Forget About Soil Health in Pots and Containers - The Healthy Soil Myth

[@arnobertogna4718]

Love your videos - you tell it as it is with no BS - thank you

[@sunnohh]

This video aligns with my understanding of biology in a way that few grow videos ever do, thank you

[@roderickbeck8859]

I used a combo of compost and perlite. Cover crops has helped my potted plants. Better aeration and faster growth.

[@vegardno]

If people want to grow their plants in containers with soil and mulch instead of potting mix and liquid fertilizer I think we should let them. There's not just one way to grow plants.

[@darcypotterpotter6214]

I have 86 house plants and I do enough garden transplants to fill my raised beds every year so 200+ transplants I use Soil in all the pots all my transplant starts I do add peat moss and compost to my native soil also worm castings but it is Soil

[@rickszabo4312]

Thanks, we have a short growing season in Central British Columbia . In order to maximize our outdoor plants potential , non organic ways seems to enable me to get a decent harvest . We have noticed up here that good quality store bought vegetables , even in season do not keep long and are not very flavourful also they are very pricey. It used to be not that long ago that I could not justify growing lettuce, cucumbers ,tomatoes ect due to the time and effort needed. With yours and the lovely Lady that has the "Gardening in Canada " KZbin channels, you both have given me the confidence to carry on with this wonderful hobby.

[@VoteThirdPartyorFourth]

ONLY DO ORGANIC. Shit isn't hard unless you were unaware that MULCH is the key.

[@jeanpauldupuis]

My houseplants spend 3 seasons on the patio exposed to the full ecology of the yard. They grow in mineral soil mulched with compost and are full of earthworms. They do beautifully.

[@lovecatspiracy]

It's a bit like an aquarium maintained by a skillful and invested enthusiast. You can create and sustain a magnificent and thriving ecosystem under glass.

[@seanrich1367]

I agree with you totally. Have grown some incredible vegetables in pots , with just peat moss, for years. Of course They require attention as to watering and fertilization.

[@lynnsarraille7360]

Thank-you!

[@SusanLeishman-vz5rp]

I have only recently found Garden Fundamentals on KZbin and find them very informative. Here in the UK l use the John Innes formula potting composts for all my long term pot plants . Its 7part sterilised fibrous loam , 3 part peat , 2 part sharp sand plus nutrients formula is excellent . Do you have a similar product in the USA ? The quality of the loam is critical and in the past I have come across poor quality stuff but that was years ago .

[@TheNewMediaoftheDawn]

I’m going to push back some,,, First off yes soilless mix is mostly hydroponic true, but peat moss and coir can still hold some good biology and some nutrient cycling. My potted house plants, bonsai, and container vegetable planters on my deck all smell like rich forest loam from this technique I use. I use a hybrid system; I use about 1/4 strength liquid commercial chemical fertilizer, low dose. Shultz 10-15-10, or GH Maxigrow. Supplemented with liquid seaweed I make myself, liquid humic acid, low dose urine I make myself😂 I also add leaves to my vegetable containers and chop and drop, and chop and drop to my houseplants and bonsai. This allows way less chemical fertilizer use , 1/4 dose, and living soil with mulch and seaweed decomposition. My plants are healthy and the vegetables yield high, and taste great, plus I save money,👌🥦🌱☘️🚀

[@JamesVenturaCa]

I add actual soil to my potted plants. This adds natural microbes, microorganisms, and micronutrients. I then add in organics by way of compost tea to my watering schedule, also add in worms to my pots.

[@MikeDawson1]

if you add in worms, won't they die if you don't keep feeding them? I just throw all my food scraps into one little corner in the back of my yard, and it's always full of worms. Whenever I need soil for pots I just dig it out from there, but don't take worms with it

[@Anna-jl1rx]

Excellent! Especially if you grow plants in your home or in a conservatory it's important not to take unnecessary risks by breathing in or ingesting an unknown mix of microorganisms. Taking care to provide plants with a broad range of pure micronutrients (minerals), on the other hand, is good for you since you get a more nutritious crop. Organic is definitely not always good. Mold, for instance, is organic.

