Whether or not the materials are suitable depends more on their size than anything else. You want all the particles in the soil to be pretty regular in size and concentrated around that 1/8" size, +/- 1/16". I use equal parts of pre-screened orchid (fir) bark in 1/8-1/4" size, screened Turface, and either Gran-I-Grit in grower size or #2 cherrystone.

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You can't avoid the major work of a full repot, and the first time you do it, if the roots have been neglected, is the most difficult. The bad news is if you don't do it, your plants will steadily decline. The good news is that once the plants are in the gritty mix pictured, subsequent repots and root-pruning are quite easy.

I have all my houseplants (including cacti/succulents) and all my woody material in the gritty mix. If you've spent time here on the Container Forum, you can probably tell I've done a LOT of experimenting with soils, and I've yet to find a formulation that tops the one I just shared above. It is a VERY good choice for any of your plants.

I'm not sure what to tell you about your 'time' constraints. You can research further to find what the individual components 'jobs' are in the soil, and see if you have anything that closely matches their 'job description'. I CAN say that if you're particular about your soils, looking for and finding the ingredients I listed will be worth the time/energy outlay.

Good luck. ;o)

Al

Thank you for the response. I spent an hour, last night trying to understand where to find the 'grit' in your mix - would a cactus sand suffice? I need to do this job this week as I'm off from work for a few days. I also want to do this while the plants are still growing. I do have various size bark and wonder about the use of diatomite to replace the granite pieces? Diamotie does hold water, but might not be bad for me as I am a poor waterer.

If I may ask another question on the large ficus. Years ago I root pruned approx 1/3 and put it back into the same pot. I equally pruned the green growth. The plant adjusted for a month and resumed growth. It is now 5 yrs later. This plant would be over 20 ft if let go. I must contain it and regret not having pruned this Spring. I cannot go up another pot size, and would like to restrict woody growth. Any thoughts on this? Also, the use of hydro pellets and diatomite in place of the grit.

I have had success growing in a product called Aussie Gold, which provides good aeration to fine-rooted orchids. It is mix of small particles including pro-mix and diatomite, some perlite and lava pieces in very small pieces. The cost would be prohibitive on such a large scale.

Thanks, and what a great forum. I'm always amazed at what info I find on GW.

Jane

Al, I'd like to ask a question:
In the mix pictured above, I know that the gran-i-grit will NOT hold either water or air. Why couldnt a person just use more turface? (which would do both)

If anything the diatomite (I'm assuming it's calcined DE) would be a substitute for Turface, if it's in the same size range. Since size is very important, and I have no idea what size the particulates are, it's difficult for me to advise you.

Your Ficus needs to be completely bare-rooted and selectively root-pruned. This usually includes cutting the bottom 1/3 of the roots off, then pruning an inch or so around the perimeter, then removing an additional 1/3 of only the largest remaining roots. This how we rejuvenate your trees and ensure that they grow at near their genetic potential. The treatment I described is the reason that bonsai trees can remain healthy in small pots for generations, while most hobbyists have great difficulty keeping their planting healthy, even in LARGE pots for only a few years.

I should point out that you really don't want to restrict the growth as much as you want to manage it properly. Plants that are not growing are dying, and they need to grow to stay healthy. If I want to keep a plant small or compact, I let it grow wild (unrestricted) for a time to gain strength & then cut it back hard to reduce it. This is the best way to manage a plant's size and vigor, and provides regular rejuvenation.

Al

Thanks again. The diotamite is larger than pictured, probably close to a quarter size, irregular. I have bark close to that size. The hydro pellets are smaller and I could leave that out. I have used bark, diotamite, charcoal with perlite in my outdoor containers and I get good growth. However, I have not considered size a factor and do see the reason behind it. Growing orchids programs you to encourage good air exchange, but mixing sizes of media is not a factor as no soil is used.

Thanks for the advice on the ficus. I did hard prune it 5 yrs ago and it has grown fairly free since then. I have had it for almost 20 yrs. I am always nervous about taking too much root growth without matching green pruning. It has been outside all summer and has made a lot of growth due to increased light and rain. It barely fits through my door and I need to reduce the size before bringing it back in.

I thank you again for your help,
Jane

I always hope to be helpful. ;o)

The idea that you need to reduce the canopy commensurately with rootwork is now passe. When you do radical rootwork, it's best to keep the plant from direct sun and wind, but the canopy is what makes the (plant's) food that makes the roots grow. To remove the photosynthesizing machinery actually slows recovery and reestablishment. It's better to separate radical work on roots vs canopy by several weeks if possible. Either prune the top back hard and wait for the beginning of prolific back-budding to do the rootwork, or repot/prune roots hard & leave the canopy intact to feed the roots. When growth indicators show the tree to be well on the way to recovery and roots reestablished, THEN prune the canopy.

Al

Gee, live and learn. I always try to match the green volume to the roots when pruning. I've never had a problem but I will give it a try. This tree has so much green growth, I don't think it was terribly set back by root pruning 5 years ago. I probably removed approx. 1/4 bottom and 1/8 sides. Enough to give it a few years root growth. But I have topped it yearly to keep the size down. Now, the pot is all root.

My house is on the market and it won't be possible to take it with me. I'll try to donate it somewhere making pruning even more important. The north corner of my living-room has been its home for many years. I was actually thinking of driving down to Fla. to give it to my niece who has a home there. I think it could go in the ground.

Again, I appreciate the updated information and will see what I can mix up for potting.

Here's a poor picture of the ficus, but gives an idea of size. I use hedge trimmers on it yearly.

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Jane