Preview: Healthy Garden: What’s in the Bag?

Most of us care about factor . We learn a label to know whether we ’re buying a soup with noodles or one with beans , yet the summons is less straightforward when we ’re picking potting premix .

But why use a bagged product at all ? Do n’t plants just need grease to grow ? For containers , the answer is no . Elevating plants alter everything . Surrounded by breeze , containers dry out fast . They lack perpendicular space for piss to run out , organisms to release food , and an established soil structure to support stem maturation . To manage these contrived conditions , we need potting mixes specifically contrive to sustain and nurture container plant .

Reading labels is just the start

Potting mixes can include many different ingredient to satisfy basic plant needs . Historically , commercial-grade mixes relied on peat moss for water retention , an factor with major environmental and climate change impacts . Today , alternatives that step in farming by - products , such as coconut coir , as water retainers are more readily available .

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