Plant Growing Tips - The Trinity

This time of year its only natural that I get tons of email from concerned gardeners seeking to provide their plants with just the right conditions to make them thrive. While the Basement Shaman stocks plants from around the world, there are some surprising few tips which will greatly improve your chances at successful growing.

I think one of the most misunderstood areas is watering. If I took a random tally, I'd say that there's more overwatering going on versus underwatering. Most of our customers container grow their plants, and this in itself can be a bit tricky. Plants evolved to weave their roots into porous substrates of soil, unencumbered by physical barriers such as plastic pots. The environment directly in the soil offers unfettered gas exchage. Our first recommendation is replace plastic pots with much more porous, unglazed clay pots. We've recently begun phasing out our plastic pots in lieu of spun coconut fiber pots. Plant health is closely related to good gas exchange at the root level. Byproducts of plant metabolism must be allowed to escape and oxygen must be allowed in. Overwatering greatly inhibits this process, and literally starves the root zone of critical gas exchange. The end result is poor root health and a weakened plant. In our our greenhouse we allow most of our plant to dry to the point where they just begin to slightly droop between waterings. There are a few exceptions. One simple tip is to always allow the surface of the soil to dry between waterings. Stick your finger into the pot about an inch or two deep and test for moisture. If it's still moist, hold off on watering.

The second most popular question involves fertilizer. Here's a succinct tip, kick the Miracle-Gro habit!Miracle-Gro is a petrochemically-derived fertilizer that contains some inferior sources of nitrogen and other potentially problematic compounds. The nitrogen contained in this formula will produce lush growth but it also seems to produce plants that have very little resistance to pests. Furthermore, high levels of elevated metals have been found in the product, and you don't want these in your nervous system or your environment. Instead choose a good liquid, organic fertilizer. We love the Earthjuice brands and have used them in our own greenhouses for many years now. There are also many powdered organic supplements on the market.

And lastly, there's also a question about appropriate growing media. Avoid top soil. The stuff will eventually turn to cement in your pot. In fact most potting mixes are what are properly termed "soiless" mixes. They usually contain a blend of composted peat, perlite ( a white crumbly, very porous mineral mined from volcanic deposists), vermiculite(another mined mineral product with good porosity, and perhaps some composted bark and sand. Peat bogs have been seriously overmined, and we've selected mixes that substitute coconut coir, a fibrous byproduct of coconut harvesting that has some very beneficial growing characteristics. Once again, avoid the Miracle-Gro type products which now come pre-charged with their own fertilizer.

This is just a quick and cursory rundown. If you have any specific concerns you'd like answered, please post them here, and I'll compile some more growing tips. Remember as, mentioned, we are the point sources for protecting and disseminating these incredible plant allies. Our gardens are the living lineage, the points of light for preserving plant consciousness.

Happiness,
andy