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Potting Soil Recipes

Make quality potting soil and soil-less mixes at home.


Organic Gardening Soil
Related Articles
>  Compost Buying
>  Simple Composting Method
>  Build Healthy Soil
Related Links
>  Soil Test Labs
Products
>  Rodale Book of Composting
Discussions
>  New Gardeners
Seedling mix for seedlings in styrofoam flats
2 parts compost
2 part peat moss or coir
1 part perlite

The second recipe is a soilless recipe based on the Cornell Mix concept; the third is a classic soil-based formula.

Organic substitute for Cornell Mix (large quantity)
1/2 cu. yd. Sphagnum peat or coir
1/2 cu. yd perlite
10 lbs. bonemeal
5 lbs. ground limestone
5 lbs. bloodmeal

Classic soil-based mix
1/3 mature compost or leaf mold, screened
1/3 garden topsoil
1/3 sharp sand

Note: This mix results in a potting soil that is heavier than modern peat mixes, but still has good drainage. Compost has been shown to promote a healthy soil mix that can reduce root diseases. Perlite can be used instead of sand. Organic fertilizer can be added to this base.

Prick-out mix for growing seedlings to transplant size
6 parts compost
3 parts soil
1-2 parts sand
1-2 parts aged manure
1 part peat moss, pre-wet and sifted
1-2 parts leaf mold, if available
1 6" pot bone meal

The following recipe is credited to Eliot Coleman.

Organic potting mix
1 part sphagnum peat or coir
1 part peat humus (short fiber)
1 part compost
1 part sharp sand (builder's)

to every 80 qts. of this add:

1 cup greensand
1 cup colloidal phosphate
1 1/2 to 2 cups crabmeal, or bloodmeal
1/2 cup lime

These recipes come to us courtesy of
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