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What’s with pumped-up potting soil?

Posted on May 7th, 2008 – 8:09 AM
By Connie Nelson

So I go to pick up some potting soil to start my containers, but all I can find is potting soil with fertilizer and potting soil with soil-moisture retention crystals. What happened to just plain old potting soil?

“There are more flavors of potting soil out there now,” said Mike Hibbard, horticultural advisor at Bachman’s. And while they do offer convenience, Hibbard admits they’re not for everyone. In fact, he doesn’t use them himself. “I don’t want fertilizer in my potting soil. I’ll fertilize myself,” he said.

Call us control freaks, but I’m with him. Here’s why: I like to use organic fertilizers and most of the “value-added” soils use synthetic fertilizers. Besides, like most gardeners, I have a tendency to over fertilize rather than under fertilize. And if I started with a pumped-up potting soil, I’m afraid I’d burn my plants.

I want to start the season right, so I use fresh soil in my containers each spring. (I dump the old soil in the garden or in the composter.) I don’t use garden soil in my containers. (It can harbor nasty insects and diseases and compact in containers, which can cause roots to rot.) But I don’t think I want to use potting soil with stuff in it. I want plain, old potting soil.

How ’bout you? Are you for or against?

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 7th, 2008 at 8:09 am and is filed under Soil care. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

10 Responses to "What’s with pumped-up potting soil?"

judybusy says:

May 7th, 2008 at 10:12 am

I’m with you with organic fertilizers. Good sources for “good, old-fashioned” potting soil are Mother Earth and Southside Farm store. Actually, I’ve never fertilized my pots of flowers. Maybe this will be the year I finally make compost tea!

Connie Nelson says:

May 7th, 2008 at 11:59 am

I do try to fertilize my pots on a regular (ie once a month) basis. If there’s a lot of rain, all the minerals can leach out of the soil and the plants can start to look kind of washed out. I don’t fertilize much in the garden. I use compost and composted manure to improve the soil. My plants seem pretty happy with that . . .

Sarah says:

May 7th, 2008 at 12:07 pm

I agree with you whole-heartedly! Already last spring I spent way too much time searching through my local discount department stores and home improvement places - to NO AVAIL! I think my husband was getting bored with my complaining that one cannot simply purchase “potting soil” anymore! Shame on the soil companies for believing that I can’t handle taking care of my plants in the way that I see fit!

Connie Nelson says:

May 7th, 2008 at 12:30 pm

Amen, Sarah!
I know that souped-up soil can be easier, but there are warning labels on the bags. Do I want to be planting in something with a warning label on it???

Jaime Chismar says:

May 7th, 2008 at 12:46 pm

Argh! Finding the perfect potting soil is like researching a term paper. I used to buy the organic stuff, but as I found out early this year, organic isn’t always the way to go. I bought some really crap-tastic potting soil from the Linden Hills Home Store, Father Dom’s potting soil mix. It was thick and clay-tastic. I should’ve read the label more closely.

deb w says:

May 8th, 2008 at 7:02 am

I got a bag much like what Jamie got from my local plant place. I cut open the bag and it was one giant slimy blob, even had a little mildew going on in there, crap-tastic describes that bag too. I potted up some plants that were desperate ( they got tipped over in a thunderstorm and their original soil washed away) and have had clumpy soil in those pots ever since. They are getting transplanted with a peat/compost mix from that pile of gold in the back yard (which is where that blob went after the two small pots were done).

judybusy says:

May 8th, 2008 at 8:20 am

The soil I got from Mother Earth (can’t remember the company name, but it comes in yellow bags. It’s not their super-expensive organic stuff…) was really great. It’s friable, no clay, etc. I got it this spring, so it’s still there.

Julie S. says:

May 8th, 2008 at 11:07 pm

I’ve been happy with the “house-brand” potting soil sold at Wagner’s Greenhouse (Crosstown 62 and Penn Ave S). It says Wagner’s on the bag - I’m not sure if it’s a special blend of their own, or just generic private lable stuff. But it wins hands down compared to the Miracle Grown potting soil I’ve purchased in the past at Home Depot - which is full of sticks, rocks and other assorted junk you won’t find in the Wagner’s brand.

Claire says:

May 16th, 2008 at 8:11 pm

Too bad Lyndale Garden Center isn’t still around, they used to have a great variety of soils and mixes.

laura says:

May 20th, 2008 at 11:41 am

i purchased some potting soil with those water retaining crystals. some of my seedlings under my grow lights ended up with a bit of mold dusting the top of the soil because i inadvertently overwatered them. definitely a learning curve for working with that stuff when you’re used to regular potting soil or dirt.

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