Houseplant mix extroidinare

[Magelet]

Wow, my houseplants have never grown this much/fast etc. We have to keep trimming the thyme every 3-4 days and the plant is only 3 weeks old! I used a really nice potting soil, and then added a mix of Epsom salt, powdered egg shell, and ground kombu (kelp), to add minerals for the soil, to have really nice mineral-rich herbs.

I've never had such success with houseplants. All the plants I'm growing with that mix have been growing like crazy. I've also watered them a couple times with watered down milk (the water from soaking the milk out of the glass jar.)

I thought I'd share.

[Theia]

Wow! Thats cool! Where do you get powdered egg shell or do you DIY with a mortar and pestle? I have a container garden on my back patio that has western exposure. I also have some houseplants, but the container garden has been my main focus the past few weeks. I bet that mixture would make my salad bowl/mesclun mix grow like crazy.

[Magelet]

I just rinsed out an egg shell, let it dry, and crushed it in a mortar and pestle. (It wasn't totally powdered, but pretty close). I hate throwing out egg shells (no city compost and we can't get it and no yard to compost in), and was thrilled to have a use for a few of them.

egg shells are supposed to be especially good for tomatoes, cause the calcium helps prevent blossom end rot

For plants that are already potted, I was thinking I may try letting the mix soak in some water for like a day or so, then watered with it. Not quite as effective I imagine but might work well...

[Theia]

I'm in the same boat. I have to throw my eggshells out cuz I don't have a way/place to compost them. I'd almost rather put them in the recycle than throw them in the trash. But we eat enough around here that I can make a use for a couple of them anyway.

Thanks for the info. I have 2 tomato plants in my container garden. They live in a pot with a bright orange marigold to keep some pests away. What proportions would you use if you were using this as a fertilizer? I still have to transfer my mesclun mix from it's starter container to the large permanent planter. So I'll be able to put this in with that from the start. Yay! It's been rainy and stormy here the past several days and so it's nice to have something new to do for my garden.

[Magelet]

I probably used a tsp or two in a pot that holds maybe 2.5 c. of soil? I applied it kind of liberally, feeling that it's just minerals, it's not acidic or particularly basic and won't burn the plants, and as I water them, the water will slowly disolve the minerals into the soil...

For tomatoes, I would probably just dig into the very top bit of soil where they get watered (drip, hose, whatever), an eggshell or two powdered, and as you water it, i will bring it down. If it weren't planted yet, maybe 2-3 Tbs for one of those big 20 in pots?

For the mesclun mix, I think I would just spread a moderate coating over the whole, mix it in a bit, then plant. (not so heavy that you can't see lots of soil through, but not so light that it's almost all soil you see either.)

It's all guesswork though, I've only planted 4 plants with it so far.
I hope it helps your plants thrive.