Plantcrazed: I wish I had an answer for you, but since I don't live in TX all I can do is give general suggestions.

What you might be able to do, if you only need a small amount of gritty mix, is to purchase it from a local bonsai shop if there are any in your area. Buying premade soil will probably be expensive but its an option. You can also order it online, but then shipping might be as much as the soil.

If you wish to make it yourself, you just need three basic ingredients: bark, Turface/DE, and grit.

For the pine or fir bark, sometimes the big box stores (BBS) have it but you may need to contact a local nursery to find it. You can buy smaller bags of fir bark in pet stores sold as reptile bedding, but it's fairly expensive. However, its pre-screened so no messy screening to do.

You can find Turface at landscaping shops I believe, or you can go to the auto parts store and get a bag of diatomaceous earth (DE).

If you have a feed store in your area you should be able to find granite.

I know the DE and granite are often sold in 25LB bags so they don't take up much room.

BTW, if you contact a nursery about the bark, make sure it's pine or fir, and tell them you want bark about 1/2" in size and smaller.

Hope that helps.

TYG

TYG

great info for being able to find grit,but living in Texas would not help.

It is too big......800 miles from Orange to El Paso

One thing you might do when looking for grit is to contact stores like Tractor Supply (TSC) or Quality Farm & Fleet, if there are any similar stores near Austin. I've included a link for the granite product that I use, although any similar stone-type product in your area should work as well.

If you use this type of grit, make sure you get the larger "grower" size of grit, not the smaller "starter" grit. And avoid "oyster shell grit".

TYG

Here is a link that might be useful: MannaPro granite grit

thanks TYG

There is TSC in both Beaumont and Orange.

Since joining GW, I have learned that my Meyer Lemon should not be planted in dirt, probably gitty mix. This is my next project. Have to wait for all the lemons first, then prune and repot. Well at least re-soil.

It is going to be a challenge. I have had this tree for over 15 years and in this dirt and pot for the last 6.

BTW, there are 2 or 3 threads on this forum called "Growing Trees in Containers" that might be helpful to read before you attempt to repot your lemon tree. Those threads have much information that might be helpful to you.

TYG

Thanks y'all!

I've tried to do the gritty mix before, but I ended up spending hours on gardenweb trying to find info on where to get this stuff with no luck. So I'm gonna give up and use 511

Before I was successful in locating the individual ingredients for my own Gritty Mix version, I purchased bonsai mix from a large local garden center. It was ungodly expensive, though, for a very small bag.

Another option may be purchasing small amounts of fir bark or a ready mixed orchid medium if there are any local orchid greenhouses/growers... and if the fir bark or mix they use is of small enough pieces.

I don't require very large quantities of medium, so I buy small bags of a product called ReptiBark reptile bedding. It's very clean fir bark, though many people say the pieces are a bit too large. I think the small bags contain a decent enough size for my use... though I do notice that the larger bags contain larger pieces that are too big.

I use perlite, which can be obtained almost anywhere garden supplies are sold. I prefer coarse perlite, but I'll use the regular stuff and simply sift it if I can't find the coarse stuff.

I purchase granite chips at a farm supply store... around these parts, that's either Rural King or Farm & Fleet. The product is just granite chips, sold as grit for chickens/poultry, and it does require sifting or rinsing to remove dust.

Turface is hard to come by for me... there's no local NAPA store, and I know one must be careful about other brands and types of oil dry/calcined clay... I omit it if I can't locate any, and I work with those items I can find.

I find it extremely helpful to soak the fir bark in water overnight before using in a mix... so it doesn't become hydrophobic.

Another good place to search for various medium ingredients would be Hydroponics type stores.

this all great information

I have to write notes down or I have to go back and search the threads. So much information

DATA OVERLOAD

Hi!!

Like the above have mentioned ( hi Jodi, TYG). You can look for Hoffman bonsai mix. It is sold in nurseries. Jodi mentioned that it is expensive, but if you are just looking for a little mix instead of making a large batch, this might be best...

I have also seen one lady selling gritty mix on eBay.. Haven't bought any, I make my own as well...

You could call your nurseries or search " Hoffman bonsai mix" in your area to see who sells it in your area.

Great info from Jodi and the others here!!! How much do you need?

I have friends in your area... I'll ask them where they have found their ingredients... Good luck!!!

Take care,

Laura

Jodi and Laura both offer good advice. If you only need a small amount of this mix, you might want to look into the Hoffman Bonsai soil mix or a similar product. I have not used pre-made gritty mixes but have read some decent reviews on them.

You can order various pre-made mixes online (Amazon, etc.) but they are fairly expensive. (Usually it's much cheaper to make your own mix once you find the ingredients locally.)

I'm attaching a photo of a bonsai mix so you can see what it typically looks like.

Hope that helps.

TYG