Failure to thrive issues using Gritty Mix
tillygrower
11 years ago
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dickiefickle
11 years agocalistoga_al ca 15 usda 9
11 years agoRelated Discussions
when to use gritty mix and when to use the 511
Comments (4)I use the gritty mix for almost everything I expect to be in the same soil for 2 or more years - mostly all my houseplants, succulents, bonsai, and material I'm growing on as future bonsai. I use the 5:1:1 mix for things I expect to be in the same soil for 1 or 2 seasons only. That would be mostly veggies and mixed floral display containers, but some really vigorous perennial material (tropical hibiscus, datura/brugmansia ....) also get potted in the 5:1:1 mix. Al...See MoreI think I'm a gritty mix failure too :(
Comments (19)I planted my herbs, including a bay that is more than 10 years old, in gritty mix about four weeks ago. The mix I used included the remains of my first batch of gritty -- made with NAPA Floor Dry, Reptibark and grower size Gran-i-grit -- and an equal amount of my new mix -- made with orchid fir bark a little smaller than the reptibark, Turface MVP and grower size gran-i-grit. I did only a quick screening of the Turface to get out the dust, but didn't screen the bark. My herbs include small starts of parsley, marjoram, tarragon, spearmint, rosemary and thyme from the garden center. After I planted them, they spent about two weeks in a sheltered location out of the sun near the north side of my house. After that, I moved them into an area that can get about four hours of sun a day. I say can because we had very little sun in April. Instead, we had record breaking rain of about nine inches and unseasonably cold temperatures ranging from freezing to about 65 degrees F. I think these conditions -- so different from what you experienced in Texas -- may explain why all of my herbs are thriving. Here's the bay: And, finally, here is one of a couple dozen morels that popped up in my lawn last week as a testament to how wet it's been. In 27 years of living in this house, I have never seen morels before. I'd know because I adore them. Yum. A couple notes from a relative newcomer to this mix: I don't think it is essential to closely screen ingredients for the gritty mix if you're planting in large pots for outdoors. But I do believe you should try to get the ingredients to be fairly uniform in size between 1/8 and 3/8 inch. If you have a lot of dust and a lot of large bark pieces, they can knit together to make for poor drainage. I bare-rooted all these herbs including the bay, which had been in the same pot of standard soilless mix for three years, and spread the roots out as much as I could before covering them with the gritty mix. The pots are all about one gallon and the plant roots only occupy the top couple inches. I'm hoping I can keep at least some of them alive through the winter indoor under lights. That's why I used the gritty mix instead of 5-1-1. I did plant dill seeds in 5-1-1 because I expect to harvest that this summer. It is growing well in all this rain too....See MoreIssues with gritty & 5-1-1 mixes
Comments (16)Ok I am just baffled now. I have 2 large pots, one that I put a big elephant ear bulb in, and the other had (that's right....HAD) cannas in it. Both were in the 5-1-1 mix. I planted them about a month ago, kept them inside and put them out in the day time when temps were above 60. I kept them out unless the temps dipped below 50 at night. Anyways, I went to check to see how moist there were just a bit ago, and of course, top inch or two bone dry, but moist below. My elephant ear has sprouted, and is growing taller each day. But, no cannas. I had a tiny little sprout last week, so I figured it's time to dig and see whats up. Sure enough, they were all rotten. I'm not chalking this up as a mix issue, but probably too cold of a spring issue, although the elephant ear is alive and well. I've never tried either of them, so maybe cannas need more warmth. But, even though my jalapenos are doing good, I am starting to worry. With today's winds, the top 2 inches of the 5-1-1 mix were bone dry, after watering yesterday. As always, moist below that. Hopefully I don't kill everything I plant this year, because that'll soil my reputation as never killing anything. 2 of my bonsai starters, a chinese elm and cotoneaster, are looking like crap too, probably due to the barerooting I gave them. They are in gritty mix. I am having some bad luck so far this year..... Joe...See Moreodd issue after dwarf meyer gritty mix transplant
Comments (9)Hi Jon, Last July when I transplanted my Meyer (into the 5.1.1. mix, so slightly different, but similar enough, to your gritty) I experienced leaf drop very quickly thereafter, but within a couple or so months of using FP (irrigating every few days to a week) and the dowel method (like you), new leaves started to appear. What I did do that you didn't mention, is that I withheld fertilizing and placed the tree in slightly shaded environs, and I only started feeding again when new growth appeared. Did you happen to do this? It could just be that since you did the transplanting during the dormant season, your Meyer is just taking a little bit longer to show leaves - 3 months is a very short time in the lifespan of a Meyer. :-) Lastly, I was wondering why you've kept your Meyer indoors at all given your zone? My microclimate in SF places me in zone 8B/Sunset 17, and I'm able to grow the Meyers outdoor year-round for example, and I would think you could do likewise. Tim...See Moretillygrower
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