Container gardening

[GARY]

How often should a commercially-available potting mix (i.e., a soil- less growing media) be COMPLETELY removed and replaced with new commercially-available potting mix?". (I'm not referring to "dirt").

[beecrofter]

It's really a matter of soil pore space and salt buildup. As the soil ages coarse organic material gets smaller and smaller blocking air exchange with the roots. Once a year should be adequate for ornamentals.

[Mark Anderson]

I make my own mix out of pine bark fines and other stuff. That mix lasts me two years before being replaced. But, even if the mix isn't being replaced that year, the container still needs to be dumped and new fertilizer added and then the mix goes back in the container. Check out the container gardening forum on gardenweb. There's a lot of useful info about containers and container mixes.

[Astudent]

Thank you for this informative reply.