The Potting Soil Industry's New Trick Is Diabolical!

There was a time when scams were a lot more obvious. But as the public grew wiser, the scams got cleverer. And yes, that is a word. Today, some of these scams are so welldesigned, people don't even know they are being tricked. Well, this new trick the potting soil industry is pulling on us is absolutely diabolical, and I'm going to expose it on this video. If you're new to the channel, please subscribe. Hit the bell for notifications, and check out my Amazon store and Spreadshop links in the video description for everything I use in my garden and awesome custom apparel and gear. As a gardener with a fairly extensive garden, almost everything I plant, I grow from seed myself. I don't buy transplants. Not only would it be extremely expensive to do so, but the selections that people sell as transplants are so limited, I wouldn't be able to grow the amazing species and varieties of plants that I want. I start hundreds if not thousands of plants from seed every year. And while some of the things I grow in my garden like carrots, beets, radishes, and secondwave plantings of cucumbers, and squashes, I sew directly in ground, the vast majority of what I grow, I start indoors in seed trays, and I transplant them out into my garden later. In order to do this most effectively, you need a good quality potting soil mix to fill your seed starting trays. For that, you have two options. The first option is to make your own mix. Now, I've showed you how to make seed starting mix in the past, and I'll link to that video both above and down in the video description. That is definitely the way to go if you want to make as much mix as possible for the lowest possible average price. The second option is to just buy it. And truthfully, this is what I usually do because I start so many plants from seed all throughout the year that the convenience is just worth it to me. I often buy a few bags of this Jiffy mix because it's very good quality. As you can see, it's light, fluffy, contains almost no large particles, and works perfectly in small seed starting cells. It's beautiful stuff, but there is a downside to it. It's a little expensive. You have to pay more for quality. And if you need just one bag, it's not a big deal at all. But if you need three, four, five bags of seed starting mix, well, it starts to add up quick. It's not cheap. And this mix does not contain any supplemental fertilizer. So, 7 to 10 days after your seedlings germinate, you're going to have to start applying a diluted water- soluble fertilizer to your plants. Now, you may be thinking, just go to your local big box store and buy those big bags of potting soil. You can buy huge bags of potting soil that are multiple times the size of those seed starting mix bags for nearly the same price. You'll have everything you need to start seeds for the entire year for $10 to $20 allin. Problem solved? Not so fast. There are three primary ways that companies deal with rising prices, increase demand, and yes, pad their bottom line a bit. The first way is to raise their prices. We call this inflation. A term that unfortunately we are all too familiar with these days. Well, there was this thing that happened back in 2020, 2021. I don't really know. I wasn't paying attention. But before then, I think I remember prices being a lot lower and stuff costing a lot less. I seem to remember going to Walmart and buying those huge bales of Pete Moss for $8 or $9. Well, I just went to my local big box store and those exact same bales are now selling for $24 a piece. 24 / 8, carry the one. That's a three times price increase in 6 years. While potting soil is still a relative bargain compared to seed starting mix, potting soil has gone up a lot from just a few years ago. The second way companies deal with rising prices and increased demand and try to bring their bottom line up a bit is a lot more annoying in my opinion. I mean, yeah, price increases suck and all, but it's a reality of life, and at least it's somewhat honest business. This much more underhanded tactic is reducing the amount of size in the package. We call this shrinkflation. This can be semi-transparent like, "Hey, wasn't this package a lot bigger last time?" You know, back in my day, ice cream was sold in half gallon containers. None of this 48 oz 1.5Q business. It can also be downright dirty, like when chip companies take the same size containers, the same size bags, and they reduce the weight inside and on the package while filling them with more air to make it look like you're getting the exact same