Mixing soil

ok i'm planning on using 5 gallon buckets for my plants and i'm going to have about 50 plants and i want to mix the soil my self to save money and i was planning on use

-top soil
-peat moss
-perilite
-vermiculite
- compost

so my question is how many parts of each should i put into the 5 gallon buckets or should i add something else or take something out???

I use a 50-50 mix . Pro-mix (which has all the verm,perlite & stuff) & a good sterile low ph (if you can find it ) soil, foxfarm, scotts and even miracle grow, but stay away from time release nutes. Better to control that yourself. Compost & manures can be high in nitrogen, you don't want to burn the babies.....be carefull
Good luck......i'm no expert but it's worked for me for 6yrs...good 6+ft. outdoor plants

whats the point on getting promix when it pre mixed i want to mix it my self it will be way cheaper have you even looked on the prices????

mix up a series of small batches with varying amounts of the ingredients till you get a mix you are happy with then check its ph and adjust accordingly

i would like to help more but i cant see the ingredients or feel them

i've been contemplating that same question. i'm planning on mixing topsoil, aged horse manure, and possibly mulch with the existing soil. sorry i can't offer any specific recipe. way i see it this mix will be better than the clay soil my plants have done fine in in the past, but a fuck ton cheaper than potting soil.

here's what i suggest,

30 percent topsoil
30 percent perlite
20 percent compost
10 percent peat moss
10 percent vermiculite


You can even leave out the peatmoss, it really won't do that much if you are already are putting vermiculite and perlite into the mix. This will produce a good base soil with a slight amount of nitrogen, but still gives you plenty of control over the nutes. Good luck

anymore suggestions please help!!!

i worked on my soil today. i'm working with loam clay which i've read is super high in nutrients, but it doen'st drain well and doesn't allow for healthy root growth. I added aged horse manure which helped make it much 'looser'. Tomorrow I'm adding aged hay, saw dust, and builders sand. The only ingrediant I'm buying is the builders sand, to help out with drainage. All the other ingrediants I have on the property I'm growing on. I decided not to buy topsoil. I might also add broken up rotted wood. I need to research whether this is a good idea or not.

strictly'dope74 said:

whats the point on getting promix when it pre mixed i want to mix it my self it will be way cheaper have you even looked on the prices????

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Down here Pro-Mix is very reasonable. Home Depot for about $7.00 US for a two cubic feet bale.