Hello Al!
I have really enjoyed reading your posts, they are very informative and you have a way of explaining it well. If you have a minute I'd appreciate some assistance.
I live in an area (about 36degrees N lat.) where it is semi-arid and we are under drought like conditions near the middle/end of summer. Because of this I want to limit the frequency and amount I water my plants (seasonal veggies, tomatoes, peppers, etc). I do want to limit the water usage but I don't want to inhibit good levels of air/water exchange in the rootzone. I want to amend your base mix to retain more moisture but without causing reduction in rootzone health.
I would like to limit the watering to once a week or so. I am using 15 gallon containers (about 2.25 cu ft) which will be in full sun all day except when shaded by the growing plants. Im going to have a few veggie plants in each container.
I am going to mulch the top of the soil in the containers to retain more moisture. I'm also going to pile a little wall of indigenous soil around the containers. Then I'm going to seed the indigenous soil with drought resistant native grasses. Buy piling and seeding the indigenous soil around the outside of the container I am insulating the soil and helping keeping an even, cool temp in the rootzone...not to mention the "insulation" should help retain more moisture. Finally I'm going to add a "wick tube" or two to each 15 gallon container. Please see this thread for info on a wick tube:
(what is the proper HTML code to insert a link?)
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/contain/msg050146536217.html?1
If you were to amend your mix for semi-arid, occasional drought like conditions what would you add? I was thinking about using the following mix but I'm concerned there will not be enough air exchange due to the earthworm castings and extra peat/coir.
Amended "Al's Mix" Proportions:
5 parts pine bark fines
2 parts fresh earthworm castings
2 part coco coir or peat
1 parts perlite [large sized particle]
garden lime (or gypsum in some cases)
Amended Big Batch:
3 cu ft pine bark fines
10 gallons e.castings
10 gallons coir or peat
5 gallons perlite [large sized particle]
3-4 cups dolomitic (garden) lime (or gypsum in some cases)
On a side note:
What effect does pine bark fines have on soil ph and microorganisms? Does the pine bark enrich the soil at all or is it just for soil "body"? I use homemade ACT and AEM (aerobic and anaerobic beneficial microorganisms) to inoculate my soils and along with my watering/nutrients; will the pine effect microorganisms?
I found "mini pine bark nuggets" at Lowes, I assume they are the same as "fines"?:
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=97822-66882-97822&lpage=none
What do you think about coco coir to replace peat?
Peat:
I am not concerned with the peat breaking down as I'm only growing seasonal veggies like tomatoes, peppers, etc. Peat is supposed to absorb water more readily than coir in general. But as you've mentioned it's all about the 30% moisture content; I guess they both with be hydrophobic at that point (which I hope I wouldn't get to!). I do have some organic yucca extract I can use to in either case, if peat or coir is not very permeable I could use the yucca.
Coir:
I like it more as it is more environmentally friendly, has better water retention, holds more air then peat, doesn't break down as quickly or turn to "soup", provides a better home for microorganisms and especially fungi and is more ph neutral around 7ish.
P.S.
Just wanted to let you know I was going to use "ProMix" or "SunShine Mix" this summer but they are like 80% peat. After reading your posts on particle size, etc, I decided I should go for your mix. I am just concerned about the water retention issue...but besides that you've made me a believer!!! Thanks a ton :-)
zubababy
gojosanOriginal Author
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gojosanOriginal Author
justaguy2
gojosanOriginal Author
gojosanOriginal Author
justaguy2