What you’re doing is building a soil like how nature would do it just way more simplified. Soil is typically material consisting of a mixture of organic remains, clay, and rock particles. Sphagnum peat is great for water retention and good drainage. That is your 1 third to your base and it is generally ph neutral too. Next 3rd … Aeration… i substitute perlite with clay aggregate but see rice hulls are working well for folks over the pond. We cant get them here unfortunately. 3rd part to your base is your compost/ewc… basically the living part … that’s your diversity of micro-organisms, such as bacteria, fungi, protozoa, algae and nematodes and worms. Basically the becoming of your soil.
Ewc on a microscopic level, the bacteria in the worm castings is perfect for your plants. This helps enhance the overall health of your plants, while protecting them from diseases and harmful bacteria. The bacteria in worm castings helps promote nitrogen in the soil too and has a good balance of other minerals like potassium, magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus. This mixed with a good compost abd a couple of amendments will be a powerful food source for the microbial life as well as your roots.
Another additive that is vitally important to a soil mix is 10% of your total mix must be clay. Organic matter is an important reactant with clays and the cation exchange properties of clays are among their most important properties in retaining plant nutrient ions… Cation selectivity of clays influences soils as a plant growth medium and as a disposal medium for waste… you can literally just use a red clay soil from a field or somewhere…
With thew right management the longer your soil stays in your pot the better it will get… just like nature …
One tip i can give is definitely go for bigger pots or fabric bags. Let those roots thrive bro.
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