1) Al uses the gritty mix for containers he needs help lifting, and Al is hale. ;o) There really is no upper size limit, even for small plants if you're using a properly made gritty mix because it holds no (or very little) perched water. You need to be a little more cautious about the 5:1:1 mix - especially because there is a wide range in what you end up with as far as porosity/drainage, depending on what goes into it. 2) Over the long term, the gritty mix will outperform the 5:1:1 mix, but they're so close over the short hauls that I put anything 1-seasonal in the 5:1:1 mix. It's easier to make in large volumes and it's much less expensive. 3) It depends on what you use. I screen the Turface because of a size issue. The bark and granite I use are pre-screened, so I screen them over insect screen just to eliminate the dust. That's important to me because I grow many plants in pots an inch deep or less. I need to minimize every form of stress on those plants I can, and can't afford to have a thin layer of sludge at the bottom of these containers. It wouldn't make much difference in the deeper containers most of you would have your long term planting in. 4) "Crushed" is my own term. No 'crushing' is required as it comes in small, pre-screened pieces. I suppose granite chips would be more accurate, but I've noticed that habits are first cobwebs - then cables .... and so I'm prolly tied to 'crushed' unless I make myself think hard about it. ;o) 5) Schultz Aquatic Soil = Turface MVP. Calcined diatomaceous earth is a little different than Turface. It holds more water (on a size for size basis), has a better CEC, but also has a higher pH. Like unproven sources of calcined clay, calcined DE should be checked for stability by freezing in water over night. If it remains stable, it's ok to use. FWIW - I have a lot of maples (heavy on the Jap maples but also plenty of tridents & others) in the gritty mix, and have been enjoying very healthy trees for a long while. Your turn. ;o) Al

For sure, it's a bit of a transition and it takes some time to get used to the differences in watering and feeding and the like, but in the end, it's well worth the extra effort! Also... be sure to soak that bark overnight before using it in your medium... so it doesn't go hydrophobic on you! You want it ready and able to absorb some moisture when you do water the newly potted plant. When I mix my batches of medium, I add some water to moisten, mix it well, cover my container, and leave it set a day or two to absorb before using it. That way, it's already evenly moistened and I know that unless I forget to water for a really long time, I won't have any problems with it, or with the newly potted plant getting used to its new environment. Happy Gardening!

coco does not disintegrate, it resist decomposition and last several years.. i have made a quick video showing how airy it is, and it's certainly not "dust" like it's mentioned in that 2 line sentence about the person in that link you posted say it is, and as i've said, coco can be purchased in coarser grade too. i'd imagine mixing the finer grade coco with the coarser coco would make one hell of a mix that will put the 5-1-1 mix to shame and keep so much money in your pocket.. but i think just the normal texture coco is fine, there are plenty of people who use it on thehotpepper forum by itself with amazing results. it does not compact at all despite how hard it is squeezed. very fibrous which is why it does not really need any additives such as perlite, bark, etc..which saves huge amounts of money. the amazing thing about is it has tremendous water holding capacity while still staying light and airy and not suffocating plant roots. there are so many other reasons why it's superior to just about every type of planting media out there. research and very much doubt you'll find many valid negative things about it.

Hi CK, I also live in Singapore and have just rebooted my container gardening efforts using the knowledge and advice that is so generously offered by many on GardenWeb. I am using Orchiata Precision Grade (3mm - 6mm) as the pine bark component of Al's 5-1-1 mix. I have also been following the advice from Al's fertilising containerised plants threads and have been getting really positive results (I am growing peppers and tomatoes and a few herbs). A couple of things worth mentioning: Trawling back through the container soil posts I get the feeling I should have gone with one of Orchiata's larger grades (e.g. 6mm - 9mm). I think I might have gotten confused about the best size for 5-1-1 vs gritty. In any event the precision grade seems to be working well for me at the moment. I noticed that Orchiata treat their bark with dolomite. I had added dolomitic lime to my mix prior to realising this, however it doesn't seem to have negatively impacted my plants at all. Anyway, I hope you are have lots of fun and success! Please feel free to get in touch if you would like to compare notes about container gardening in Singapore! Kind Regards, Brad