Soil is the daily bread for the healthy growth of plants. It has to be nutritious, well-drained, porous, and lightweight.
Importance of healthy potting mixture:
1. In ground gardening, soil enriched with compost is typically adequate for promoting healthy plant growth. However, for container gardening, additional amendments and nutrients may be necessary to ensure the soil is conducive to plant growth and productivity.
2. Plants planted solely in normal soil without sufficient nutrients may encounter difficulties in growth after 4 to 5 months. Additionally, they could be vulnerable to diseases, pests like mealybugs, and other infections due to the absence of essential nutrients necessary for their growth and overall health.
3. Usually, clay soil is utilized, but it tends to harden after being watered 3-4 times, making it difficult to penetrate even after troweling, resulting in limited water absorption at the bottom of the pot.
4. Soil requires an assortment of minerals and nutrients to enhance its fertility for optimal plant productivity. The potting mixture must be carefully balanced to promote robust growth and development of plants.
Soil Mixture for Basic Gardening
Let’s start to prepare soil mixture for summer plants like Tulsi, Hibiscus, Curry leaf, Pumpkin, Ridge Gourd, and many others.
1. Collect Soil from local surroundings
Gather soil from local areas, whether it’s red, black, clay, or sandy in composition.
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- Thoroughly clean the soil, removing any plastics, glass pieces, old roots, and stones.
- Once cleaned, expose the soil to sunlight for a day to eliminate ants, insects, and fungi.
- After 24 hours, when the soil is completely dry, lightly sprinkle water over it to make it damp before mixing.
2. Add Compost- to maintain the minerals and moisture level of soil
Compost is a valuable resource packed with essential nutrients and vital components, often referred to as “black gold.” It has the capacity to retain water for extended periods, preventing soil from drying out quickly, while also enhancing and refining its texture.
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- To enrich soil with minerals and nutrients, compost is indispensable, whether it is vermicompost, kitchen compost, leaf compost, or cow dung compost.
- It is recommended to add compost in an amount equivalent to half the quantity of soil. For example, if you have 20 kg of soil, you should add 10 kg of compost.
3. Add Cocopeat- to hold the water for a longer run
Coco peat significantly lightens soil and prolongs water retention.
- During the intense heat, it serves as a growth catalyst for plants by regulating pot moisture and temperature.
- Once coco peat is incorporated, frequent watering of plants becomes unnecessary.
- It is recommended to use coco peat in an amount equal to half the quantity of compost.
4. Add Sand to make Soil Porous
- Frequently, water accumulates at the soil’s surface, impeding proper drainage and hindering water absorption to reach plant roots below.
- To address this, sand is added to enhance soil porosity and facilitate better drainage, preventing waterlogging. It is essential to balance the addition of sand and coco peat in equal quantities.
- Avoid using sea sand for potting mixtures due to its salt content; instead, opt for river sand, readily available from construction sites.
5. Add Neem Cake Powder – to protect the roots from pests
Neem cake powder provides protection to plants against diseases, infections, and insects.
- High-quality neem cake typically emits a distinct smell, so it is advisable to monitor the intensity of the odor while incorporating it into the soil and cease adding if a strong scent becomes noticeable.
- As a general guideline, around half a kilogram of neem cake powder is sufficient for approximately 20 kilograms of soil.
6. Add fungicide to prevent fungus in plants
Fungicide combats fungus in plants effectively.
- You can either prepare a fine powder of cinnamon as a fungicide or use Saaf fungicide powder.
- The quantity of fungicide should be half of that of neem cake powder.
Process:
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- Now, mix all the ingredients properly and uniformly.
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- After mixing, it can be stored in any container.
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- This soil can be used for transplanting plants and for existing plants as well.
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- For existing plants, remove the upper layer of soil and add this potting mixture.
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- This potting mixture is very light in weight, it can retain water for a longer span, it has all the nutrition plus it will keep your plant pest free.
PRECAUTION
Many people have sensitive skin, in that case gloves can be used otherwise this work can be done with hands also. Hands should be properly washed and sanitised after preparing potting mixture.
Happy Gardening !!
Keep Planting !!