I know you're supposed to get the soil extremely wet when you plan on planting, but when I soak my soil in water then let it sit for 10-15 minutes it just becomes extremely clumpy and matted down. Wouldn't that not allow for the roots to spread? How do you get your soil to be airy when its so damp?
As of right now I have normal miracle grow, but I'm getting good soil (and perlite) tomorrow and I plan on transplanting as soon as possible.
Yeah, get out of that Miracle Gro, it has time-released ferts that can kill your plant. Your challenge is that January is not the time that stores stock their widest variety of garden products. You want to get a 100% organic soil mix and then mix it anywhere from 3:1 to 5:1 with perlite. Here's a soil recipe that works great: 4 parts organic potting soil 3 parts sphagnum moss 2 parts worm castings 1 or more parts perlite 1 or more parts clean sand Careful with other Miracle Gro products, they put ferts in their peat moss and even in their perlite. Make sure your pot has drainage holes, line the bottom with an inch of clean rocks, add soil mix, and you're good to go.
I took all of the ferts out of the Miracle Grow. I'm hoping I can transplant right when the plant comes through the soil, is that possible?
To prevent it from being so compacted after watering i dig my hands in the soils and just break up any chunks in the soil to help get some oxygen in the soil. Hope This helps