Coast of Maine Bar Harbor Blend Potting Soil – The Ultimate Guide

For gardeners and plant lovers, finding the right potting soil is crucial for healthy plants and beautiful gardens. One of the most popular and highly-rated potting soils on the market is the Coast of Maine Bar Harbor Blend This organic potting soil provides the perfect balance of nutrients, drainage, and water retention that plants need to thrive in containers

What is Coast of Maine Bar Harbor Blend?

Coast of Maine Bar Harbor Blend is an organic potting soil specially formulated for growing plants in containers like pots hanging baskets and window boxes. It contains a blend of sphagnum peat moss, composted manure, perlite, and aged bark enriched with lobster and crab shell meal.

This potting mix is designed to provide excellent drainage and aeration while still retaining just the right amount of moisture. The mix of ingredients gives plants a steady supply of nutrients from organic sources like the shell meal and compost.

Key Features and Benefits

Here are some of the stand-out features and benefits of using Coast of Maine Bar Harbor Blend potting soil

• Organic ingredients: Contains organic compost, peat moss, bark, and shell meal. Free of synthetic chemicals.

• Ideal drainage and moisture retention: Perlite improves drainage while peat moss and compost help retain moisture.

• Slow-release nutrition: Gets nutrients from compost, crab, and lobster shell meal. Feeds plants for 2-3 months.

• OMRI listed: Meets standards for organic growing set by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI).

• Versatile uses: Great for container gardens, hanging baskets, window boxes, and re-potting houseplants.

• Lightweight and fluffy: Easy to wet and work with, enhances root growth.

• ** pH balanced:** Formulated to an ideal pH range for healthy plant growth.

How To Use Coast of Maine Bar Harbor Blend Potting Soil

Using Coast of Maine Bar Harbor Blend potting mix is simple. Follow these tips for success:

• Choose a clean container with drainage holes. Fill with potting mix, leaving some room at the top.

• Gently remove the plant from its old container and loosen tangled roots.

• Place the plant in the new container at the same level it was originally growing.

• Fill in around the plant with more mix, gently firming it down.

• Water thoroughly until it drains freely from the bottom.

• situate the newly potted plant in the ideal spot for its needs.

• Check soil moisture regularly and water when the top inch becomes dry.

• Feed with organic liquid fertilizer once a month or as needed.

• Re-pot plants into a larger container when they become rootbound.

Best Uses for Bar Harbor Potting Soil

The Bar Harbor Blend excels at growing all types of plants in containers. Here are some of its best uses:

Houseplants

The fluffy, lightweight texture is perfect for potting and re-potting houseplants. It provides moisture retention and drainage that indoor plants need.

Container Vegetables

Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and other veggies thrive in the Bar Harbor Blend. The organic nutrition feeds plants for optimal harvests.

Container Herbs

Potted basil, oregano, thyme, and other herbs stay lush and flavorful grown in this mix.

Hanging Baskets

The Bar Harbor Blend is ideal for growing vibrant hanging baskets of flowers, vines, and trailers.

Flower Containers

It’s an excellent soil for pots of annuals, perennials, roses, and flowering shrubs.

Window Boxes

Mix it into window boxes to grow colorful cascades of flowers and foliage plants.

Where to Buy Coast of Maine Potting Soil

Coast of Maine potting soils are sold at garden centers, nurseries, hardware stores and major retailers like Home Depot, Lowe’s and Walmart. It’s offered in sizes ranging from 8 qt bags up to 2 cubic foot bags.

Some of the most popular sizes and price ranges are:

• 8 qt bag – $16-$19

• 16 qt bag – $23-$27

• 1 cubic foot bag – $18-$25

• 2 cubic foot bag – $20-$30

Larger quantities sold in cases of multiple bags can offer savings on the per-bag cost. Coast of Maine also sells variety combo packs with samples of different potting soil blends.

Check the Coast of Maine website to find local retailers that stock these exceptional organic potting soils. Purchasing through local stores also provides helpful guidance from knowledgeable staff.

Alternative Organic Potting Soil Options

For gardeners seeking other organic potting mixes, some top alternatives to consider include:

• Espoma Organic Potting Mix – Contains peat, perlite, and organic fertilizers. Very lightweight and fluffy texture.

• FoxFarm Ocean Forest Potting Soil – Nutrient-rich mix with forest humus and organic fertilizers like bat guano.

• Miracle-Gro Organic Choice Potting Mix – A trusted brand in an OMRI listed organic formula.

• Roots Organics Original Potting Soil – A vegan potting mix with coco fiber, perlite, and organic nutrients.

• Happy Frog Potting Soil – Contains forest products, peat moss, and organic fertilizer. Made by FoxFarm.

While these all work well, the Coast of Maine Bar Harbor Blend stands out for its exceptional quality ingredients, balanced formulation for drainage and moisture retention, slow-release organic nutrition, and great value.

Troubleshooting Common Potting Soil Problems

When using any potting mix, a few issues can occasionally arise. Here are some tips on troubleshooting problems if they occur with the Bar Harbor Blend:

Potting soil drying out too quickly: This is often due to containers being too small, having drainage holes that are too large, being situated in hot sun or windy areas, or inadequate watering. Use larger pots, move to partial shade, check drainage holes, and monitor soil moisture daily.

Poor drainage: If water pools on the surface or takes a long time to drain from the bottom of containers, the potting mix may have become compressed over time. Add more perlite to lighten the texture. Re-pot plants into fresh mix annually.

Nutrient deficiencies: If plants show signs of yellowing leaves, stunted growth, or poor flowering/fruiting, they may need more nutrients. Supplement with organic liquid fertilizer or work in some worm castings.

Fungus gnats: These small flying insects can become a nuisance. They are harmless to plants but indicate too much moisture. Allow soil to dry out further between waterings and use yellow sticky traps.

Mold or mildew: Excess moisture can also cause white mold or powdery mildew on the soil surface or plants. Improve airflow and cut back on watering frequency.

Get Growing with Coast of Maine Bar Harbor Blend!

Coast of Maine Bar Harbor Blend organic potting soil provides the ideal growing environment for container plants to stay healthy and thrive. It’s the go-to potting mix for gardens big and small, from houseplants to vegetables to flower pots. With proper watering and light conditions, plants potted in Bar Harbor Blend will reward you with lush, vigorous growth and bountiful blooms and harvests.

Yes, Coast of Maine potting soil is generally considered good, especially for organic gardening. It’s known for its quality ingredients, including compost, peat moss, and aged bark, which provide a good balance of water retention, drainage, and aeration.