Why're you tryin' so hard to get the 'perfect soil' just for a few mother plants?
Bag of potting mix and a bag of perlite (I like the fine but whatever), Mix @ 3
:1 (Potting Mix
:Perlite), and fertilize once a week, and the plant will be fine. With perlite in your soil - also - you really never have to worry about the soil compacting, and it's impossible to 'over-water', cos so much air gets into such an open mix.
I'll get the camera out later and take some pics of the range of plants I have growing flawlessly in a pot in the Sun. Well, I hose em every day, but you can do that outside
I've seen a few posts now of ppl getting frustrated about their soil not hitting exactly 7.4 and bla-de bla, but your plant doesn't care about all that. All your plant cares about is soil it's sitting in is light enough to allow some aeration, and that it's heavy enough to hold it up. Obviously, temperature, nutrients, and the 5 limiting factors will be adjustable, but the soil is just a big sponge really, delivering solution to the plant.
I would steer away from peat for a standard soil-growing plant, but I tried a mostly peat mix xplanting a motherwort in flower the other day, I think peat's too.. moisture-retaining for my constant daily watering. I end up out there watering it just while I'm out there sometimes a few times a day, so I need fast drainage. Mm.. I'm wondering off point completely, I think, Hmm.
Anyway, I don't understand ya'll gettin all obsessed with your soil mix
Long as the roots are warm enough, getting nutrients and moisture and have something to allow airpockets within the structure of the soil, it'll be just FIIIINE.
Oh no! The phone... God I hate the phone. It's like someone telling me, "Oh bitch, get up and walk in here, good lad *pat*.. I usually refuse to answer the phone simply cos I object to having to stand up when a bell rings.
Monkeys do that, and I am no monkey
It's also an intrusion on your peace and quiet - those phones.. RIING RIIIIIIING ... RIING RI-I-I-I-I-ING Gawd, how I hate phones