'Repotme.com' source of gritty mix ingredients -- good? bad?

11 years ago

I was searching for information about using gritty mix or 5-1-1 in the new planting holes in the ground* and I ran across this link to a site where you can build your own mix or, at the least, buy hard to fine ingredients for the gritty / 5-1-1 mix.

http://www.repotme.com/orchid-mix/SelectABlend.html

Has anyone bought ingredients there? If you can't find pine or fir bark fines or small pieces locally -or- if you don't have room to mix ingredients, it may be worth it to buy from this site, especially as it will significantly cut down on sifting time and effort.

(my problem isn't the room to work but the time to do it and the finding of suitable bark)

*can this actually be done if the native soil is poor or would it be better to just amend the native soil?

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Comments (3)

greentiger87
11 years ago
Research has actually shown for a long time that amending planting holes is extremely counterproductive, especially for larger plants (as opposed to small annuals), but that knowledge has been slow to infiltrate the public consciousness.

Why is it so bad?
1) Roots are already very "reluctant" to venture out into soil that is inhospitable compared to the potting mix it was grown in. Amending a planting hole essentially creates a container in the ground, causing the roots to circle, become bound, or even strangle the stem.

2) Most plants have significant ability to adapt to the native soil, but will not do so unless "forced" to. Hence planting holes should be back filled with native soil to jumpstart this process.

3) Planting holes that are amended with large amounts of organic or coarse matter create a "sink effect", especially when the surrounding soil is finer and less permeable. When water is plentiful, this can create anoxic conditions at the barrier between the soil types. When water is scarce, highly retentive native soil will not readily release water to coarser organic materials, and can make the planting hole hydrophobic.

When amending native soil, more and more research is suggesting that attempting to plow in amendments more than very superficially is counterproductive and very harmful to the "soil food web". In fact, the much more convenient method of simply topdressing, minimally incorporating, or simply mulching with organic matter (or making it the main component of a raised bed mix) is much more effective in increasing percolation and thus improving drainage, along with a host of other benefits. Some aspects of this concept are referred to as "no till" by proponents.

For example, if you tried to use gritty mix directly in a planting hole, you'd essentially create a dry well... a situation very few plants could survive.

PS, you can find a lot more information about this on other forums, this being one for container gardening :P
meyermike_1micha
11 years ago
Wow, thanks for all this Greentiger!

Being a landscaper for years, you have made good points and took the time to explain. Thank you:-0)

I would consider fertilizing quite often too if your soil is poor.

Mike
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I also ordered from John last year. He ran out of some of the items I ordered, however, he did not quickly refund me. He told me he would come back the following weekend with the balance of my order (some 15 bags of pine bark, and various bags turface and grit if I remember properly) and then promptly vanished from the face of the earth. No reply to my phone messages, e-mails, etc. Eventually I had to fight the charges through my credit card. It is no surprise to me that his website went down. This year I got my pine bark from Agway and it is pretty good, though I find myself spending a bit more time than I'd like picking out sapwood. Alex
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Lol - because they grow so fast, I use the 5:1:1 mix for brugs & datura. There is no way I would go 2 years with these plants in the same soil. They really need root work beyond potting up every year. Those are also one of the few plants that I give a little extra Mg to - both in the ground and containers (I grow them in the ground as annuals & take cuttings every summer to winter over for next year's plants). The 5:1:1 mix is very good for houseplants and holds up much better/longer than peat/coir/compost-based soils, but the gritty mix would still perform a little better. I always judge what soil to use by how long the plant will be in the same soil. Even though the 5:1:1 mix is much more durable than most packaged soils, I still hold pretty tight to the rule: 1 year in the same soil = 5:1:1. 2 or more years in the same soil = the gritty mix. In the end though, it's whatever you feel is the best choice for you. I'm not selling (you on) soil recipes, I'm selling the importance of aeration and durability in your soils, and showing you various ways to achieve those ends. After I've helped folks understand those points, it really doesn't matter to me what they choose to grow in, though it always pleases me to learn of people having improved their effort:reward ratio because of something I might have shared. ;o) Take good care. I know you'll do well! Al
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No Clue, This link may help you... Remamber to moisten the mix before you add to the pot. I take my mix that is nmake and add water and mix it all around to make sure the bark and the turface has some moisture in the mix, I dont soak , but i will mist the roots before i pot up. When i screen my turface, i do use a kitchen strainer and it does a great job sifting out the smaller fines fron the Turface, I save these little fines for seeds.. The 1/4 in screen can be found at any hardware dealer;;box stores etc. TYou dont have to buy a huge roll either. They seell smaller bags of screen for repaalcement screens and such. MY DH made screen like AL's. He made them a little larger than AL's, lol nut he did a great job. You dont even have to go through that process if you dont want to. you could lay the screen over a container, like a wheelbarrow and sift over that to collect the fines or fir bark that fall thr the 1/4 screen. This would be for the gritty Mix. I would suggest that you go back and reread the above link that AL wrote ..it took me several times to finally get it and it also has pics of his screen too! I hope this helps.. I dont fertilize until a couple of weeks in the new mix. then i reduce it by half and then the following week, i start at the normal amount of Foliage Pro. Always take your newly planted trees and keep them from direct light..you want then to acclimate them to the new surroundsing and not cause any stree, Then after several weeks, put them back into the sun. Goofd Luck..learn how to watch the mix as it drys.. you want to use the wet /dry cycle on all of your Plumeria. in any mix that you choose. O awwoden skewer is a great tool to use.. put it in..if it is wet dont water..it is is dry..,water..if ur not sure..then water lightly... Take care, Laura Here is a link that might be useful: Taking A Bare Rooted Tree And Planting into The Gritty Mix
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aharriedmom
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks, greentiger - that's information I hadn't run across.
I know this wasn't the 'right' forum to post the question in, but since I was primarily asking about the gritty mix ingredients and I wasn't sure which forum would be the correct one to ask about amending holes (since I have no particular plant in mind), I figured I might get an answer on this forum. Which I did, and a good informative one. :D

... now I wonder how many plants I've doomed or made 'life' hard for by amending the holes. Poor babies, now I feel guilty! I'm glad I haven't yet moved my plumbago & blue daze into the ground.

'Repotme.com' source of gritty mix ingredients -- good? bad?

Comments (3)

greentiger87

meyermike_1micha

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'Repotme.com' source of gritty mix ingredients -- good? bad?

Comments (3)

greentiger87

meyermike_1micha

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