Potting soil

[Muhammad Arif Khan]

I am sorry for creating a confusion. My subject should have been POTTING MEDIUM and not potting soil, potting medium can be soil less, at this stage, the fertilisers are also not under discussion nor is the customised medium that each one of us is using (the why of it would be discussed later).
PLEASE keep it in mind that my contributions in this discussion are based on SEARCH AND NOT ON RESEARCH.

To give direction to the discussion;
Medium fills only a few needs in container culture. Among them are: Anchorage - a place for roots to extend, securing the plant and preventing it from toppling. Nutrient Retention - it must retain a nutrient supply in available form sufficient to sustain plant systems. Gas Exchange - it must be amply porous to allow air to move through the root system and gasses that are the by-product of decomposition to escape. Water - it must retain water enough in liquid and/or vapour form to sustain plants between watering. Air - it must contain a volume of air sufficient to ensure that root function/metabolism/growth is not impaired.

LET US GET GOING.
Arif

[newton]

I can speak from experience of soil free potting medium, hopefully without distracting from topic at hand.

My soil free potting medium... I have used my tropical fish aquarium as a potting medium for household plant cuttings as well as the submerged aquatic plants. I float a small piece of polystyrene on the water surface. Make a small hole in it through which I insert an (indoor) cutting shoot leaving the leaves exposed to the light and air. Within days it takes root and can be maintained in this growth state for a long time.

Why? Because the water is maintained at a constant temperature. The leaves retain light and open to the air. There is gaseous exchange for the roots via the constant circulating water, air stones and carbon dioxide cylinder thing. There are trace nutrients for the plant to take up...There is no soil or compost media involved, so is that what we call hydroponics?

[M Farooq]

I can speak from experience of soil free potting medium, hopefully without distracting from topic at hand.

Ifzal sb, naa rahay ga baans, na bajjay gee ban-suree. Soil free potting medium - problem solved :-). The idea of using styrofoam is not bad. Never thought about this clever trick.

Arif sahab has answered his own question as neatly as possible for an ideal potting medium "Among them are: Anchorage - a place for roots to extend, securing the plant and preventing it from toppling. Nutrient Retention - it must retain a nutrient supply in available form sufficient to sustain plant systems. Gas Exchange - it must be amply porous to allow air to move through the root system and gasses that are the by-product of decomposition to escape. Water - it must retain water enough in liquid and/or vapour form to sustain plants between watering. Air - it must contain a volume of air sufficient to ensure that root function/metabolism/growth is not impaired."

[Muhammad Arif Khan]

Farooq I have given the foundation for building of a medium and no answers.
As mentioned by Ifzal, Hydroponic is one example, normally used for specific plants commercially.
Semi-Hydroponic, as I am experimenting with two different sizes of broken bricks (Kairi), each pot is watered only with a weak solution of grow more 20-20-20.



The pot on the left is proving better but has to be flushed every day the other one is retaining more water requiring to be flushed with fertiliser solution twice a week.
I also have other pots with various mixes.



The potting medium will have to be a compromise keeping in view the requirement of the plant and the individual.
Arif

[Muhammad Arif Khan]

MUDDAI SUST GAWAH CHUST, I am not a container gardener.

[Muhammad Arif Khan]

The bulbs in pot 1&2 Kairi only have failed.
Why I don't know I found roots had rotted, draw your own conclusions.
Arif

[talha.bin.ayub]

Kindly update this post and a detailed analysis on potting soil that's best


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[talha.bin.ayub]

Kindly update the post


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[Muhammad Arif Khan]

Many a time what theoratically is correct does not work out to your expectations.
For reasons I can not work out, my experiment of KAIRI has failed. I have un-potted all my bulbs and would now be using a mixture of BHALL. LEAF MOULD and Rice husk charcoal. I am planning to add this Charcoal to my flower beds too . I hope it works.
Arif

[talha.bin.ayub]

Thanks


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