amount when you actually aren't. These tactics irritate me far more than price increases. And I'm guessing it does you too. What do you think? Let me know in the comments what annoys you more, inflation or shrinkflation. And the third tactic is in my opinion the worst of all because I think it's the most underhanded and that is quality reduction. This is when companies reduce the quality of their ingredients as a measure of controlling cost or increasing profits. For example, did you know in the United States the term ice cream is tightly regulated? In order to call something ice cream legally, it must contain at least 10% milk fat. Many products in your groceryer's freezer can't legally be called ice cream anymore because they no longer meet the minimum standards. Cream has been swapped out for higher percentages of milk and these plant-based gums, which then allow the manufacturers to whip more air into the mix thanks to the high gum content. This is called overrun in the industry. The result is this light, airy product that barely melts when you let it sit out on your countertop. There may be no better example of this than a once great brand that begins with B and ends in Ryers. They basically are selling you airrated gum milk, which is why their product barely feels like anything and is virtually weightless in your hand and it has to legally be labeled frozen dairy dessert cuz it ain't ice cream anymore. You're paying for whipped gum milk. By the way, I'm clearly not mad about this at all. But things get truly diabolical when companies combine these tactics. And this is the trick that many potting soil companies are playing on us. I can't put an exact number on how much potting soil prices have gone up over the last several years because it varies from brand to brand and location to location. All I can give you is my personal experience where I live. And I have experienced roughly a 50 to 75% increase in the cost of most potting soil mixes where I live. And in that same time frame, Pete Moss prices have gone up about 200%. Also, in that time frame, the packaging size has stayed the same. So, we've seen significant potting soil inflation, absolutely enormous raw Pete moss inflation, and no shrinkflation. Again, these numbers are rough and not consistent everywhere. But what it is clear is that while potting soil prices have gone way up, they haven't gone up anywhere near as much as the cost of raw Pete moss. So, how are these companies making up the difference? Well, I have noticed a huge decrease in quality in most potting soil mixes over recent years. I have noticed in many potting soil blends a significant reduction of Pete moss and a significant increase in forest products. There is more bark, sticks, twigs, and wood chips and less Pete overall. So, while it looks like you're getting the same amount of product, you're actually not. You're getting an inferior formula that has been bulked with cheaper ingredients. It's gotten so bad in some of these brands that I can no longer even use them. Prior to 2021, Walmart had this off label brand that I loved because it was great quality per dollar, but it's gotten so bad in recent years, I can't even use it anymore. What used to be a relatively high Pete product is now mostly Forest product. It has been very frustrating for me. And while I can't say this is true of all brands and all products, it's definitely true of most of them that I've noticed. Now, just to be clear, this video is not made to be a takedown of this particular product. To be honest, I actually kind of like this product. Out of all of the mid-range potting soil options available in my location, I still find this one is pretty decent quality. They seem to have compromised on their ingredients a little bit less than other similar brands at a similar price point. But that being said, I still have noticed a significant drop in Pete content and more barks and twigs in the mix over the years. Watch what happens when I try to fill the same seed trays with this product. The mix is far too chunky for seed starting. If you use this mix, you're going to have problems with germination rates, and it isn't going to hold together well when you try to pop the root balls out of the transplant trays. This just isn't suitable for seed starting as is, in my opinion. Here is what I do to make bulk potting mix usable for seed starting. I take a high quality soil sifter like the one that you see right here and I use it to screen out the largest particles in the mix. A good soil sifter will remove a lot of the large forest products and the end result will