DIY Potting Mix

Peoples, can you please advise me on a good DIY Potting Mix Formula.
I have heard it said that even the dedicated rose potting mixes you can buy, aren't much chop.
So I'm planning on making my own, so I need as much input into this area as possible... Pretty Please..

Paul, can you source the materials for this mix easily

paul, IGA used to sell/or still do, a potting mix that was cheap and tests done on it , proved to be the best on the market

FWIW:

I've had great success this year with using Coles $3/25L bags as base. Nothing in it except the lowest common denominator medium. To that base I've added four cups of b&B, a half cup of dry potash, plus a handful of slow-release rose food (or all-purpose, whatever is at hand, for trace minerals). I water the whole thing, with rose in place, with Seasol. After the plant is settled and leafiing out well, I water in some Nitrosol regularly. A dose of epsom salts figures in later in the season, if necessary, for a mag hit.

PS: This is my basic container formula, although'formula' is a bit grand for the recipe. More like making a slow cooking and developing crockpot soup ;-))

That's interesting Betsy, I'm going to paste and keep your formula. Sounds good. It will certainly be cheaper than buying top grade potting mix.
Just on the epsom salts thing, when do hit them with this (Feb? March? April?) and do you limit the epsom salts to containers or garden roses as well? I bought some epsom salts a while ago but haven't used it yet, or ever for that matter. How much constitutes a dose?

So far, I've used only in containers, because my inground roses are noisettes, and they just look after themselves. Wonderful creatures...

Back to epson salts: I scatter about 1/2 cup per pot around the topsoil, and water in. Soemtimes I dissolve the half cup in water first. It doesn't matter. I usually add after the second flush, before Christmas, and again right about now, Soem people add it in Spring. I can't offer a Best Practice scenario, but I do find that the magnesium "hit" makes for really lush-looking leaves. Supposedly it strengthens the cell walls, too.

Please be aware that no one has conclusively proven the value of ES for roses, but it is definitely supported in personal experience by too many gardeners to ignore..

Also, Paul, from time to time I throw on extra stuff - two handfuls more of B&B, and about a palmful of potash (2 tblsps?) Nothing burns, it seems. f course you can use liquid B&B and liquid potash, but I just find the dry stuff more economical, slower and more durable .

roseman wrote:Paul, can you source the materials for this mix easily

I think so roseman... we have a landscape supplier close by as well as Micro Bros.

neptune wrote:paul, IGA used to sell/or still do, a potting mix that was cheap and tests done on it , proved to be the best on the market

Thanks neptune... would that potting mix be Bloom?

betsyw wrote:FWIW:

I've had great success this year with using Coles $3/25L bags as base. Nothing in it except the lowest common denominator medium. To that base I've added four cups of b&B, a half cup of dry potash, plus a handful of slow-release rose food (or all-purpose, whatever is at hand, for trace minerals). I water the whole thing, with rose in place, with Seasol. After the plant is settled and leafiing out well, I water in some Nitrosol regularly. A dose of epsom salts figures in later in the season, if necessary, for a mag hit.

PS: This is my basic container formula, although'formula' is a bit grand for the recipe. More like making a slow cooking and developing crockpot soup ;-))

Thanks for that betsy... I've seen 30lt bags in coles here in Perth, i guess it would be the same stuff.. your method sounds good..

betsyw wrote:Also, Paul, from time to time I throw on extra stuff - two handfuls more of B&B, and about a palmful of potash (2 tblsps?) Nothing burns, it seems. f course you can use liquid B&B and liquid potash, but I just find the dry stuff more economical, slower and more durable .

Have noted all of that Ta betsy

I came across this DIY potting mix... your opinions please....

coir peat
Vermiculite or Coarse washed river sand (salt removed) or builder’s sand can be substituted for vermiculite
Compost
Worm Castings
Add Nutrients = Rock Minerals, Slow Release Fertilisers, Seaweed & Fish

This is another mix I saw...

2 parts potting soil mix
1 part well-composted manure
½ part good compost
½ part peat moss
1 part perlite
1 cup alfalfa meal and ½ cup bone meal

And this one...

Fine wood chip mulch, composted 50%

Household compost 30% (= food and garden waste, plus minerals from wood ash, dolomite and rock dust, with lots of worms and other critters):

Clay soil 15%

Horticultural sand 5%

After posting a topic on potting mix, I finally found this one.
I wonder if I could use the Bloom potting mix with Betsyw's idea and perhaps add some of the first idea from Paul's list. coir peat, Vermiculite, Compost too much maybe? But I have to ask, what is B&B?

blood and bone

 Of course, thanks

Neptune suggested a potting mix from IGA, I tracked it down and if this is the right one this is the ingredients;
Composted pine bark >60%
coarse sand 1-<10%
Mineral fertilisers 1-<10%

Would this sound right?

I am trialling my own recipe at the moment and it is showing promise.

Happy roses wrote:Neptune suggested a potting mix from IGA, I tracked it down and if this is the right one this is the ingredients;
Composted pine bark    >60%
coarse sand                 1-<10%
Mineral fertilisers          1-<10%

Would this sound right?

Caroline , did it have the Australian standard ticks of approval on it?

I dont think so

no need to touch it then...

I shall avoid....Was it a cheap one with the tick on it?

it was...couldn't get any cheaper...

Don't happen to know the name of it perchance?

it came in a yellow and black IGA package bag......I do not know if they still sell this good product...

Thanks Neptune I will have look and find out.