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Use garden soil in pots


Using Soil and Soil Mixes - Successful Container Gardens

Using Soil and Soil Mixes - Successful Container Gardens - University of Illinois Extension

Well prepared garden soil is great for growing things in the ground but when it comes to growing things in containers, soil as you know it needs to be changed.

Soils for containers need to be well aerated and well drained while still being able to retain enough moisture for plant growth.

When choosing what to use to fill containers, never use garden soil by itself no matter how good it looks or how well things grow in it out in the garden. When put into a container both drainage and aeration are severely impeded, and the results are that plants grow poorly or not at all.

Soils for containers are always modified in some way to ensure proper drainage and aeration. Container soils are often referred to as soilless or artificial media, because they contain no soil at all. They are often composed of various things such as peat, vermiculite, bark, coir fiber (ground coconut hulls) in a variety of recipes depending on the manufacture and the type of plant material being grown. They can be found under a variety of trade names and in sizes ranging from a few quarts to bales that are many cubic feet in size. Sometimes the choice of media will be directed by what type of plants you are growing. Succulents, herbs, and perennials tend to prefer soils that are well drained and not retaining a lot of moisture over a long period of time. For them you might choose media that are courser in texture containing more bark, perlite or sand. For tropicals and foliage plants, you might choose a media with more peat and less course material as these plants tend to prefer moisture growing conditions.

When these mixes are used, they should be moistened slightly before planting. Fill a tub with the media, add water and lightly fluff the media to dampen it.

Garden soil can be used as a container media but it needs to be modified or amended. An acceptable soil based mix can be made by using one part garden soil, one part peat moss and one part perlite or coarse builders sand. Don't use fine beach sand or play sand.

This media has advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantage is that the soil you are using may contain insects, weed seeds and disease organisms. Soilless medias are generally free of these things. Soil based medias are heavier. This may be an advantage though especially if the containers are used in a very windy location and the extra weight will help keep the pot upright. Soil-based medias are also a bit more forgiving when it comes to water and fertility. They tend not to dry out as fast, and they also tend to hold on to nutrients longer. Because soilless medias can be a bit more costly, you could mix 25 percent soil with the soilless media to stretch your soilless media for a few more pots.

Also, can soilless media be reused from year to year? To a certain extent, yes. If the plants in the containers were healthy during the growing season with no major disease issues, you could remove the plant material at the end of the season and reuse the media next season. You may have to add some additional new media to fill the container. There will come a time when the media in the container will need to be replaced. Over the course of time, the organic materials that the soilless media is made from break down and decompose to the point where you will loose the drainage and aeration properties that are inherent in soilless container medias. When that happens, discard the media to the compost pile or to the garden and refill the container with fresh media.

There are also bagged products labeled as top soil that tend to be largely sedge peat. While they are inexpensive and look very good, once put into a pot they are poorly drained and poorly aerated. They can be used in combination with soilless media products or amended much the same way as if you were using garden soil.

When filling containers with media, don't fill the pot to the top. Leave about a one inch space between the top of the soil and rim of the pot. This will help make watering the pot easier as it provides a place to "put water" and not have it run over the edge.

Filling very large containers can be costly especially when using commercially prepared media. To reduce the cost and also the weight of the container consider adding "filler" to the bottom of the container to take up space. Many things can be used, but they should be something that is inert, able to take up space and not break down over the course of the growing season. While there are inserts made for this purpose, there are a lot of home products that can be recycled for this use.

Items such as crushed aluminum cans, plastic milk jugs, and non-biodegradable "packing peanuts" are usually readily available. Fill the bottom one-quarter to one-third of the container with your choice of material. Lay a piece of landscape fabric over the top of the material and fill the rest of the container with media. The filler takes up space the landscape fabric keeps the soil from infiltrating the filler while allowing water to pass through, and there is still ample space for roots to grow.

Can You Use Garden Soil in Pots? [+ fixing common container mishaps]

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Believe me, I’ve been there. You just got home from the nursery with tons of gorgeous flowers to plant up your containers, and…

Crap… you forgot to buy potting soil.

Using garden soil in your containers can’t be all that bad… right? So you head for the shovel to dig up a couple scoops of soil from your garden bed to fill it up.

