There are many factors involved when taking good care of your garden.
But they all start from the ground, and if you don’t have quality soil, it will be difficult for any plants to thrive.
To ensure good soil balance, you might need to mix different things into your soil, and to do this, you’re going to need a garden soil mixer.
You can buy these at a store, but it’s also easy to make one yourself.
This Guide – We’re going to explain everything you need to know about garden soil mixers, how to use them, and how to choose the right one for your garden.
What Is A Garden Soil Mixer?
A garden soil mixer is a tool utilized by gardeners to blend other components into soil to improve its nutritional value for whatever is growing in the soil.
There are many things that you can add to the soil to improve its quality and make it suitable for different plants.
Some, but not all, examples include:
- manure
- compost
- peat moss
- perlite
When creating a soil mix, your garden soil mixer will become a tool you can’t do without.
These tools incorporate a motor and blade to mix the soil and get the job done without a worry of getting your hands dirty.
All you have to do is push a button and it’s mixed.
Are There Different Types Of Soil Mixers?
Not all soil mixers are the same.
In fact there are several different types.
This guide serves has a way in helping you decide which is best for you.
Let’s start with the types you would find in your local DIY or garden store gardening section.
Continuous Mixer Or Batch Mixer
An outstanding aspect of a continuous mixer is its ability to help in producing multiple cartons of soil at once.
If you happen to have a lot of soil to mix and a larger garden permits this, this would probably be the better choice as it will save you time and effort.
Batch Mixers are an option if you are only requiring smaller amounts of soil.
This type of garden soil mixer requires the user to add all the ingredients for one batch at a time in front of the mixer, so it should be mixed and removed before the user can add in ingredients for the next batch.
These are great if you do not need to mix large amounts of soil, but for those with more requiring needs, these will be much more time consuming.
Soil Dispersion Mixers
In terms of soil dispersion mixers, they are a bit different in the fact that they are built on the tendency to disperse things in the soil.
This only allows you to test soils, and a knife is used to stir the soil and an unbelievably powerful motor which means the machine runs at about 10,000 rpm.
Portable Garden Soil Mixer
Portable soil mixers are fantastic choice and commonly used and embraced by professional gardeners who want a tool that they can use at combined setting, at their home or have to take to various jobs.
As You Might Expect: The portability comes with downsides in regards to capacity so the ideal use will not be for large jobs, but if you looking for convenience and speed at jobs across the board, this will be a great option.
Soil Master Feed Garden Mixer
The soil master feed mixer is one of the most comprehensive types of dirt mixer on the market.
It does an impressive job at mixing the dirt evenly, and is suitable for domestic users as it works well for both small and larger projects.
This type of garden dirt mixer has two knives that are utilized for cutting other materials as necessary:
There is also an auger with an additional seven blades for mixing the dirt.
You will want to remember that the electrical tools can be heavy, and some models can weigh as much as 400kg!
Also, there are models that can be mounted to a tractor which is great for landowners or commercial operations.
They come with a significant price tag, so we really would recommend only purchasing one of these tools if you are going to do a lot of work with your soil master.
What About DIY Soil Mixers?
You can skip buying an electric garden soil mixer and use a DIY approach instead.
Many people will mix the soil by hand and that’s fine, but when dealing with larger quantities, this can be hard work.
There are lots of ways to make a DIY soil mixer but the standard you will see is that the process is similar to using a drill.
Instead of using the drill to create holes in timber, you can use it to mix other material into the soil.
Once you have made your DIY soil mixer, get it plugged in, and start mixing.
One of the good things about this is that it will save you a lot of money and you still get very good results.
Because it spins while mixing, you will likely find that it does a quick and effective soil mix.
Pro And Cons Of DIY Soil Mixers
As with anything, DIY soil mixers also have pros and cons. In weighing your decision about making your own versus purchasing a ready-made product, it is worth considering both.
On the Positive Side – A soft soil mixer is unbelievably fast! You dump in your ingredients, and your soil will be mixed in seconds, which is perfect if you in a hurry, or have a lot of soil to mix.
In addition, these DIY mixers are so simple to manage, that you don’t even have to have ever worked with this type of equipment before, and you will not have a problem.
These mixers are also so comfortable to use, the grip can also be fit to your preference.
