How to prepare a basic potting mix?

Here are some pointers to prepare potting mix:

1. You can add bone meal to your potting mix. 

2. You can add goat manure/chicken manure, but add little as by nature it's hot, so too much may cause plant burn

3. You can add a little wood ash

4. You can add bio nutrients and fungicides like pseudomonas, Trichoderma, azophyllum, phosphobactria, these are added in minimum quantities so don't overdo it, just a tad bit goes a long way.


5. Cowdung manure can be added a bit more than vermicompost (VC) in the start as CD is a slow releasing fertilizer and VC is an instant releaser. VC canbe used later as topping too once every 10 days.

Mix everything well and keep aside, sprinkle water and mix.

Please do not use this immediately on mixing, it's not ready.....once you see some weeds growing you will know the medium is now ready to accept plants

So to sum it up you take equal quantity of cocopeat, soil, manure n vermicompost along with neem cake to make your basic potting mix.

Add the above mentioned nutrients to enrich n enhance your soil for better results.

Watch the following video:

Cocopeat or others?

There are many who don't believe in using cocopeat or CP as we call it.

There are lot of alternative's which you can do in-house... Few am mentioning below for your reference:

• Groundnut husks can be crushed and used
• Coarse sand can be added
• Vermiculite or perlite to retain water can be used
• Coconut husk got from our kitchens can be used
• Sawdust can be used. Only please ensure the sawdust you use is of natural wood and not chemically treated ones

Though I still believe cocopeat is the best and that is what I would recommend.

Good luck and happy gardening.