As tempting as it may be, you should not use straight garden soil in pots. When used in containers, garden soil gets very compacted. Garden soil also lacks the drainage & nutrients necessary to grow healthy, potted plants. 

Types of Garden Soils

There are many types of soil used in the home garden, each with distinct differences.

Garden Soil from Your Yard

The soil in your own yard consists of all sorts of goodness. But when you scoop garden soil or topsoil into a container, it doesn’t translate into a healthy container garden. Garden soil from your yard is very heavy and depending on your location will contain various amounts of sand, clay and/or silt. When it’s on the ground, it’s aerated by the worms, bugs and microorganisms that live in your soil. But, when used in containers, garden soil from your yard is too dense. It will get very compacted, causing poor drainage in your container which ultimately will rot the roots of your plants. 

Bags of topsoil purchased from a store is comparable to what you’d actually find in the ground. The amounts of sand, clay and silt will vary depending on where the topsoil is harvested. The only difference between bagged topsoil and the soil from your yard is that bagged topsoil is shredded and screened to remove any large particles then processed to a looser consistency.

Both garden soil and topsoil are too dense/heavy and lack the nutrients needed for container plants.

Bagged Garden Soil

Bagged garden soil consists of natural topsoil or sand blended with  bulky organic/woody material (like pine bark). Most garden soils are too dense to allow for good air and water movement when added to a container garden. Soils hold water very well in their small pore spaces and can drown roots—especially in shallow containers.     

Compost

Many websites will tell you that yes you can use 100% compost when planting containers. However, I have tried this in the past with bagged compost and it did not work out so well. If you make your compost from leaf mold, this may work out to be a lighter mix that will be suitable for containers. But, if using regular compost or bagged compost, I would recommend combining it with at least 50% soilless potting mix so it doesn’t get compacted. 

Many gardeners will use compost as a replacement for peat in their homemade potting mix recipes— it holds moisture well, but not nearly as well as the peat.

Potting Mix

Potting mix or potting soil is the preferred option for growing plants, flowers and even vegetables inside pots. 

Vendors might call their product a potting mix or a potting soil, but there is usually no distinguishing ingredient between them. The ingredients will be listed on the back of the bag.  

Typical Potting Mix Contains:

Seed Starting Mix

It’s also important to note that potting mix is different than seed starting mix. Seed starting mix is used to germinate and grow plants from seed. There’s actually no “soil” in seed starting mix. Because of this, you really wouldn’t use garden soil or potting soil to make seed starting mix.

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Can garden soil be used in outdoor pots?

Garden soil can be used as the base of a homemade potting mix, but it should never be used straight in outdoor pots. Using any soil in a potting mix is not ideal, though. You are much better off using potting mix to make sure that you have the right balance of aeration, drainage, moisture retention and nutrition.

What happens if you use garden soil in pots? 

If you use garden soil, such as Miracle Gro Garden soil or Vigoro Garden soil you may run into some problems. Garden soil is simply too heavy, making containers much harder to move around than if you used potting mix. That extra weight will lead to compaction from watering. The compaction will not allow the pot to drain and there will be no air in the soil for your plants. Additionally, garden soil will lack the nutrients your plants would usually gain from the ground that a soilless potting mix puts in right in the bag for you. 

If you are hell-bent on using garden soil, I would recommend amending the soil to improve the moisture retention, drainage, aeration and nutrient levels. Scroll down to the heading “What can I use in containers instead of potting soil?” to get some ideas.

I accidentally used garden soil in pots — Will it kill my potted plants?

If you used soil from your yard, yes this can potentially kill your potted plants. But don’t worry, you can fix it! First, you’ll have to un-pot your plant. Instead of throwing away the soil that you put into your container, you can dump it into a bucket and amend the soil. 

In the next section, I provide several amendment options. 

Can you mix potting soil with garden soil?

Potting soil can be mixed with garden soil for particular cases such as raised beds, but it’s not a good mix for containers. You will still need to amend the mixture.

What can I use in containers instead of potting soil?

You can actually make your own potting soil by combining various ingredients together. Most gardeners will use perlite or vermiculite with peat or sphagnum moss. The important thing to remember is that to make potting mix, you will need  “ingredients” to retain moisture, promote drainage and aeration and nutrients.  

