AboutJames L. Crowder Expertise I can answer questions about soils, soil amendments, drainage and proper planting. I have extensive background in homeowner labeled pesticides (insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, etc.) and their proper use. I can also answer questions about the growing requirements of specific plants
Experience I have 37 years experience in the lawn and garden business split fairly evenly between the retail nursery business and wholesale distribution of consumer lawn and garden products. From 1990 to 2000 I co-hosted a weekly call-in talk radio program in Memphis, TN.
Organizations Garden Writers Association
Horticultural Board of the Mid South Fair
Publications Green Thumb Magazine - out of print
Education/Credentials 37 years of learning everday.
Awards and Honors Past president of the Memphis Horticultural Society.
Past president of the Memphis Bonsai Society.
Memphis Horticultural Society 2008 Horticultural Excellence Award
Question QUESTION: I have a small christmas tree in a pot, which needs repotting into a larger one, what kind of soil should I use please?
ANSWER: Hi Philippa, Take a look at the soil in the container. You want to match the soil type it is currently growing in. Is it a bark based soil or a peat based soil? Then purchase or make a soil of similar consistency.
Are you sure it needs to be re-potted? If you can easily push your finger into the soil, it probably doesn't need it. Jim
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QUESTION: The soil just looks like ordinary earth. This is a christmas tree that I bought at christmas in a pot - could it be that this was a dug up tree, shoved in a pot and the root might have been damaged? I have put it in a slightly bigger pot, but it certainly does not seem to have much root at all, so I think that might be the cause. It is still going brown.
Many thanks for your help.
Answer It's possible. Many plants are field grown and then dug and potted. But plants used as Christmas trees seldom survive. You cannot keep an outdoor plant indoors for more than 3 days. Longer than that, and the buds start to swell from the heat inside. The plant thinks it's spring. Then it is damaged when moved outside. You usually don't see the damage until late spring when the temperatures begin to rise. Jim
