I got into the habit of mixing my own soil a few years back after being constantly frustrated with store bought potting mixes. The soil quality was not always great, and many options came pre-loaded with fertilizer leaving me with less choices on how to feed my pepper plants.
By mixing my own soil I was still able to purchase all my items locally at the big home improvement stores, but I was able to control what I was adding, and is likely to save you money.
Ingredients
The three primary parts of my soil mix are Peat Moss, Pearlite, and Mushroom Compost.
And that's it. I like to mix a few 5 gallon buckets full at a time (can keep it all sealed up keep from drying out), but you can mix as much or as little as you want.
By mixing my own soil I was still able to purchase all my items locally at the big home improvement stores, but I was able to control what I was adding, and is likely to save you money.
Ingredients
The three primary parts of my soil mix are Peat Moss, Pearlite, and Mushroom Compost.
Peat Moss
Sphagnum peat moss drains well, and will have good aeration, but has an acidic pH (around 3.5 to 4.5). You can add limestone to your mix to balance out the pH to something more reasonable for peppers (5.5 to 6.8).Pearlite
Pearlite is a lightweight expanded volcanic rock that resembles small balls of styrofoam. Will provide for improved aeration as well as water retention. Pearlite will also aid in reduced compaction of your soil keeping it loose and well-draining.Compost
I use Oldcastle Black Velvet Mushroom Compost which is available at my local home improvement centers, but any compost addition would likely work just as well. The mushroom compost I use has a little nutritional value but not a lot, enough to get a seedling started out, but you will need to fertilize an established plant.Mix
Safety: It is probably a good idea to wear a particulate face mask while mixing soil as it can get quite dusty especially if working with dry ingredients.- 1 gallon Peat Moss
- 1 gallon Pearlite
- 1.5 gallons Compost
- 1 - 1 1/2 Tbps lime
And that's it. I like to mix a few 5 gallon buckets full at a time (can keep it all sealed up keep from drying out), but you can mix as much or as little as you want.
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