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Question:

Transplanting from soil to soilless mix?

My friend gave me a couple plants she didn‘t need anymore but she‘s growing them in soil and I prefer soilless mix. I am about to transplant them into bigger pots but I don‘t want to buy the same soil she was using or even any soil. I already have soilless mix, is there a way I can transfer it into the soilless. Obviously there would still be soil wrapped around the roots and the two soils would mix. Is it ok. What should I do?

Answer:

The term soil-less mix covers a wide range of media. Soil-less can be anything from rock-wool, fired expanded clay balls, perlite and vermiculite to peat moss or coir fiber from coconut husks. A soil-less mix is usually peat moss with perlite and vermiculite, and its primary benefit is its acid pH that inhibits growth of disease organisms. This makes it helpful for seed-starting. Soil-less mixes (potting soil) have little if any nutrient value. I've never had a problem mixing soil with potting soil or vice versa. When you transplant seedlings from the nursery to a flower bed you are setting a soil-less mix into soil. I think you are worrying about nothing.
No problem, just transplant as usual. Most potting soils break down to where they are virtually soilless anywayexception would be if the original is very organic and your soilless not very organic.I'm assuming you have a good peat % in your soilless mix. If not, then there might be an interface problem where the highly organic meets mineral only. In that case you'd need to scratch around the root ball, exposing some of the roots before plopping into your mix.

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