Questions on Al's Gritty Mix

13 years ago

Hi everyone, I got interested in plants around this time last year, and have been slowly adding to my collection - mostly by getting plants from Home Depot for $1.98 or from Lowe's on clearance, and some by propagation - I now have 46 (mostly small) plants and have been reading a lot, especially on this forum. I also started composting, vermi composting and grew some tomatoes outside

I've decided to slowly repot my plants to Al's Gritty Mix (they're the usual house plants, nothing exotic - yet! and some cacti) and have a few questions:

1. is now too late in the season to be repotting? I live in the Boston area, zone 6

2. Thanks to meyermike_1micha I was able to get the gran i grit. They did not have Turface, but they had Profield Field Dry which they said was the same as Turface MVP. On the bag it says 100% Fullers Earth aka Calcined Clay. Is this an acceptable substitute?

3. Where can I get uncomposted screened pine or fir bark? What are the other names for it? I've checked HD, Lowe's and Walmart without any luck. What I've found has been either too big or too small (shredded) and doesn't even seem to be 100% fir or pine.

4. Where would I be able to buy a mesh to screen all of this?

Thanks for your help!

deburn

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Comments (8)

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
13 years ago
1) For most houseplants, full repots which include bare-rooting and a soil change are best done in the month prior to the most robust growth. For you, that would be mid-Jun through Jul. If you have good indoor (supplemental) lighting, you can probably get away with repotting any time, but recovery time will be considerably slower if you do it in the short day months with plants under natural indoor light.

2) Key, are the size of the particles and their stability. If both are appropriate, it's fine. Particles in the 1/10 - 1/8" range are best.

3) There are lots of threads discussing where to find bark. I often find it at big box stores or nurseries. It's sold as mulch, soil conditioner, clay soil conditioner, aged pine bark fines, double grind pine bark, and other names. I recently found some for Linda in TX by calling nurseries and asking them if they had pine bark small enough to be suitable for use in container media. If 'NO', my next question would automatically be "Do you know who would, in the immediate area?" In this case it lead me to a bulk supplier of double grind.

4) You can usually buy hardware cloth by the foot at smaller hardware stores.

Al
firstyear
13 years ago
deburn, where were you able to find the gran-i-grit and Profield around Boston?

Lowe's sells hardware cloth (the Woburn one has it in back right corner of the garden area). You can screen the Timberline Pine mulch they sell as well for fines, but some of the bags have a lot of heartwood.
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Hi EB!!! Sounds like you have done your search and have found a wonderful mix that will make your plants very happy but most of all very healthy!!! When you water with the Gritty mix, it will take some time to get comfortable on when and how to water. This is the best time to learn to water in the summer, since the water can drain outside without the worry of collecting the extra water inside during the winter. So, once you get the feel, it will be easier to water in the winter. I will offer my 2 cents as far as how I water using the Gritty Mix. When I water, I use a watering can that has a small water spout that allows a small amount of water to come from the container. This will allow a small amount to be added to your containers instead of a large spray or just a huge amount at one time to pour on the surface. This will be easier to water over the entire surface of the container so you can get all of the mix moist. You don't have to add huge amounts of water all at once. Just use a controlled nozzle and add water to the entire area and let it drain from the bottom. Sometimes it will drain pretty quickly and seem to just run through.. that is why I water slowly.. i usually will water this way and move on to others containers and continue to water in the same manner. It is best to come back through and give it one more pass to make sure the particles get the proper moisture... I usually will add the foliage pro after the first watering. Then I know the mix is moist and then when I go back and add the next batch.. it is with fertilizer. I stop when I see it starting to come from the drainage holes. It isn't a good idea to reuse the water coming from the bottom of the collected drainage.. since you are trying to flush out any build up of salts that are in your container..Think of it as "used" water and that you don't want to give your trees water that is used and full of things that you re trying to get rid of. You can always add it to the garden if you feel like you don't want to waste it, but I wouldn't add it back to the container.. Nope.. I wouldn't!!! ;-) If you are worried about the deck and stains or the drainage issue.. you can always use the collection tray , but make sure you raise your container so it doesn't sit in the water. You could use blocks to raise your continer.. or large bottle caps.. I know Al uses some type of inch high aluminum to rise his trays in the winter to keep them out of the water. You could be creative to find things to lift the container.. In the winter, I use water bottle caps under the containers 4-6 per container. I then let the water evaporate and not worry. When you are concerned about when to water, use the wooden dowel method.. If it is moist or wet, don't water.. if dry water. In the summer, I don't worry about over watering in the Gritty Mix.. I just know when my trees and plants want water and I give it to them. I personally use the hose with a special nozzle to give a gentle spray. Then I will fill watering cans with water and FP and fertilize once a week..when the mix is moist. I hope this helps.. Please ask questions.. We have all been here and we all like to help!!! ;-) Mahalo!!! Laura
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Hi, Kwie. We had a significant storm here & I've been w/o net service for a couple of days, or I'd have responded sooner. Come to find out, though, the cause was a bad modem & not the storm. Hint - place a higher value on the opinions of those that have actually USED the gritty mix to implement the concept that the more water held inside of soil particles and the less water held between particles, the better are your plants' chances to realize their genetic potential. Many growers simply announce they really don't understand the concept when they say that the gritty mix doesn't hold enough water. ..... and I'm not singling any one person out - only noting that because the gritty mix is so widely adjustable for water retention by varying the ratio of screened Turface:grit, it can be made so it holds a significant amount of water, yet no (or very little) perched water; so if it doesn't hold enough water at a 1:1:1 (or 3:3:3) bark:Turface:grit ratio, simply change to 3:4:2 bark:Turface:grit for more water retention. The bark's water holding ability is somewhere near the average of equal volumes of Turface + grit, so it is a good light weight and inexpensive way to bulk up the soil, provide a little nutrition, and ease the apprehension of those who are uneasy about growing in an entirely inorganic mix. The idea that only soils that are 'rich and black' can provide a healthy home for roots is deeply ingrained, even if completely false. Structure is the most important aspect of soil function, not its ability to feed the plant. Nutrition is monkey easy and on the grower's shoulders - or should be. 1) The gritty mix uses a limited volume of organic matter to ensure the soil cannot collapse. If you used only 2 components, like bark and Turface, you would have either too much water retention (for most apps), or too large of an organic fraction, which could clog the soil over time as the bark breaks down. You CAN use only Turface and grit if you like, but I would suggest you start at a 2:1 ratio of grit:screened Turface. Foliage-Pro 9-3-6 has everything in it that plants need, and super-simplifies the growing experience - makes it really hard to go wrong. 2) Grower size Gran-I-Grit and #2 cherrystone come prescreened, but I still give them a quick screen over insect screen to rid the grit of the dust ..... or I use a kitchen strainer and rinse it off. It's not much extra effort, and prevents any sludge build-up on the pot bottom. I also rinse until the water runs clear out of the drain hole when I first plant in fresh soil, for the same reason. Everything but the dust gets used. Screening is important because particles of roughly the same size don't compact. Think of a jar of marbles and a jar of BBs. Mix the BBs with the marbles and a good part of your air apace disappears. Mix in sand, and almost all of it disappears and the soil starts to hold perched water, which is the limiting factor the gritty mix is aimed at eliminating. 3) The finger test works if your pot diameter is large enough and the planting is established. If you give a little thought to your watering intervals, it's hard to over-water anything in the gritty mix. I water my succulents on the same schedule as all my other plants and never have a problem. I rarely 'test' to see if the soil is moist - after a little while, you'll develop a feel for when plants need watering. You only need 1 skewer or dowel if you use that method until you get a feel for things. Just wipe it dry with a paper towel or rag between tests. The reason many of us use 2 different soils is more a matter of $, effort (the 5:1:1 is easy, the gritty is more effort but a better end product), and how long a plant will go between repots. All my veggies and garden display containers that go on the compost pile in Oct get 5:1:1. All my long term plantings (2 or more growth cycles in the same soil) get the gritty mix. A few fast growers that would normally go in the gritty mix (hibiscus, datura, brugmansia, ....) also go in the 5:1:1 because root growth is so vigorous they need repotting every year if you want the most out of them. Anything else you can think of? Al
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meyermike_1micha
13 years ago
Let's see..

