Al's gritty mix recipe
perennialfan273
14 years ago
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litterbuggy (z7b, Utah)
6 years agoKyle
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Al's Gritty Mix (Where I found the ingredients)
Comments (1)oh and the NAPA floor dry also contains...See MoreRose care basics?
Comments (8)You don't need to plant it. I have had 50 some roses (OGRs included) growing, and wintering, in pots outside in zone 6 for the past 6 years. And I don't have a garage. You made a wise, and lovely, choice. The General is quite hardy and should be no problem. You can move him into a garage for wintering if you have one. Put him on blocks to get the pot off the cement and water once a month all winter. If you can't garage him find a very well protected spot and put him there. You want to protect him from the drying winds as much as possible. You can wrap the pot and canes with burlap and pack leaves around him as well. If it's a spot that does not get rain/snow then you will need to water once a month. And again, it's best if he is up on something and not sitting on cement. The ground is OK but not cement. The pot you mention will be OK for a time but once the rose is mature you will probably need to go bigger. The General can get 7 feet tall and 6 feet wide when he's full grown! Make sure the pot has a lot of drainage holes. If there's only one in the bottom center add some more around the outside edge. See if you can find some kind of pot trolley to put the pot on. It should not be solid like a tray though. It needs to allow the water to drain out and away from the bottom of the pot. With experience I've learned that the ones with 4 wheels instead of 3 are much more stable and easier to move. The trolley serves two purposes. One is to get the pot up so it can drain freely. The other is to make it easier to move around if that becomes necessary. And believe me, for one reason or another it always does! I am not familiar with the mix you mention and can't comment on it. I use any good quality potting soil. It should not be top soil or garden soil. That mix is too heavy for pots and will not drain properly. You want something that is light and fluffy and doesn't clump up. If your Dyna Gro is a balanced fertilizer it should do fine. And use that fish emulsion. Roses love it! Because you have to have such good drainage you will have to fertilize a little more often because some nutrients will wash out quicker in pots. I do mine about every 3 weeks while the ones in the ground only get some about once a month. But read the instructions carefully and follow them! There may be a different schedule for that product. You can add any kind of organics, like the fish emulsion, any time. Hope that helps and don't hesitate to ask if you have more questions....See MoreAl's Gritty Mix?
Comments (11)Thankyou so much Alexa and Josh! I did buy the pine bark, have lots of floor dry! I am definately going shopping for the rest! Will maybe skip the shale and look for the granite would hate to ruin a tried and true recipe! Will my limelight dracena like this mix too? It needs to be transplanted at the same time. Right now I am using summer fallow dirt, which the cows keep fertilized for me, perlite and peat. I did add the wood chips this last transplant. I will have to find something to up my P.H. Nobody has ever heard of a foilage spray up here to add micro nutrients, just wondering if my lemon is lacking that too. I use a slow release citrus and avacodo food and supplement with 24-8-16 miracle grow. It is the only stuff I can find up here....See Morepls. need directions on making gritty mix
Comments (5)I also had a bit of trouble pinpointing the recipe for this mix. But, if you are just looking for the standard Al's gritty mix recipe, I dohappen to know the recipe. Keep in mind that this is a 1-1-1 mix, so equal parts of each ingredient. The ingredients: Turface (you can use floor dry or oil absorbent which you can get from an auto parts store) Crushed granite Pine/fir bark (it will need to be screened) Keep in mind, these ingredients are (according to me), pretty hard to find. Right now I am experimenting with an 'improved' mix using more common materials, but I am not sure if it will work yet. You can try substituting for some of these materials, but no guarantees (from me) that it would work. Good luck!! ~palmsandsnow...See Moretapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
6 years agoKyle
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agolitterbuggy (z7b, Utah)
6 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
6 years agolitterbuggy (z7b, Utah)
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
6 years agolitterbuggy (z7b, Utah)
6 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
6 years agolitterbuggy (z7b, Utah)
6 years agoKyle
6 years agotropicofcancer (6b SW-PA)
6 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
6 years agolitterbuggy (z7b, Utah)
6 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
6 years agolitterbuggy (z7b, Utah)
6 years agobayareacalifornia
4 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoVladimir (Zone 5b Massachusetts)
4 years agotropicofcancer (6b SW-PA)
4 years agoVladimir (Zone 5b Massachusetts)
4 years agoVladimir (Zone 5b Massachusetts)
4 years agobayareacalifornia
4 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
4 years agotropicofcancer (6b SW-PA)
4 years agoeric saga
4 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
4 years agoeric saga
4 years agomblan13
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoeric saga
4 years agobayareacalifornia
4 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
4 years agotropicofcancer (6b SW-PA)
4 years agobayareacalifornia
4 years agobayareacalifornia
4 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
4 years agobayareacalifornia
4 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
4 years agotropicofcancer (6b SW-PA)
4 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
4 years agotropicofcancer (6b SW-PA)
4 years agoeric saga
4 years agobayareacalifornia
4 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
4 years agoeric saga
4 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
4 years agobayareacalifornia
4 years agobayareacalifornia
4 years ago
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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)