Left over from last summer I have a bag of Scott's Humus & Manure (treated manure, of course) that I bought at Home Depot. Can I use this for my WS potting mix? Do I need to mix anything else into it, like perlite? I have little storage space & it would help me to use it for my few jugs in my first year WSing. Otherwise the only small bag that I see for sale is MG Potting Mix. Can I use MG straight out of the bag? (It is **not** MG Moisture Control.)

In my wet 8b Central Louisiana drainage is always a problem so I need a mix that drains well. Do I only check to see if the jugs are too dry & need to be watered or do I open them & air them out? Besides the holes in the bottom I've punched 2 holes on the side & tied them shut with string. Version of the pipe cleaner method.

The jugs I planted Dec 21 with the Humus/Manure look too wet, but I don't know if that's because of the mix or the condensation. The soil was the correct "wrung out sponge" moisture level when I planted. One day is 60 degrees day, 40 degrees night, next day might be 40 day and 20 night. Forecast for tomorrow: 49 degrees and 71% humidity. Probably lots of condensation.

Cilantro sown so far. Later tomatoes, basil & zinnias. Thanks for your help!

River

Scott's states on their website, not for use in containers.

And, your Z8 can't possibly be wetter than my Z8 - the good quality container mixes/mediums provide enough drainage for any amount of rain if the pots have adequate drainage holes.

Originally I punched holes in the milk jugs with an awl. Now that I have seen how wet the milk jug stays, I am using a phillips screwdriver to expand the holes in jugs not yet sown. Do the larger holes below look right for a wet climate where drainage is important? My plan is to expand all the holes to the larger size. Thanks for your help!

River
8b Central Louisiana

Put a filled moistened pot (unsown, before seeds) in your sink and add more water with your sink spray, see how quickly it drains to test. Potting soil has a saturation point, after which any excess water should be coming freely out of the bottom of the pot/container. Soupy, or visible water at top is too much and you need more drainage - the water needs to run out faster than would stay in long enough your seeds would float :).

You might even get a little 'dirt' coming through at first, that's OK, it will stop once the contents have settled and your containers have had some time, gone through some rains.

Try punching a few holes around the bottom sides of the Solstice pots you've sown, or use a knife to add some slits. It can't hurt to see what they will do ...

More than about 2 dry days in winter here are something to get very excited about, I don't think I've ever lost seeds to too wet. The one year I did lose some pots of things that had always been reliable, we had a strange dry hard freeze right about the 1st of March as seeds were beginning to germinate or had just germinated. If I'd been a little quicker with old tablecloths, those probably would have been fine too.

No puddles yet where I have the jugs, on the ground under the overhang of the roof near the front porch & next to the foundation. The land rises slightly where it meets the house so I am hopeful I won't have puddles.

I experimented with jamming a milkjug into an empty 8" clay pot & it looks like it would hold it up several inches above the ground. I will try that if I get puddles. But I would need to remember to take the milkjugs out of the colder clay pots & put them on the warmer ground for the next freeze. Luckily I only have a few jugs. Manda3, great member page.

Thanks again for the excellent advice on drainage. Much appreciated,
River

Thanks so much. :)