Growbags - does it really matter?

[Sylvan]

well, where do you put the remains from 'milk carton comfrey' when in a school greenhouse - erm, bury it in the tom pots of course.....

Recycling at its best

[Potstubsdustbins]

Lets not forget that the compost is only there to support the plant root and hold the required nutrients. Therefore if you are going to feed the compost either organically or like me with miracle grow and tomorite you could use last years compost providing it is free of nasties, never mind spending a fortune on grow bags.

Colin

[Sylvan]

But surely last year's compost has already been used by now?

[mrbadexample]

I've potted up 16 tomatoes today, in flower buckets, using a mixture of MPC and cheap growbags. I did pot a couple up into half-growbags, but they looked aethetically unsatisfactory compared to all the nice black buckets, so I took them out again. Looks like this year is bucket year.

I've only filled the buckets about ⅔ full, so I can top them up as the plant grows. Still looks to be a while until I see flowers though, due to my late sowing.

[Sylvan]

When did you sow?

[Davyburns]

I buy the big uns and then use the compost in bucket sized pots.

Me too, The Levington ones I am using now, came from Wilkos at the end of last season, half price but still £2.50, but they do have a lot more growing medium in them, and the stuff feels loamier and holds water so much better than the ones full of sticks and stones

[Davyburns]

I just use B&Q MP compost, riddle it and add Perlite and use flower buckets or planter bags.

Would Vermiculite not be better?

[chris]

I guess it depends on what he's planting in them? Perhaps what he's planting requires better drainage?

Vermiculite is a good idea mind!

[Arthur Pounder]

Would Vermiculite not be better?

I've used both.

I find that MP compost especially when riddled can act a bit 'cakey', both break it up well.

I only use Perlite for germination and seedlings though.

[Hillwalker]

Lets not forget that the compost is only there to support the plant root and hold the required nutrients. Therefore if you are going to feed the compost either organically or like me with miracle grow and tomorite you could use last years compost providing it is free of nasties, never mind spending a fortune on grow bags.

Colin

Got to agree with you Colin. After growing annuals in containers I normally dig the spent MPC into our garden. This year I'm thinking like you, why? As you say, it's only a holding medium with added nutrients: humic and/or artificial, both of which are easy to replace. Apart from the cost saving of reusing, I've never come across an off-the-shelf MPC I'm totally happy with, including John Innes. So, every year I spend far too many hours hunched over a large trug, crumbling and mixing until my back can't bear it any more.

This year, I thought...this doesn't make sense. As long as you take precautions, like not planting certain plants in another's previous soil, potatoes and tomatoes for example - just as you would do if planting straight into the garden or allotment.

Does anyone throw away their garden or allotment soil at the end of a growing season? No.

[SarzWix]

If I was going to reuse it like that, I wouldn't use MPC in the first place, I'd use topsoil, or a topsoil compost mixture. I don't think MPC holds its structure well enough to keep reusing it, it breaks down and compacts, shutting off oxygen to roots and either not properly wetting, or, waterlogging. Consequently, I either use my spent MPC as a soil improver, or, use topsoil in my bigger planters and just feed it with chicken manure pellets or blood, fish & bone (depending what's growing in them).

[Potstubsdustbins]

Sarah yes that can surely happen, to help prevent this my used compost is riddled at the end of the season then stored in sealed dustbins over winter usually with a couple of handfuls of growmore thrown in. Because I know what compost grew what plant and which dustbin it is placed in I can also do a sort of crop rotation container growing style. I also add sharp sand if necessary.

I usually find that the compost will last about 3/4 years doing it this way.

As to top soil I would either have to buy that in or break up the concrete patios to obtain some. SWMBO would not like that!

Colin.

[Sylvan]

As to top soil I would either have to buy that in or break up the concrete patios to obtain some. SWMBO would not like that!

Colin.

It might be worth asking for some on you local Freecycle/Freegle group.