pot soil or garden soil?

[rrruuunnn]

is there a problem with using pot soil instead of garden soil outside? I'm trying to grow periwinkles.

[Newt]

Hi Rrruuunnn,

Welcome to the Helpful Gardener. Potting soil isn't soil at all but a potting medium that is peat moss based, often with perlite and vermiculite added. Peat moss is highly acidic, low in nutrients and there is concern about depleting the peat bogs. Basically, the answer is to add compost to the planting bed and mix it in. A 3" or 4" layer mixed into the soil will make your periwinkles happy. If you have a large area to plant, here's a compost calculator you can use.
https://www.cedar-grove.com/calculator.asp

I would also suggest you be careful where you plant periwinkle as it can escape and become an invasive plant in many areas of the US. I don't recommend planting it where it can escape into woodlands as it chokes out native vegatation.

Newt

[rrruuunnn]

the lady at the nursery convinced me to buy a liquid and hose the ground with it. do you think that will not be enough. I wanted to buy the compost. but I couldn't just say that she was wrong. and now, I'm worried that my garden is still weak. maybe, I'll just goto another nursery.

[Newt]

I'm sure this is all new to you, but with so much missing info it's difficult to say what is going on and what to do. It would be most helpful to know where you live (I'm in Maryland where we have mostly clay soil), what type of soil you have and exactly what liquid you used. Was the liquid a fertilizer, was it organic or synthetic? What did the lady say it was supposed to do for the soil or plants? If you still have the container, what is it called?

The best way to improve and prepare soil for planting is to improve the texture. Organic matter like compost wil do this. Very few of us are fortunate enough to have loam - soil that is balanced in clay, sand and silt (dirt) and has good texture (friable). Just adding liquids usually won't correct any problems as the liquid runs through the soil or just sits there, depending on what type of soil you have.

Newt

[rrruuunnn]

I live in corpus christi texas (south texas). our soil I believe is clay like. I will go to the store today and find the exact title of the liquid.

[Newt]

I get your hardiness zone as 9.

To improve clay soil (or sandy soil for that matter), add lots of organic matter like compost. You can purchase it in bags or bulk for large projects. Lay out your bed, put down a 3" or 4" layer and mix it in. Plant and mulch your plants.

Newt

[rrruuunnn]

https://www.agorganics.com/products/Medina-Plus--Gallon/13/40.html

this is the one that she told me to use.

[opabinia51]

Hi there, with these liquid fertilizers you have to add them weekly and they don't build your soil. Plants do well with their addition but, what really works well (and in the long run will be less work and cost less money) is to build the soil up with compost and compostables.

Also, what you want to do is build up the water holding capacity of your soil and adding compost will greatly help with that. Adding fallen leaves from deciduous trees will add micronutrients and vastly increase the water holding capacity of your soil.

So for now, I would recommend going out and buying a few bags (or a truckload) of compost and spreading that around your garden. You can still use the liquid fish fertilzer but, it's just a short term fertilzer.

Also, see if you can find some Kelp Meal and sprinkle that around your plants, it is a slow releaase fertilzer. And see if you can find some Rock Phosphate, it will aid in bulding your soil and also help your plants to become hardier.

[Newt]

Rrruuunnn,

Opabinia answered your question the same way I would have. The only thing I would add is to chop up any fallen leaves before you add them to your soil so they break down better.

Newt

[opabinia51]

Yes, I use my lawnmower and just spread the leaves over the lawn, run over them a few times and voila!

However, I usually put down a layer of maple leave first (unmulched). They tend to mat together and take a bit longer to break down thus providing a barrier to weeds. Better than using cardboard or newspaper because

a) Leaves have a lower C:N ration and therefore
break down faster and don't tie available Nitrogen
in the soil
b) Leaves contain a myriad of micronutrients that
eventually will provide your plants and other soil
community member nourishment
and c) The matted maple leaves will provide pores for
space for insects, worms and so on to overwinter
in.

[rrruuunnn]

I already covered half with mulch.
will mulch break down to compost?
do I have to remove the mulch to apply compost?

[Newt]

Rrruuunnn, if you used an organic mulch such as shredded wood or wood chips, it will eventually break down. If that is what you've used you can lay down a tarp or old shower curtain, move the mulch onto the tarp, add the compost and put the mulch back. It's better to have the compost under the mulch since the compost is already broken down. That way the mulch on top will protect the compost from eroding due to rain and water. If you can scratch the compost into the soil, so much the better, as the compost will help improve the texture of your soil.

Newt