A Miracle grow called Organic Potting Soil The best soilless potting Mix

Potting mix or potting soil refers to the media people use to grow vegetables, plants etc in containers. It is generally used as an substitute to soil for growing plants.

What are the components: 

The life of the potted plant depends on a large extent to the quality of its potting soil. So choosing right kind of potting mix is essential. There are various ingredients which are generally used as potting soil. To prepare the best potting soil you need to know the ingredients well. Here are some of the popular ones:

Coconut coir: It is generally marketed in the form of compressed bales. Prior to using it you need to add some water.It is made of coconut husk. More on this in this article.

Peat moss: It used to be the most common type of potting soil but due to problems like environmental issues now-a-days its use got reduced a bit. There can be different types of peat moss, the most common is sphagnum peat. Peat moss is not very good for re wetting. More on peat moss is here.

Soil: Now a days most people avoid this media to prepare any potting mix. Though it has more inbuilt organic nutrients than most of other media, the problem is endless. Using soil can increase the total weight of the mix, and make it prone to water logging. Also normal soil contains weed seeds and pathogens which need to be removed first.

Vermiculite: It is a very efficient product for using in smaller containers. It is prepared by treating mica. Vermiculite is very light in weight and has a very good water absorption capability. More on vermiculite is here in this article.

Perlite: it is basically volcanic ash. Finer the grain larger its capacity to hold the water. It is neutral to slightly alkaline in nature and is a good way to reduce acidity of the potting mix. Perlite is dangerous to handle as its dust is highly irritating to lungs. Use proper precaution before handling . Interested in Perlite? Find out more in this article.

Sand: It is generally used to increase the porosity of the mix. It also increases the weight of the mix. It is a great ingredient in case you are planning to grow cactus and other succulents.

Wood chips: Sometimes wood chips, pine bark etc are also used as ingredient to potting mix.

Characteristics of a good potting soil:

1. good porosity: the best potting soil general has AFP or air filled porosity range between 10 to 20.
   

   
2. Fast absorption of water: It should absorb water pretty fast.
3. light weight: Potting mix is used for planting in containers. So it should be light weight so that the shifting of pots can be done very easily. For this purpose in most cases people use soilless potting mix.
4. You should select the ingredients which are readily available to you and are not very expensive.
5. Potting mix needs to be weed and Pest free. In most of the cases it is sterilized. It should also not contain any toxic substances or extra nutrients or salts.
6. The ingredients should be such that you can easily store them. For example you can store coconut coir in bales form easily for a few years.

There are various types of potting mix available in the market. Some of these are:

Potting mix for every plant: This type of organic potting soil can go with most of the plants and vegetables. The pH of the mixture is slightly acidic to neutral. Mix coconut coir with perlite or vermiculite in the ratio of 3:1 for this.

Acidic potting mix: These type of mix is generally for the plants which love acidic medium. Ideal mixture would be to add organic matter such as peat moss and perlite or vermiculite in 4:1 ratio.

Cactus friendly mix: Cactus and other succulents require very good drainage. Due to this reason the potting mix needs to be with extra drainage facility. Add a little bit of sand along with coconut coir and perlite to make a proper mix.

Seed starters mix: For seed starters add coconut coir and perlite or vermiculite in 2:1 ratio. Many people prefer peat moss in place of coir. In case of peat moss the ratio would be much lower.

What is your experience with potting mix? Would you like to share some of your ideal mixes? Feel free to use the comment box below:

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Neem Cake The Best Organic Fertilizer Your Soil Fertility Doesnt Have To Be Hard

Use of neem cakes as organic fertilizer is a very well known practice worldwide and especially in India. You can increase soil fertility by adding neem cakes to the soil.

I have discussed about compost in my earlier article. Now its time to put some light on Neem.

Scientific Name of Neem : Azadirachta indica

Common Name : Nim, Neem, Limba, and Nimba etc.

Neem is a tree with stout and rather short stem. It can grow up to 12-15 meter. Neem seeds are collected from the tree and from there oil is extracted. De oiled neem cakes are used in fertilization of the soil.

There are several uses of neem. It is used as a base for preparing various consumer and industrial products. It is used as a repellent for pests. Unlike chemical pesticides neem works on the hormonal system of any insect rather than working on nervous or digestive system and hence it does not lead to resistance. In India the neem plant is considered to be an air purifier and so planted in the backyard or beside the house. But in this article I will discuss only the effect it has as a fertilizer.

Since very early in India neem are being used as a natural fertilizers. It had become very popular due to its dual impact of soil enhancer as well as pest repellent. Neem cakes as well as neem leaves are used to fertilize the soil. The followings are the nutrient content of neem seed cake:

Nutrients Percentage and Neem Cake Composition

(N)	Nitrogen	(2.0% to 5.0%)
(P)	Phosphorus	(0.5% to 1.0%)
(K)	Potassium	(1.0% to 2.0%)
(Ca)	Calcium	(0.5% to 3.0%)
(Zn)	Zinc	(15 ppm to 60 ppm)
(Cu)	Copper	(4 ppm to 20 ppm)
(S)	Sulphur	(0.2% to 3.0%)
(Mg)	Magnesium	(0.3% to 1.0%)
(Fe)	Iron	(500 ppm to 1200 ppm)
(Mn)	Manganese	(20 ppm to 60 ppm)

Neem can be a great product if you are considering decreasing your soil pH. It can reduce the alkalinity of the soil as it get mixed with the soil and produce organic acids. In India it is extensively used in cash crops like turmeric, sugarcane, banana etc. it is a good alternative for chemical fertilizers in growing flowers and vegetables.

Neem cakes improves the appearances of fruits and vegetables. It also strengthens roots, and grow the foliage. It works very well when mixed with compost or other organic fertilizers. Applying neem with nitrogenous fertilizers can slow down the conversion process of nitrogenous compounds in ammonia, nitrates and nitrites and so improves efficiency of the soil.

Neem cakes are though enriched with different nutrients(NPK and micro nutrients) and produced better yield than urea it is very cost effective. The NPK is 100% natural and it is also accompanied by several micro nutrients(as stated above). They are very well compatible with the microbes present in the soil and improves its fertility. Beneficial animals like earth worm really seems to like the neem.

Hope this article gave you some insights about this great Indian plant and its uses as a soil enhancer. More on neem and its uses in future articles. Post your feedback.

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