be a finer mix that is higher in Pete content. Now, will this mix be as nice as the Jiffy seed starting mix right out of the bag? No, it will not be. But it will be much more usable for mass seed starting than the potting mix will be straight from the bag. Then as for the screenings that I collect, I simply dump them around my trees and I use them as mulch. These soil sifters are absolutely worth their weight in gold. This one right here is a tank. It's the kind of soil sifter that you hand down from generation to generation. [clears throat] It's made to last a lifetime or longer. If you want a really great quality one, I will place a link down in the video description for this exact one. It's not cheap, but it's also not expensive either. It's very affordable and I really think it's worth it. If you're interested, I'll also place a couple of links for cheaper options as well, but I have to tell you, I really think it's worth the extra couple dollars for a great one like this. So, while I can't say this is true for every brand and every product, it has become very clear to me that potting soils on the whole have reduced their quality in recent years to deal with the higher pete and core prices. The end result is an inferior product full of more sticks, twigs, and wood chips and less suitable for starting seeds. It's also more problematic when container gardening because these forest products, they break down more quickly than Pete moss and perlite, leading to a mix with a shorter lifespan. Basically, you'll have to amend your container gardens more often, as well as do things like root prune and repot your trees with fresh mix more often, which isn't ideal. Unfortunately, the only way around this reality is to either pay more for the raw materials and make your own mix or be extremely selective and buy only the most premium products that have not compromised the recipe. Making your own soil is often the best. I'll link to a video both above and down in the video description that will show you how to make ultra highquality potting mix. But be warned, this video is several years old, and when you see the prices in that video, your head may explode. But that being said, the recipe itself is still excellent. The compromise is what I showed you in this video. Buy the mid-level mixes and just screen out the largest particles like I showed you with a soil sifter or a compost sifter. This will give you a much more usable mix. However, be aware that anytime you buy non-sterile mixes from the outdoor area in a garden center, they will contain fungusnat eggs. So, if you use the mix right out of the bag indoors, you'll have those little annoying gnats flying around. I use a foil lasagna pan and I bake the mix in the oven for an hour at 300°. Then, I let it cool before use. This sterilizes the mix and it kills all those nasty fungusnat eggs. So, if you're starting your seeds outdoors or in a greenhouse, this may not matter to you, but if it does and you're starting them indoors, I recommend the baking procedure. Of course, you could just always buy the sterile seed starting mix from the get- go. And then you don't need to worry about the fungus nut eggs, but those mixes cost a little bit more money. I'll link to the Jiffy mix down in the video description, too. That is ready to go right out of the bag. So, if you've noticed a reduction in quality in many potting mixes over the last several years, it's probably not your imagination. I've certainly noticed it. Have you noticed this phenomenon? If you did, please drop a comment below. Let me know what you think. I have noticed a precipitous decline in quality in recent years, and it's really important that we all know how to mitigate this reduction in quality for the best results. Hopefully, this video has been effective at raising your awareness and providing solutions to the problem. So everybody, I sure hope you found this video helpful. If you did, please make sure to hit the like button, subscribe to the channel, and please ring the notification bell so you're notified when I release more videos like these. If you're curious about any of the products that I featured in this video, like the compost sifter, various soils, and more, I'll place direct links down in the video description for your convenience for everything else I use in my yard and garden. That is all linked in my Amazon storefront. So, expand the video description, click on the Amazon storefront link, and you'll see everything I use in real life. And while you're down there, check out my website, the millennialger.com, for all things gardening