[@francus7227]

No additions or corrections. I tapped the thumbs up button to feed the algorithm monsters.

[@mysterymccarthy6851]

I grow my potted houseplants in soil with organic matter and they are very happy. If I were grew them in a soil-less mixture I would only need to do basic care and routine chemical fertilizers and they would grow well too this is correct. While I don't technically need to be doing this, I like having the little bit of a natural ecosystem in the house. It provides me with a way to connect with the outdoors even in the darkest days of winter. When I water them it fills my house with the smell of the forest on a rainy day. It's wonderful!

[@hermanhale9258]

What kind of organic matter?

[@Planty-Mandy]

Thank you. I hadn’t jumped on the micorrhiza train yet and I’ll just save my money for other things.

[@hardyakka6200]

I took a sample of my garden soil to my doctor for a health check. I never imagined he knew all those rude words.

[@victornicklow9792]

You always make a good video.Come down to florida.lets go fishing.I will buy the beer.

[@DennisDerrick]

I must be doing it wrong. I've been using 'soil' in my pots and containers for years without any problems. At least I've saved a lot of money doing so. 🤨

[@rosskstar]

Yea, my wood chip compost keeps the soil aerated AND gets some microbe action AND holds moisture. Seems to be a 'happy medium' 🪴

[@lksf9820]

I don't believe he said not to use soil.

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

Correct. But most people don't want to bring soil into the house because of a fear of bugs.

[@joanfrellburg4901]

There's indoors in pots, and outdoors in pots. Two different scenarios. Since you can grow huge cannabis or tomato plants indoors with nothing but peat moss or coir, perlite, vermiculite, sand, and miracle grow or similar, and a grow light with the right output, this video makes total sense. Like stated, it's hydroponics. For perennials, you'll need to re-pot or divide your plants once they become root bound in either medium. I think you're better off investing money on a decent grow light, (unless of course you're growing shade loving plants), when growing indoors

[@BrendanD-mp4xg]

Really long way to say Coco is an inert Hydro medium which is used with salts, most people dont know this is technically Hydro but... Yes you can use it in soil as part of your recipe for many benefits with soil, microbe farming.

[@brianseybert192]

My only comment is, what about people like me who purchases no fertilizers, organic or synthetic, does that mean I can not grow awesome veggies in grow bags? Nothing wrong with using miracle grow in a soilless pot and get great veggies, what happens when the next pandemic hits and the shelves are bare? My grow bags produce very well thank you, using native soil, worm castings, leaf mold and aged hot compost. Stay Well!!!!

[@disguysn]

Worm castings are close to compost. Both are fertilizers.

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

You can not grow plants in a soilless mix without fertilizer for very long.

[@edwardbowers4350]

Regarding soil-less mixes: - I'd be very surprised if there wasn't quite a bit of microbial activity in soil-less mixes, given that they are largely organic matter that is kept relatively moist and at moderate temperatures over long periods of time - perfect conditions for microbial growth. Exactly what microbes there are and how this might affect plants is unclear; a quick search on google scholar gives me a couple of papers on suppression of various pathogens by microbes in potting mixes, but beyond that I'd need to do some more reading. - I suspect the biggest difference between soil-less mix and hydroponics is CEC. In your gardenmyths article on perlite vs vermiculite you give the volumetric CEC for peat moss, perlite, and vermiculite as being 10, 0.15, and 2.3 meq/ml respectively. This is probably why plants in these soil-less mixes don't need a constant supply of nutrients like they do in hydroponics.

[@TheNewMediaoftheDawn]

You’re dead on, especially peat based. And if you chop and drop leaves on top, add mulch on top, and water with liquid seaweed, fish emulsion, human urine, humic acid among others, good biology and nutrient cycling definitely occurs. I do this myself and for years. Also I water with 1/4 strength chemical fertilizer to boost productivity and yield.

[@firstnamethenalastname]

14:19 I'd be interested in hearing you talk in more detail about this Plantae-Fungi interaction/negotiation process. If not, could you recommend any good papers where i can read a bit more on it? Thanks

[@TheAshfaak]

I would love to see this tested with an experiment.

