pHof Al's 5 :1:1 mix
Mike Larkin
14 years ago
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justaguy2
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
Al's 5:1:1 Mix vs. Al's Gritty Mix for Tropical Fruit
Comments (5)Yes you can, and in the short run 5-1-1 in may actually perfom better than the Gritty mix. But it will wear out quicker (break down) than the gritty mix. I tend to think of annuals going in the 5-1-1 mix, and perinnials in gritty mix. If you are going to be up-potting in a couple of years go with what you have. Either are a better choice than most anything you can find in most garden centers. Gritty mix makes future repots a dream, tip the pot over and you have bare roots.. Grading the pine bark is not fun, I hate it! A major concept of the gritty mix is based on particle size, larger particles have less surface area (by volume) and thus less water retention. 1/4 to 1/8 inch seems to be the optimal size, although due the screening process of pine bark and the thin strips I will let most 1/2 and under get in the mix (under 1/8 is not good either). If you are looking for Turface MVP check a local irrigation supply house, the stuff was designed for baseball diamonds so look in that direction. The dust is not good for the mix (particle size) The gran-i-grit is intended for chickens to help them digest grains. There are many other products other than gran-i-grit that will perform just as well. Look to a local farm supply house for the rock. Rock dust is not good for the mix (particle size) Gypsum is available at the big box home improvements stores. Gritty does dry out quicker than potting soil so you do need to water a bit more often. It is extremely difficult to overwater with gritty mix, that includes mother nature overwatering. Root rot is probably the number one killer of potted plants. After water, air is the most important thing you can give roots (most plants), more important than fertilizer. Gritty mix excels at this without drying out the root system. Gritty mix is heavy stuff, an advantage of heavy is the pot is less likely to tip from heavy winds. Al is a smart guy, it is such a simple concept....See MoreIs Al's gritty mix or 5-1-1 mix really any better than other mixes?
Comments (32)@Nil13 made reference to the Whitcomb 311 mix, which is an earlier historical attempt to create a more coarse potting soil for container plants. I think it is extremely helpful to read a document written by Carl Whitcomb that explains how he came on this formula by accident. Essentially what happened is he accidentally left nine test pots under a bench and everyone forgot they were there. They had successfully nearly killed all of their test plants by watering in a normal potting soil mix and the unwatered plants started to do very well. What I have started to realize is that any plant can do well in many different soil mixes, if you are able to carefully control the watering. This explains why so many people on this forum claim gritty mix is not as good for their succulents as their (fill in some random horrible soil with lots of small particles) mix. Inevitably those people are growing their plants indoors. They have enormous experience with their plant type and they know exactly when to water the plant. So that is the case of a very skilled gardener compensating for a very bad soil. What gritty mix does for me is let me grow succulents outside in very abusive weather conditions, without the plant dying. A plant can get a week of rain and it will still drain well. During Summer, gritty mix will tolerate a bit of overwatering, although you still really need to pay attention to not overwatering. Whether you make your 511 mix with perlite/peat, or with two parts Turface, or with lava and pumice, is probably in the big picture not going to be the deciding factor in whether your plants grow well or not. Success can be add with any of those mixes because the size of the particles allows the roots to breathe and prevents capillary action of water from bring the perched water table to the top of the pot and drowning the roots. Fine-tuning how you make 511 is a question of matching the plant type to the moisture retention of the soil and to the watering habit and climate exposure. Any 511 variant is going to do better than almost any commercial potting soil because of the larger particles used in the majority of the mix....See MoreAl's gritty mix or 5:1:1 mix near Harrisburg, PA
Comments (5)Bingo! That is where I get mine. The regular pine bark mulch in the blue bag is very good. They also sell 1/2 and 1/4 inch hardware cloth (wire) if you did want to sift. http://myagway.com/catalog/product/117217/agway-pine-bark-mulch-3-cuft#.WH-mdSMrKiY I also found some nice soil conditioner in Stauffers. I bought a bag to see what it was like, and it was partially composted. Perfect for 5-1-1. I went back to get a few more bags, and someone had bought the rest of the pallet! Luckily they got more. I'll have to look at the bag and post what the brand is....See MoreAl’s 5 1 1 potting mix mistake
Comments (4)mcreader503: If you're interested in purchasing Repti Bark, you might want to check your local PetSmart. Online the 24 qt price is $13.46. I (and the store personnel this evening) was shocked that the shelf price still showed up as $25.99. They had no problem honoring their own online price. For me, $13.46 for bark chips/fines is still pricey, but I don't have a source for bark fines out here (that I can determine) -- Houston area. Good luck....See Moremeyermike_1micha
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agojustaguy2
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agogringojay
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agorj_hythloday
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agojustaguy2
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agorj_hythloday
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agocebury
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agojustaguy2
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agolou_spicewood_tx
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agojustaguy2
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agolou_spicewood_tx
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agochalstonsc
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agojustaguy2
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agochalstonsc
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoshade131
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoshade131
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agomeyermike_1micha
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoemgardener
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoshade131
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agomeyermike_1micha
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoJVjava
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agoJVjava
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
12 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)