Likewise, if you mix soil by hand, an electric DIY soil mixer is a great option.
You also, won’t end up with soil on your hands, making it much tidier.
But definitely, consider that DIY is never going to work as easily as a manufactured one.
For Example – On a homemade soil mixer, it is not unusual for the blades to clog, so you have to stop to fix it, regardless of whatever is stuck in there. It gets even trickier, if its wet soil.
Also, you are relying on your own craftsmanship to be safe.
Make sure to tighten the blade correctly, as it may fly off at some point and be a safety concern for you or a bystander.
Making Your Own DIY Potting Mix With A DIY Soil Mixer
After understanding the functionality of the shop-bought and DIY garden soil mixers. You can now begin to create your own DIY potting mix.
Sure, you can buy these from just about any garden store, supermarket, or DIY shop but why would you do that when you can easily make your own at home?
Not only is a DIY potting mix much cheaper but it also performs better. This is because of how light it is, so that’s why it is very good for proper draining.
Once you have mixed the following ingredients together, just add it to your soil and let it work its magic.
You will need to start by:
- Add three parts of sphagnum peat moss to your container, which should be about two gallons. This is the base of the mix.
- Be careful about where you plan to use the soil as sphagnum peat moss does have a slightly higher acidity so it may not be right for certain plants like tomatoes and eggplants. However, adding a little bit of lime can counteract some of this acidity.
- Next, you will add one part of compost into your container and then one part of perlite. You would probably also want to add some worm castings into the mix or you may want to use manure.
Of course, you will now want to bring in your DIY soil mixer or purchased soil mixer and blend all the organics together now.
What Ingredients Can I Use When Mixing Soil?
The aspects we just talked about will make a great potting mix.
However, these are not the only things you can have.
And it is worth giving some thought to the kinds of crop you want to grow, because that will drive what the best possibilities are in your soil mix.
Sand And Silt
Sand is a great option if you’re looking for something that with drain quickly.
But again, you don’t want to use sand as potting soil on its own because sand is not very good at holding nutrients so you are much better off mixing it with other products.
In fact, there are naturally occurring types of soil that be combined with sand, especially when trying to improve its texture.
Silt are great for the types of soil where the makeup depends a lot more on holding nutrients.
Silt, compared to sand, packing down easier and will make for a denser soil type.
Silt has many similar properties as clay, with it being in-between sand and clay, so it’s great if you want a combo of both.
Clay
Clay is heavier than other types of soil, it’s sticky and holds moisture well.
The major drawback is its density that makes working with it a challenge.
However, many plants are happy in clay-based soil including flowering prairie plants and decorative grasses which mean it has a place in the gardening world.
Clay should never be used in isolation, and it should always be amended with other organic material like compost or manures.
This ʻbreaks upʼ the engineered soil structure, making it lighter and less dense, while adding a range of nutrients for your plants.
It improves air and water flow, which pure clay does a great job compacting and keeping where it is.
All-Purpose Potting Mix
Stores offer general-purpose potting mix for if you wanted to buy it, but it’s just as easy using your garden blender if you wanted to mix one for yourself.
Typically, a potting mix consists of vermiculite, peat moss, and composted bark. This is a good potting mix and is good for almost everything you are going to be planting in your garden.
When purchasing potting mix, you need to be careful as not all potting mixes are organic, and they typically contain chemical fertilizers, etc…
Succulent Mix
If you are looking to mix your own soil for your cacti and other succulents, you will want some of the following ingredients:
- Perlite,
- Potting soil,
- And Sand.
Of course, as with the other types of mixes, you can buy those items in stores. Again, I want to emphasize the benefits of doing it yourself.
Premium Potting Mix
If you are using standard potting mix but want to enhance your plants, then you should consider creating a more premium potting mix.
For example, you can mix in some coarsely composted manure, perlite, peat moss, and/or vermiculite.
Conclusion
Whenever you garden, you can’t just pull out a plant and just throw it back into the ground soil/soil of your garden and expect it to thrive; you need to add a few other ingredients depending on your plant or soil.
Of course, you could also mix in the ingredients by hand but I found that to be too messy and hard to do.
A garden soil mixer does the hard work for you and you can buy them at a store or make your own DIY garden soil mixer.