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

Test what? I have grown houseplants in peat based media for 45 years with only inorganic fertilizer.

[@miltonwelch8619]

I grow vegetables in containers outdoors. I use a mixture of native soil, broken down animal manure, (which I get for free), peat moss and plant-based compost. I add both organic and synthesized plant foods, mostly to the top few inches of the potted mixes, adding bits of plant food every 2 weeks approximately. What is right or wrong about what I'm doing?

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

It is not wrong, but using synthetic fertilizer only will work just as well.

[@lovecatspiracy]

​@Gardenfundamentals1 The plants might grow and fruit under both conditions, but what about nutrient density? Fertigation seems to me like breakfast cereal for plants rather than a wide varied diet, especially regarding the new information on probiotics and gut health in humans and animals, coordinating with endophytes in plant bodies. John Kempf has a Plant Health Pyramid that showcases essential oil production at its peak. Bloated nitrogen-doused hydroponic plants cannot compete nutritionally with the complex compounds produced by plants in symbiosis with microorganisms.

[@peteroldroyd7531]

THANKS FOR THE INFO .. REALLY USEFULL

[@Leeny017]

I have an unrelated question. I apologize, but I'm in a hurry at my dads 100 year old house in Montreal and I'm leaving soon. I'm working on a triangular bed that hasn't been worked for a LONG time. It's right beside the front door, about 20x10. I took out every plant as the roots have ripped apart the mortar on the stone foundation. I filled it with good soil...that's another issue, but I digress. I've worked the soil about 1 foot down, sometimes more. I've come to realize that just below where I worked, there's a root system to...something throughout the WHOLE BED!!! I had dumped some new earth on top in a hill in the spring, and it grew into it, like a lot! It's a brown, stick like root that branches out into little clusters that feel like small lily of the valley roots, brown with white in the middle. They have a bit of a snap and crumble all over the place. They look very much alive and I don't know if I have to get every piece out, like mint. QUESTION: what the heck is it and do I need to get every piece of it out?

[@brianduffy1338]

(Joan here). If you have a tree in the general vicinity, it could be the smaller aspects of its root system. And they can come up close to the surface in search of water (and possibly other nutrients it needs). Tree roots can extend well beyond the canopy of a tree. I have had to (prudently) cut such growth away but it will come back again if the tree is starved for water. In general I have found cutting these tentacles out has not damaged the tree.

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

Probably tree roots - they travel a long way and grow best in good soil.

[@michelemarble6799]

Is giving liquid kelp a good way to fertilize containers?

[@BlackJesus8463]

What does the propaganda say?

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

Not really for the reasons mentioned in the video. www.gardenmyths.com/seaweed-fertilizer-biostimulants/

[@wallygrandpa]

Really interesting but I use liquid organic fertilizer and that's immediately available to plants.

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

That is not true for most liquid products. If there is any solid component - like a slurry, then it is not true. If all of the nutrients have been released, then it is just like synthetic fertilizer.

[@wallygrandpa]

@Gardenfundamentals, i learned something new. I don't know if all nutrients have been released in my liquid fertilizer but it works like a charm for vegetables, herbs and bonzai

[@cshieldsie9920]

Wow! That was great information and makes sense now that you explained it that way. I have to admit I have added compost to containers in the past. One question I always have is : Are synthetic fertilizers unhealthy for us to ingest? Should I use synthetic fertilizers on my tomato plants, cucumbers and herbs that I grow in containers. I use it on my flower containers but always hesitant on edible plants.

[@lksf9820]

You're not supposed to ingest them, they're for the plants.

[@harrybrandelius7816]

Organic fertilizer breaks down to the same chemicals as those in syntetic fertilizers so you are already consuming synthetic fertilizers.

[@Tipytao]

This is a good question, someone at my work gave me 2 huge things of miracle grow fertilizer for free because his wife was too afraid to use it to grow food.

[@Zizzyyzz]

​@@TipytaoSmart woman.

