Compost for potting on Palms

I got my Rock Dust today Dim ( sounds like a bloomin' legal high ) So we will see how it goes this year on flowers and a few veg.

 

good luck and keep us informed ....

also give the plants an occasional foliar feed with a seaweed extract .... Maxicrop has a good one for under £10 at most garden centres, and a litre goes a long way as you only use a few ml per litre of water

 

How come every time I come on GC it cost me money ! Seaweed extract now at £10 a blob.

 

my wife says the same .... she says I spend too much money on things not needed ...

I'm at the stage now where I hide things that I buy ...

bought a Hozelock spraymist 1,25 litre pressure sprayer today from B&Q .... costs £11.98 .... was not really necessary as I have a cheap mist sprayer .... but it was one of those 'impulse buys'

will hide it away for a few weeks

 

Advice : SEER Rockdust will not increase fertility of sterile grow-bags. Worms and soil micro-organisms must be present to achieve the natural organic processes of soil 'remineralisation'.
I have just read the above on Rock Dust from the seers site . Will the RD work in containers

 

as I mentioned in a previous post, use some rootgrow (mycorrhizal fungi) when you pot the palms

also use some garden topsoil in the mix which will apply other micro-organisms ....

and don't water with tap water ..... if you have no choice but to use tapwater, fill a watering can with water and let it stand for a day to dissolve the chlorine .... the chlorine kills the mycorrhizal fungi

and, if you want to take it 1 level up, also include the vermicompost (worm humus) which I also mentioned

 

... and here is another article about using the worm castings with rockdust in pots:

http://www.angus-horticulture.co.uk/ProductCard.asp?pID=12061

snip:

Compost / Growing media applications
Always use Angus VermiCompost with Revive Volcanic Minerals in non-soil based growing media [commonly, but not always accurately, referred to as compost].
For all crops/plants in all types/sizes of containers mix 5% Revive Volcanic Minerals and 5% VermiCompost with the growing media.
E.g. If using 90 litres of growing media mix in 5kg of Angus Rock Dust and 5 litres of Revive Volcanic Minerals.

from what I understand, there has to be micro organisms present for the rockdust to break down .... vermicompost (worm humus) supplies these ... (£10 for a 10 kg bag, and you only use a little per pot)

and rootgrow also is highly recomended

or, if you don't wish to purchase any additional products, mix 1/3 of good topsoil to your potting mix with the rockdust

.... and I have also read that one should not use bonemeal when using rootgrow