disease and soil pests. To my surprise I have not found this
the case. When using purchased mixes in the past I would quite often
get damping off and in winter Botrytis rot. My pots also suffered quite
frequently from cyclamen weevil grubs and very badly from root mealybugs
(of which I ended up with quite an epidemic). With the new compost
regime these are almost all things of the past. I have just once had a
Cyclamen infested by grubs. I did also have one infected by Botrytis
last winter (which I cured with milk treatment) but when I think about
this, it was shop-bought and not yet swapped over, so my compost mix was
not the culprit.
I have I think already give my recipes and have no time to repeat them
today, but if people are interested and ask me I can do so in a day or
two.
Moira
--
Tony & Moira Ryan
Wainuiomata - at the Southern tip of North Island, NZ,
Lat 41??15'S, Long 174??58'E (Antipodes of Spain/Southern France)
