Making Your Own Organic Potting Mix

As it was a beautiful sunny day in Sydney, I decided to spend the day in the garden, re potting some pot plants.  Lately I have been making my own organic potting mix, which I learnt how to do from a free City of Sydney Council, Live Green Workshop.

To make good potting soil, you  need to include three elements; water, air and nutrients.  Here are my ingredients for making organic potting mix that has all three of these elements:

1) Water – Coconut fibre

2) Air – Sand

3) Nutrients  – Humus  (can be compost or castings from a worm farm or even EM Bokashi treated dog poo.  NOTE if using dog poo in the recipe, it is well advised not to use the potting mix for edible plants, like fruit, veggies and herbs).

Let me explain in more detail:

Purchase organic compressed coconut bricks from nurseries or hardware. Make sure they are organic!

Soak the coconut bricks in water for at least 15 minutes, so the compressed brick will separate and expand.

If like me you do not have a wheelbarrow (for mixing the potting soil), lay a tarpaulin on the ground.  Add the bucket of separated and wet coconut fibre onto the tarp.

Now add the sand (in the same quantity as the coconut fibre).

Now add the nutrients.  As I am not re planting edible plants like fruit, veggies or herbs today, I will use my EM Bokashi treated dog poo.  Again in the same quantity as the sand and coconut fibre (all three parts equal in quantity).

Mix well together.

Now to pot your plant (just as normal).  Using one of my  garden pot ‘finds’ – I picked this garden pot up just recently from the side of the road.  Saved it from going to land fill.

As you can see this Aloe Vera plant is overgrown and needing a bigger garden pot.

And Walla……..the finished results.

Here is my mint that I replanted a month ago.  As mint is an edible plant, I used worm castings as the nutrients in my organic potting mixture.  The mint has doubled in sized since I planted it!

What Has Happened To Sarhn?

I know, I know…….it has been quiet on Greener Me lately, however I can assure you that I am alive and active.  Here is a little update of what I have been doing:

1)  Two nights ago Gavin Webber from ‘Greening of Gavin‘ (one of Australia’s prominent sustainability bloggers) interviewed me about my green philosophy, psychology and sustainability journey.  Click here to listen to the interview.

2)  I have been experimenting with making my own skin care products.  Here is a glimpse into what I have discovered……….. mix lemon and sugar into a paste makes a great hand scrub (back of hand).

3)  Last night I attended one of City of Sydney’s FREE Live Green Workshops I learnt about how to make my own potting mixture and ideas on which edible plants are good grown together (and planted now in Autumn).  I now have an Easter project!