The Scoop On Dirt

 For those of you who love just digging in and getting your hands dirty in the spring, you must be all a-twitter and a-tremble right about now. Can’t wait to gather up the spades and shovels and trowels, can you? Well, stop and think before you run to the nursery or garden center and buy one of everything. You need good dirt first – and I don’t mean the kind you get from your gossipy neighbors.

We’re going to bring the focus in on containers; they’re the most controllable of any space you plant. Therefore, choosing the right potting soil should be your first consideration. Poor quality soil will do little more than just keep your plants alive; good soil will help them thrive.

Rule number one is to be sure that the soil you buy drains well. You’ve chosen nice pots with holes in the bottom (or poked them yourself), so the next step is to choose the soil. It should not be too woody and should have lots of those little white bits (vermiculite or perlite) in it. You can’t look at these bits and tell which they are, but most manufacturers have abandoned the use of vermiculite because of its link with asbestos. Check the label to make sure you’re getting perlite.

Rule number two is don’t just go out in the yard and dig up some dirt to use, I don’t care how black and rich it looks. I can attest to the fact that it will pack down and not drain at all. Also, you would be bringing any diseases present in the yard or garden to your pots. Good bagged potting soil is sterile.

Using mulch to break up poor soil for your pots is not a good idea either. It, too, will pack down solidly and prevent good drainage. It is good idea, however, to use about one inch of mulch on top of the soil in your pots after planting. It will help hold in moisture and keep the pots from drying out in the hot summer. This is especially effective with terra cotta pots.

As to the question of re-using potting soil, I’m not a big fan. Everything has gotten to be an investment these days and the temptation to just pull out what’s left of last year’s annuals and repot this year in the same soil is very strong. Think about it, though. If the soil contains any disease or critters it will immediately affect those new plants you just purchased. Besides, it’s a lot of work to clean old soil and it makes a big mess. Just empty the pots, give them a good wash and start clean.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac has published a simple ABC method of fertilizing your container plants.

A. If your potting soil contains those little yellow round balls, skip this step. That’s slow release fertilizer already in the soil. They will dissolve at varied rates and feed for about 60 days. If you need to add slow-release fertilizer, you can use fish meal pellets which are very similar.

B. Apply water-soluble fertilizer every two weeks to supplement the slow-release fertilizer. This will deliver nutrients directly to the plant roots. Just dissolve it in water and pour the liquid into the plant container. Follow package directions for dilution ratios and the amount of fertilizer to use on each size container.

C. If plants need a quick pick-me-up due to stress or heavy flower production, feed plant leaves directly. Deadhead old blooms, cut back damaged foliage and then spray water-soluble fertilizer on leaf tops and undersides. The spray delivers nutrients directly to where photosynthesis takes place. Results are dramatic – you’ll see growth or renewal almost overnight. Be sure to spray only in the morning or early evening, never in hot sun; otherwise, the fertilizer will scald your plants.