and custom merch if you want to support my channel. Thank you all so much for watching, and I hope to see all of you again on the next video. Well, I just got done baking a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, and I have a little bit of leftover puff pastry. And you'll notice there's a bite missing uh because I wanted to make sure it was safe. But I put a little bit of cinnamon on it and I baked it to get it nice and puffy. And I know someone who would love to try some puff pastry. Ready? Okay. What do you think of that, buddy? That was pretty good. Oh boy, he's drooling everywhere. Oh well, happy Thanksgiving. We have a little bit of turkey meat for you for later in the day, too. We're going to have such a good time. Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Potting soil prices have exploded, but the real truth about potting soil is worse than just inflated prices. There is a secret scam at work. The potting soil we are buying today is not the same product we were buying a few years ago, and there has been a change made to most potting mixes that nobody noticed. The potting soil industry's new trick is diabolical, and I'm going to expose it and show you how to fix it. • How To Make Potting Soil In Bulk: https://youtu.be/t3kx5PhCJU8?si=jrU_6RHo_xcBj0zU • How To Make Seed Starting Mix: https://youtu.be/jbsIHN3Zb0w?si=VRL6QflB5Y-kIe00 • How To Start Seeds, Complete Guide: https://youtu.be/PCGZ5wp8_kY?si=XteFQNYMb2AHuGUm I use the following products* for starting seeds and vegetable gardening: Soil Sifter (Featured, High Quality): https://amzlink.to/az0x2xCzz4bmp Soil Sifter (Cheaper Alternative): https://amzlink.to/az0e7SQ33vail Soil Sifter (Cheaper Rectangle Alternative): https://amzlink.to/az0lbwOPJyzAT Jiffy Organic Seed Starting Mix: https://amzlink.to/az0EKqmaTXRe4 Back To Roots Seed Starting Mix: https://amzlink.to/az0c0D4EI6ILo MiracleGro Potting Soil: https://amzlink.to/az0b3BzyTFBV2 Coco Coir Large Brick, 10LB: https://amzlink.to/az003UTtU8eIw Coco Coir Small Bricks : https://amzlink.to/az05v1LAS0uVD EZGRO Indoor Plant Food [15-30-15]: https://amzlink.to/az0NY44MUZlGS True Organic Vegetable Fertilizer [4-5-6]: https://amzlink.to/az0r93j9MDJxk True Organic All Purpose Fertilizer [5-4-5]: https://amzlink.to/az0lVAel6Wss7 Espoma PlantTone Fertilizer [5-3-3] (36lb): https://amzlink.to/az0SocAgVlySv Espoma Bone Meal (10lb): https://amzlink.to/az0KAuCOZcPgQ Alaska Fish Fertilizer [5-1-1] (Gallon): https://amzlink.to/az0Jhw8liNoe3 Pruning Snips: https://amzlink.to/az0S6BULZGPmi Indoor Watering Can (1L): https://amzlink.to/az0DLHxdf26bx 4FT LED Grow Light (60W): https://amzn.to/46C71j4 Seedling Heat Mat: https://amzlink.to/az0KMyq9jcd2G Seedling Heat Mat & Thermostat Kit: https://amzlink.to/az0vrFvoz0Chs Grow Bags (Black): https://amzlink.to/az0UDaVzkSLWi Grow Bags (Tan): https://amzlink.to/az02kBaExY5sL Jack's All Purpose [20-20-20] (1.5lb): https://amzlink.to/az0JG0Dv6Da0h Jack's All Purpose [20-20-20] (25lb): https://amzlink.to/az0F6FgxdhKjO • Full Amazon Store: https://amzlink.to/az0yli4Cz0iXX TABLE OF CONTENTS 0:00 Intro 0:33 How I Save Money On Plants 1:19 Making Potting Mix VS Buying It 2:52 Trick 1: Inflation 3:53 Trick 2: Shrinkflation 4:54 Trick 3: Quality Reduction 6:14 Big Potting Soil's Diabolical Trick 8:18 How I Fix Potting Soil 10:20 Potting Soil And Container Gardening 11:01 Potting Soil Tips 13:51 Adventures With Dale If you have any questions about how to start seeds for a vegetable garden, want to learn more about growing fruit trees or the things I grow in my raised bed vegetable garden and edible landscaping food forest, are looking for more gardening tips and tricks and garden hacks, have questions about vegetable gardening and organic gardening in general, or want to share some DIY and "how to" garden tips and gardening hacks of your own, please ask in the Comments below! ******* MY WEBSITE https://www.themillennialgardener.com/ ******* VISIT MY AMAZON STORE FOR PRODUCTS I USE MOST OFTEN IN MY GARDEN* https://amzlink.to/az0yli4Cz0iXX ******* CUSTOM MERCH! https://shop.spreadshirt.com/themillennialgardener ******* SUBSCRIBE TO MY 2ND CHANNEL! https://www.youtube.com/c/2MinuteGardenTips ******* SOCIAL MEDIA → INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/millennialgardener/ → X (@NCGardening) https://x.com/NCGardening ******* ABOUT MY GARDEN Location: Southeastern NC, Brunswick County (Wilmington area) Zone 8B, 34.1°N Latitude ******* *As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. © The Millennial Gardener #gardening #garden #seedstarting #vegetablegardening #vegetablegarden