MM for indoor plants

I have many house plants. Right now they are looking pretty neglected - well, I'm outdoors most of the time.

Anyway, I've always used the bagged planting soil for them and I truly hate it. It gets crusty on the top and has to be changed quite often. How would it work to use MM instead? Just considering it.

That's funny greatgranny I was just thinking about that a few hours ago because of how good of soil it is! I was also thinking how some people will put a worm in a house plant pot and wondering what to feed it. I would think MM would be so much better than the bagged stuff! I have lots of house plants and began growing them many years ago when I lived in apartments. I think we should try and see!

Think I may try it when I replant my amaryllis in the fall. Stop me if this is not going to work. If it does work, all of my plants, including a huge ficus tree will all get a new batch.

I can see it now - dirt all over the floor and me sitting in the middle of it playing in the dirt like my great grandson. Oh what the heck, we're never to old to have a happy childhood.

I can't believe this was the first topic when I logged in just now. Mom and I were just discussing changing our house plants over to MM this morning. I guess we'll try one or 2 w/ MM & see how they do.

CC

I've tried using MM in two potted plants, one a flower and one a house plant. My conclusion was, it's a great mix only if you can keep it hydrated. Unfortunately the mix would dry out so fast that I had trouble keeping the plants watered, and almost killed the houseplant a couple of times. Usually I would water my house plants once a week, but the one in MM needed it a few times a week.

I accidentally bought medium grade vermiculite last year, but because it was the only verm I could find, I used it anyway to make MM. I've actually found that the MM made with the medium verm stays hydrated longer than the MM with coarse verm. It's not quite as fluffy, but it's still very good. Anyway, my point is that maybe for potted plants, medium verm would work much better than coarse.

@littlesapphire wrote:I've tried using MM in two potted plants, one a flower and one a house plant. My conclusion was, it's a great mix only if you can keep it hydrated. Unfortunately the mix would dry out so fast that I had trouble keeping the plants watered, and almost killed the houseplant a couple of times. Usually I would water my house plants once a week, but the one in MM needed it a few times a week.

I accidentally bought medium grade vermiculite last year, but because it was the only verm I could find, I used it anyway to make MM. I've actually found that the MM made with the medium verm stays hydrated longer than the MM with coarse verm. It's not quite as fluffy, but it's still very good. Anyway, my point is that maybe for potted plants, medium verm would work much better than coarse.

I have some medium verm also. I will try it. I think that I may take the less heavy pots outdoors when the sun is not drilling me and the plant into the ground and attempt it. I have some self-watering spikes for indoors. I'll give it a go and hope for the best.

@greatgranny wrote:I have many house plants. Right now they are looking pretty neglected - well, I'm outdoors most of the time.

Anyway, I've always used the bagged planting soil for them and I truly hate it. It gets crusty on the top and has to be changed quite often. How would it work to use MM instead? Just considering it.

GG ,
I'd caution against using MM indoors for it usually is also a good breeding ground for " ORRIBLE " tiny black biting insects that only seem to come out at night and bite the day lights out of you as you sleep "
The flies live & dine in/on the manure elements of the MM and don't seem to get killed off by hot composting .. I found out the hard way earlier this year.

The next batch off MM potting will have several kettles of boiling water poured in it whilst it is sat in a 4 gallon galvanized steel bucket to try and kill off the little blighters , but I suspect it will only be a temporary solution.

I use a pseudo MM for my houseplants... I mix the vermiculite and peat moss into a bagged gardening soil. I never really liked how the bagged potting soil felt in my hands, so I never used it. I had some left over garden soil from another project that I ammended, and so far so good. It wasn't the same 1/3 ratio, i think it was about 1/2 garden soil and 1/4 each of the vermiculite and peat moss.

I had no idea about "ORRIBLE", I wanted to put pseudo MM in the pots, but was out of my mix of bagged compost after building my beds, and my own compost wasn't ready yet. Looks like I lucked out there...

Just and idea... something to try...

@plantoid wrote:

@greatgranny wrote:I have many house plants. Right now they are looking pretty neglected - well, I'm outdoors most of the time.

Anyway, I've always used the bagged planting soil for them and I truly hate it. It gets crusty on the top and has to be changed quite often. How would it work to use MM instead? Just considering it.

GG ,
I'd caution against using MM indoors for it usually is also a good breeding ground for " ORRIBLE " tiny black biting insects that only seem to come out at night and bite the day lights out of you as you sleep "
The flies live & dine in/on the manure elements of the MM and don't seem to get killed off by hot composting .. I found out the hard way earlier this year.

The next batch off MM potting will have several kettles of boiling water poured in it whilst it is sat in a 4 gallon galvanized steel bucket to try and kill off the little blighters , but I suspect it will only be a temporary solution.

So, you are saying that because some of us have manure in our MM we should not use this? Okay, what if I use a compost that doesn't have any animal waste? Would that be all right? What about worm castings? What about blood meal?

I raise African Violets and the soil mixture I've used is 1/3 vermiculite, 1/3 peat moss and 1/3 worm castings. My violets absolutely love it. No bugs seen. They are outside on the porch, out of the sun. Most of them are blooming!! I say go for it!
For the bugs, take some peat and vermculite, mix together and use as a mulch, this should keep the bugs away.
Jo