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

"Are synthetic fertilizers unhealthy for us to ingest?" - I wish chemistry was mandatory in schools. This idea is very common and completely baseless. All of the "chemicals" in synthetic fertilizer are also essential nutrients for all animals, plants and microbes. We can't live without nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium etc. The nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium etc in a bag of fertilizer is identical to that found in our bodies and in food. Anyone who tells you different failed their chemistry 101 class. :)

[@josephobrien991]

Is he saying that compost can’t be broken down and used by the plants when mixed with peet moss? My dahlia grew beautifully when planted in straight homemade compost by mistake.

[@BlackJesus8463]

Maybe you should watch the video before commenting.

[@brianduffy1338]

(Joan here). He did not say 'can't' but rather that it takes time for such breakdown, hence your potted plant will not get nutrients in a timely manner.

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

"Is he saying that compost can’t be broken down and used by the plants when mixed with peet moss?" - No - never said anything like that.

[@SimonStJohn]

Hydroponic tomatoes taste of the medium they grow in - water. Is there a lesson there? Just saying...😅

[@mikeb1039]

Here's one for you. Lady posted on youtube showing her putting (course) compost materials in the bottom of a large flower pot, bagged soil on top of it and then a plant on top. Then she show herself dumping out finished compost(!!!) from the "same" flower pot, supposedly at the end of the season, in the fall. Of course everyone is praising her for this easy compost method! I tried telling that there's not way that level of decomposition happened in the closed environment of a potted plant and bagged sterilized soil over the course of a few months. Nobody believes me. We live in a world of idiots these days.

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

Everything composts - eventually. One problem with the demo is that we can't see "decomposition/composting". Just because it might look black and crumbly does not mean it has composted. Even finished compost is years away from completely composting. I agree - the video you mentioned is a dumb idea.

[@bonniegaughan2257]

I have some perennials and a hydrangea growing in pots. What should I use to fertilize them?

[@BlackJesus8463]

Hmm what should I fertilize with? What about fertilizer?

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

A fertilizer with a ratio of 3-1-2. kzbin.info/www/bejne/omatqIehocqYeqc

[@JungleScene]

I feel like you should define potted plant. In bonsai our trees are potted plants but many conifer absolutely do need fungi to thrive. Additionally the month waiting time for organic fertilizer to activate is not a problem when you're applying it systematically and can account for the lag time, which is what we do in bonsai. Additionally, we actually want the slow breakdown of nutrients because in later phases of bonsai development we want to slow the tree down a lot and organic fertilizer helps us manage growth.

[@outwest100az]

Question, are jobe sticks are a waste of time and money or worth every penny in potted plants as I have been sticking them in my potted plants for years. I instituted your let the weeds alone system in my watermelon patch this year and had my best crop ever, thanks again. Always learning I wish I was 20 years younger so I could have more years of fun in the sun of the southwestern desert trying to beat the heat

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

jobe sticks - just about the worst thing you can buy. Use a fertilizer that dissolves in your water.

[@outwest100az]

Thanks, not again. Just had one of my desert cantaloupes fresh cut what a treat. Dig your channel and have passed it on (not sucking up)

[@DavidMFChapman]

I have houseplant fertilizer concentrate to add to my watering can, but I rarely use it. How do I know how much is enough?

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

Use 100 ppm nitrogen. Find that out in this article. www.gardenmyths.com/best-fertilizer-indoor-plants-containers/

[@jeanpauldupuis]

He says about compost tea, "you have no idea what microbes are in there." You don't need to know /precisely/ which microbes you have. You know you have some mix of an/aerobic single and multicelled organisms. Some of them, maybe less than a tenth of a percent, will be favorably adapted to the container, and will promptly colonize it to carrying capacity. The maladaptoids will be manure for the process.

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

You don't know that because you don't know what you started with or what you have in the pot. You are just making assumptions.

[@lovecatspiracy]

I like how Matt Powers is democratizing knowing the microbes! It is the cusp of an amazing breakthrough for us all!

[@lovecatspiracy]

Also, I like your point about the dead ones and how they become micromanure. As soil science evolves, we are learning new vocabulary about the layers. The "necromass" you memtion is a massive component to overall carbon deposition into living soils. We are all carbon-based lifeforms!