I like to use the ratio of 1 part moisture retention material to 1 part drainage and aeration materials plus the appropriate amount of nutrients, which will depend on the fertilizer you use and the size of your container. 

If you are wondering what materials to use and you just need a recipe, try this:

If you want to get creative, here are more options!

1. Aeration & Drainage
What can you use for aeration & drainage in your mix?

2. Moisture Retention

Moisture retention is another important component of soil used in potting mixes. Make sure that you always add a component for aeration & drainage along with a moisture retention component. If you don’t, your soil will become brick-like and so compacted that it can’t drain. This is not good news for your plants.

What can you use for moisture retention in your mix?

For these reasons, I would recommend finding alternatives to use in your own garden.

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3. Fertilizer

Plants in pots need fertilizer if you want to them to thrive. Because they are in a contained space, they only have access to the nutrients that you put into the container. That’s why it’s important to add fertilizer to your DIY potting mix and make sure that you replenish the fertilizer often.

When you purchase fertilizer you’ll typically see 3 numbers on the label. These numbers represent the nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P) and potassium (K) or the N-P-K ratio. A fertilizer with the numbers 10-5-10 on the label means that the fertilizer contains 10% N, 5% P and 10% K. The remaining 75% of the bag’s weight is carrier product.

Nitrogen promotes optimum shoot and leaf growth, often at the expense of flower and fruit production. Phosphorous promotes strong roots and encourages fruiting and flowering. Potassium levels influence a plant’s heartiness and vigor. Learn more about fertilizer numbers. It’s best to find a balanced fertilizer that contains around equal parts of all 3 nutrients.

Here are some fertilizer recommendations for creating your own potting soil from garden soil:

Wrapping Up

Using straight garden soil in your containers is not a good idea. Garden soil on its own lacks the drainage, aeration, moisture control and nutrients necessary to successfully grow plants in containers. When used by itself, garden soil or topsoil in containers becomes so compacted that water cannot drain.

In other words: the roots of your plant drown in the water and your plants die.

But the good news is that you can amend your garden soil in order to use it in containers. Is the effort worth it? I’m not so sure… but it is possible! Use a 1-1-1 ratio: 1 part garden soil, 1 part moisture retention component (like coco coir) and 1 part drainage & aeration component (like perlite) and a well-balanced fertilizer (like bone meal or osmocote). Once mixed, your garden soil is now suitable for your containers!If you have a go-to DIY potting mix recipe that you love, be sure to head over to the Facebook page to share it.

More DIY Garden Posts You’ll Love

How to properly use garden soil in pots for a DIY potting mix you can make at home.

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Garden soil for indoor plants and seedlings - FloweryVale.ru

Garden land

We continue the theme of earthen mixtures for indoor plants. We examined the composition of purchased earth mixtures in a previous article. Now let's see if garden soil can be used for sowing seeds for seedlings and for transplanting indoor plants?

Of course, garden soil can be used not only for indoor plants such as clerodendrum, chlorophytum, pelargonium and many others, creating kokedama, but also for growing seedlings of vegetable crops such as tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, eggplant, you first need to know a few rules:

1. Do not use land treated with various herbicides, such as Roundup. If in the garden, under the influence of external factors, the action of herbicides decreases, then in a flower pot such soil will oppress indoor plants and even destroy them.

2. For indoor plants, take the land from a clean fallow, it must be well cultivated, without weeds. If there are any, first remove all plant residues. Pick up pebbles and weed roots from the ground. Otherwise, the weeds will grow in the flower pot and start to oppress the plants planted in this land. Especially carefully choose the land for seedlings. Otherwise, pulling out the grass (and it always sprouts first) can damage delicate thin sprouts of seedlings or small roots. nine0003

3. Be sure to inspect the land selected for indoor plants for live insects and other living organisms: enchitreus, earthworms, centipedes, mower larvae, scoop caterpillars, nematodes, mealybug larvae, wireworm, Maybug larvae. And even visually making sure that there are no worm bugs, this land will need to be disinfected. The larvae of many pests are not visible to the naked eye, for example, what are thrips, whitefly, or even an ordinary earth mosquito worth! Freezing the soil gives a low effect, since many pests are perfectly preserved in the upper soil layer and begin to occupy our beds in the spring. Therefore, spill the earth intended for indoor plants with a solution of potassium permanganate. You can also steam the garden soil in a water bath, but this is too much additional trouble. nine0003

4. Some houseplants grow best in acidic soil. If you limed the soil on your site, then you will have to add more high-moor peat.

