Page 27 - Brandon Sun - Your Home your Way (2019)

THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2019 • YOUR HOME YOUR WAY • THE BRANDON SUN 27

‘Brew’ up your “Brewing”
your own
potting mix
is very sat-
own potting mix isfying and
useful, and
requires just
a few basic
My gardening season begins Rather than pasteurizing the ingredients.
on my garage floor. Here I mix soil, I prefer to avoid pests with
potting soil that will nourish this careful watering, abundant light, (The Associated
season’s seedlings and replace and other cultural conditions that Press)
worn-out soil around the roots of make plants happy and pests sad.
houseplants.
Why make potting soil? SOIL IS GOOD, BUT
Why bake bread? NOT ESSENTIAL
There’s really no special magic
in good potting soil. Good garden soil is hard to
obtain in reliable and large quan-
BASIC INGREDIENTS tities, so most commercial potting
mixes are made without any real
The three basic ingredients soil at all. These mixes are made
in my mix are garden soil, min- only from mineral aggregate and
eral aggregate and organic mat- organic matter.
ter. Used alone, garden soil is too You can make such a soil-less derneath the pile and turn it over, and recite a few incantations to
dense for containers. mix yourself by sieving together working around the edge until complete this brew that nourish-
The mineral aggregate loos- equal volumes of peat moss and the whole mass is thoroughly es my seedlings and houseplants
ens up the mix to let water flow perlite. This mix has no nutrients, mixed, and moistening it slightly each season.
readily into and through it. Ver- so stir in a starter feed of one- if it seems dry. Finally, I rub the
miculite and perlite are two light- half cup of dolomitic limestone mix through a half-inch sieve, » The Associated Press
weight aggregates, the first made and some fertilizer whose nutri-
from heated mica and the second ent ratio is about 5-10-5. Real HOT WATER TANK REPLACEMENT
from heated volcanic rock. Sand soil does add nutrients and other
and calcined clay (“kitty litter”) good things to a potting mix, so STARTING AT $ 68 *
are heavier aggregates, so are use- I favour traditional potting mixes, per
ful for top-heavy plants such as which contain real garden soil. 16month
cacti. Even if you buy potting soil, Subject to terms
& conditions
Organic matter in potting keep a few bags of some type of
soils acts like a sponge to absorb mineral aggregate and organic No cost repairs.
water, which plants can then draw material on hand. No one potting No cost
on between waterings. Organic mix can suit the needs of every replacement.
matter also buffers soils against plant. Add extra aggregate to any
drastic changes in acidity, and mix used for cacti or succulents, EVERYONE IS
keeps nutrients from washing out and extra organic matter to any APPROVED!
through the bottom of seedling mix for plants such as African vi-
flats and flower pots. Peat moss, olets and begonias that like con- AIR CONDITIONING
sphagnum moss and coir (a by- sistently moist soils.
product of coconut processing) STARTING AT $ 99 * INSTALLED
are organic materials that you can STIR THE BREW 47 per month Subject to terms
& conditions
buy. Compost and leafmold are
two organic materials that you For the ritual opening of the Manitoba Hydro Financing Available
can brew up yourself and, in con- garden season, I give my garage
trast to the previously mentioned floor a clean sweep and then
materials, also offer nutrients to make a pile of 2 gallons each of
plants. garden soil, peat moss, perlite and
Some people pasteurize their compost. On top of this mound I
potting soil to reduce the threat sprinkle a cup of lime and a half
of pests. The key is to avoid too cup each of soybean meal and
much heat, which can bring its powdered kelp. This is a mixed www.brandonheatingandplumbing.ca
own problems. Bake the potting bag of ingredients, but I reason
soil in the oven along with an em- that plants, just like humans, ben- CALL: 204-728-0180 | 24-HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE
bedded potato, and when the po- efit from a varied diet.
tato is done, so is the potting soil. I slide my garden shovel un- SERVING BRANDON SINCE 1910