[@alisonburgess345]

It annoys me the way Americans refer to potting "soil". It's actually a potting MIX - one of its jobs is to hold itself open to allow oxygen to flow through. It's a totally artificial environment and the concept of "healthy soil" doesn't apply to containers..

[@bart9409]

Very helpful but I am somewhat confused. I’ve seen previous videos by him where he used 50% garden soil in his pots. That’s appealing to be bc it makes things a lot cheaper. This video implies not to do so.

[@kvev5441]

He did not say that the use of garden soil is better or worse than potted soil He is just saying that when you use potted soil, you don’t need to add microbes and synthetic fertilizers works better than organic

[@brianduffy1338]

(Joan here). I don't think he explicitly said not to do this. What he is speaking to is the fact that in a contained space like a pot, you will need to make sure the plant roots are in a medium that is aerated enough. Sometimes garden soil can be more compacted than would be ideal for the plant roots to access water and nutrients. Most people today do get the potted mixes but I have used soil in container pots mixed with a medium that aerates and it works just fine.

[@bart9409]

@@kvev5441 So now the question would be, if your going to add 60% soil to peat and compost, how is this any different than what you would do in the ground? Do you now need the microbes? Why wouldn’t you just use garden soil in a pot? What is it about a pot that the care of the plant is different if the medium is the same?

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

" he used 50% garden soil in his pots" - not for indoor plants - but I do use it for outdoor containers. They require less watering. I still use synthetic fertilizer for them.

[@prime7999]

So this is what Boomer Humor has devolved into. No K, I’ll stick to IMO and KNF tangentially and having fat cheap harvests of everything. Condescending a method that is cheaper seems foolhardy, but a market for a product will appear even when something is free. Check out how to make your own IMO if you get froggy, boss

[@lksf9820]

One thing you did miss was that Synthetic fertilisers do ruin soil (in the ground), but indirectly. If only chemical fertilisers are used and no organic matter is added then the soil does suffer, it becomes dead and lifeless. It's like the hydroponic analogy, it's then just something to prop the plant up whilst it's fed.

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

Provide proof of this. This is a common myth. Plant roots themselves are adding organic compounds to soil, so in the garden you never have a case where soil only gets synthetic fertilizer.

[@ebblesr]

This is wrong, sorry. You can water your plants in the sun too you wont burn them. Not directed at Gardenfundamentals1

[@lovecatspiracy]

​@@Gardenfundamentals1 John Kempf and others provide ample proof that conventional agricultural fertilizers salinize field soils. The compounds transform upon hitting the dirt, no longer bioavailable to plant roots. Also, the substrate becomes toxic to microbes when salted in this way. The issue is compounded by all of the herbicides and fungicides sprayed on the same fields. Matt Powers can show you how to view the living organisms with his breakthroughs in Regenerative Soil Microscopy. Ray Archuleta can do a walkabout on anyone's property and demonstrate with a shovel how much better farm soil is on the untreated margins. John Kempf does agronomy consultations demonstrating hard data of crops improved with evidence-based foliar applications. Etc etc.

[@alibali672]

Yes, and it is a concern that plants do not take up the micronutrients needed by people when grown using both these methods.

[@lovecatspiracy]

Potted plants / raised beds /hydroponic systems are basically CAFOs (animal feedlots) for plants. Garbage in, garbage out.

[@johnkehoe8368]

does this apply to all plants even marijuana ?

[@BlackJesus8463]

Is marijuana even a plant ?

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

Why would marijuana be different?

[@ebblesr]

This video debunks most of what you will find on cannabis grower channels and if you watch more videos it jumps to 100%. It's kind of crazy how a whole genre of videos are all full of garbage info.

[@lovecatspiracy]

It's because of the verbal codeswitching. I like that he began with defining "healthy soil" vs "soilless mix" aka "substrate". Also, I think the jury is still out regarding beneficial microbe foliar sprays. Since these are not constantly flushed in the fertigation, the leaf surfaces can still ranch microbes.