5. And even if you have fulfilled all the conditions, it is better not to use garden soil in its pure form. Depending on the choice of a houseplant, garden soil can occupy only a fifth or a third part in the earthen mixture. The rest of the additives should be turf or leafy soil, sand, expanded clay, high-moor peat, humus, pine bark. nine0003

Seedling land

Very often, for growing seedlings of flowers and vegetable plants: cabbage, tomatoes, peppers, we take the same land - the one that is at hand or we buy the first soil mixture that comes across, the one that is cheaper. Meanwhile, each type of vegetable needs its own land for seedlings.

For seedlings of early ripe varieties of white, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, it is better to take land containing up to 5-7% mullein.

Peppers, eggplants and tomatoes prefer high-moor peat with mineral fertilizers or humus. nine0003

Cucumber seedlings are best grown on sod-leaf land. You can prepare it in the nearest forest even in winter. But experienced gardeners cut layers of sod for these purposes even in the fall where white clover grew.

Before sowing seeds, the sod is turned over, cut into pieces and seeds are sown in them. If you take into account the tastes of all the vegetable crops that you are going to grow, then your seedlings will turn out to be strong and hardy. After all, already in "infancy" she received all the necessary substances for good development. nine0003

So that the earth does not cake when growing seedlings, you can add sawdust doused with boiling water to it. They make the soil more loose, breathable, and besides, it is not very compacted after watering. At the same time, seedlings are developing successfully.

See also:
Formulation of soil mixtures for indoor plants
Composition of commercial soil mixtures and substrates for indoor plants
Hydrogel and plants

P. S. Is your house (basement, cellar) threatened by flood waters or is there a piece of land with a high level of groundwater? Then you just need a Grundfos sump pump. Grundfos drainage pumps are small, easy to operate, reliable, capable of pumping even polluted water with silt and plant particles up to 5 cm in size. Grundfos silent pumps can be installed right in the house to eliminate a household emergency. nine0003

Garden soil and compost. How to properly knock out the earth from the pot when transplanting a plant.

About garden soil and compost. How to properly knock out the earth from the pot when transplanting a plant.

It seems that nothing is easier than growing indoor plants. But if you want to have beautiful and healthy plants, then they need constant professional care. Such care begins with the choice of soil.

How to choose garden soil?

In principle, garden soil is suitable for plants grown in an apartment. But you need to know the rules for its use. For example, it is forbidden to use land that has been treated with herbicides. Such land, in the end, will destroy indoor plants. Land of this type should be well cultivated, free of pebbles and weeds, live insects and their larvae. It is very difficult to determine the larvae with the naked eye, therefore, it is best to ignite the earth in the oven. nine0003

If calcareous soil is used on the site, more peat will need to be added to the soil. Because houseplants prefer soil with acidic reactions. Experts advise, even if all of the above conditions are met, not to use garden soil for indoor plants in its pure form. It is recommended to add sand, humus, expanded clay to it.

Household and regular compost

Compost is a product of the decomposition of plant residues, which have a very positive effect on the growth of indoor plants. Compost can be attributed to one of the varieties of ordinary fatty humus. Household compost includes rotted grass clippings, leaf litter, fruit debris, broken branches, vegetable peels, and even eggshells and rags. All organic residues must be laid in a pile or tank in layers and shifted with earth. It will take about a year for the compost to decompose. It must be sieved before use. nine0003

Regular compost differs from domestic compost in that it may contain weed seeds. It is also allowed to use only individual components (peat, bark, sawdust). It is this type of compost that is most suitable for plants that are grown at home. But in its pure form, its use is not recommended. The total amount of compost in the ground for indoor plants should be no more than 30%.

How to take the plant out of the pot: how to knock it out?

When transplanting plants into a larger pot with new soil, it is necessary to correctly knock out the soil from the old pot so as not to harm the plant. The plant should be removed from the old pot along with a clod of earth the next day after watering. The earth will be moist to prevent it from crumbling, but not wet, which will allow it to separate from the walls of the pot.

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