Deburn:

I find my "uncomposted" fir bark, the perfect size for the "gritty mix" from a supplier in Georgetown, Ma. which is about 45 minutes North of you. He sells the fir bark in small bags all the way up to the huge bags.. I just picked up 2 huge bags last week..If you need me to post a picture of it, just ask.........Top quality.
I find that "uncomposted" bark works perfect for the gritty mix in my case..
The "composted" bark fines, works great in the 5.1.1. mixes..

As for "turface":

I found that the "Pro Field Dry" was not the same as the "MVP" one. They sold me that bag when I first started and the particles were much to small, with most falling out of my screens...It also kept my containers to wet. I would wait until the spring and invest in a few bags the "MVP" one..

What size "granite grit" did you get?

Mike..:-)
deburn
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks everyone for your replies!

Al, 1) I thought that would be the case. I don't have additional lighting but I've been thinking of getting a small setup IF I can find something that's inexpensive. If it helps with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder aka winter blues) so much the better

2) I wouldn't know about this, but it looks like Mike's provided the answer

3) I did read a ton of threads about where to get these supplies generally, and was somewhat confused and overwhelmed at the end of it all :-)

4) Good to know that it's also known as hardware cloth, but I was hoping that I could just buy a finished sifter

firstyear, I bought it from Dodge Grain in Salem NH, about 40 miles north of Boston. I think Timberline was one of the brands I saw that said it consisted of pine bark and forest products which seemed a bit dodgy to me. Do you like it?

Mike, thanks for the tip about Georgetown. No need for a pic - if it's good enough for you, it's good enough for me! I don't generally get out that way, but it's not too far out of my way. What's the name of the store? I got the "grower" size.
deburn
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
13 years ago
Deburn - bonsai supply houses can be counted on for small screen sets:

http://www.dallasbonsai.com/store/soil_sieves_screens.html

Al
meyermike_1micha
13 years ago
"Grower size", perfect!

The name of the place is called "Tindra's Orchids Supplies"..I also know that shipping is much cheaper than you might expect since we live so close and probably cheaper than gas to get there..I think he could of sent a huge bag, the size of what bark mulch comes in for 6 dollars..You could always call him, Frank..I have known him for quite sometime..Tell him you know me and he will take better care of you..It took me over 2 years to find anyone who sold this in such a good quantity to boot...It is the fine size..

Good luck

30 SPOFFORD STREET
GEORGETOWN
978-352-6770 978-697-9746
deburn
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks Al. Your ability to reply in such detail to such large numbers of posts always amazes me!

Mike, I will definitely give Frank a call. If he can ship it at a reasonable price that would be great. And if I have to go there, that's not that bad - at least I get to check out another interesting store!

Dodge Feed was very interesting! I will let you know if they will order the Turface MVP for me. And I might check out the Cactus and Succ Society meeting too!

deburn
jojosplants
13 years ago
Al~
Thanks for the link to the Bonsai supplies! I've been thinking of looking for a better way to sift, until I can get me the tools to make some like U have. ;)

JoJo

Questions on Al's Gritty Mix

Comments (8)

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)

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Questions on Al's Gritty Mix

Comments (8)

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)

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