December pictures of my plants in the gritty and 5.1.1mixes..

13 years ago

I just wanted to show many here how happy a few of my plants are growing in the gritty and 5.1.1 mixes, most in the gritty...I have never been able to keep them this happy into the winter before I met many here and this forum..Thank you for all your friendships and care for my success..

Just a few citrus , tropicals, succulents....Some of these pics are inside, in my basement, and in my pop up..

Thank you all

Mike

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Comments (30)

haxuan
13 years ago
Mike, you definitely got it all! Congrats.

Thanks for sharing photos of your great plants.

Xuan
christine1950
13 years ago
WOW, I have never seen such a group of happy & healthy plants. I enjoyed seeing your pictures, thanks for sharing.
Christine
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I think the most important point we can take from what Mike just said comes full circle to something I so frequently offer in conversations about getting off on the right container gardening foot. The concept illustrated by the three sentences that open the article I wrote about soils a few years ago are what made the difference for Mike. I never try to coax growers into using this or that soil mix; rather, I try to instill the idea embodied in the opening: "As container gardeners, our first priority should be to insure the soils we use are adequately aerated for the life of the planting, or in the case of perennial material (trees, shrubs, garden perennials), from repot to repot. *Soil aeration/drainage is the most important consideration in any container planting. Soils are the foundation that all container plantings are built on, and aeration is the very cornerstone of that foundation." If you always keep aeration and durability in the back of your mind as you build your plantings, and take steps to ensure those properties are part of the plan, growing can be much easier while you enjoy a much wider margin of error. Al *While I recognize that there are a plethora of very important factors, and a case can be made for other factors (water, light, temperature, nutrition .....), I've taken some latitude in making the statement because these other factors are easily changed or adjusted, while soil aeration is not.
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I know what you mean the plants were "dancing in the rain". My peppers were doing the La Cucaracha yesterday when we got our first inch of rain in 6 weeks. I was out in it uncovering rain barrels and setting out every bucket I could find under the eaves. I almost danced too! :)
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Am I reading that correctly - you are in Orange County, CA, right? If so and you're using county water then your water quality looks great to me. If I'm looking at the right report (see here) then you have pH ~8 with ~16 ppm of Mg and ~48 ppm of Ca and total alkalinity of ~120 (180 as CaCO3 equiv). Your alkalinity is on the high side but the rest of the report looks great (for plants, I wouldn't drink it). 1 tsp of FP in 1 gallon of water will give you ~6 ppm of Mg and ~25 ppm of Ca. I mention this because your water has a good ratio of Ca:Mg and it already has both in higher levels than you'd get with typical usage of the liquid fertilizer most people around here talk about. To answer your question directly: no. The mixes are not neutral. The gritty mix will be closer to 7 than the 5-1-1 (which will be more acidic) but *it doesn't matter.* The pH of your mix initially has very little to do with the pH levels your mix will maintain over time. In containers the soil pH will be determined mostly by the pH and alkalinity of the water you use and by the type of fertilizer you use and its ratio of ammonium to nitrate (*and* the rate at which the plant is taking up both of those nutrients which can vary depending on temperature, cultivar, etc). You should basically assume that the initial pH of the mix itself is of no consequence when it comes to determining the pH of your soil over the long term. You do need to pay attention to the initial pH but only because if you transplant something into the mix you want the roots to function reasonably well from the get-go. All this means is that you need to raise the pH of the bark or peat slightly so they are more friendly to transplants - the directions for doing that are built into the 5-1-1. I grow citrus trees in both mixes. Either will work for you and there are pluses and minuses to both. In terms of pH and nutrient availability you will find that the 5-1-1 is slightly more forgiving than the gritty mix. At your pH and alkalinity if you grow citrus trees in containers you will almost certainly develop Mn and Zn deficiency even if you use something like FP (which, again: you do not need to do based on your water quality). You could avoid this by acidulating your water or by using foliar applications of Manganase Sulfate and Zinc Sulfate (1.5 g per gallon and 1 g per gallon respectively - they can be mixed and applied to new growth on plants showing deficiencies). Just looking again at your water report you also have adequate/luxury levels of B, S, Cl, Na, & Cu. Nickel will be in your soil via the bark and or peat and you likely don't need to add any. All your water may be missing is: Mo, Zn, Mn, & Fe. Were I you I would use a straight 5-1-3 fertilizer and then manage the micros as needed myself. You will find it much cheaper than the usual suggestion. You could also go with Jack's Professional 25-5-15 High Performance and you wouldn't have to manage your micros as often (you will still get Zn and Mn deficiency at your pH unless you acidulate or use a serious acid reaction fertilizer - but then you will blow your NPK ratios). The cheapest and easiest option would be to use the Jack's (or another 5-1-3 with Mo and Fe) and then use the foliar sprays 1-3 times a year. If you acidulate your water I wouldn't use sulfuric - you have a ton of S in there already. Maybe citric or vinegar (don't use phosphoric, nitric is dangerous). This will be moderately expensive and moderately time consuming even with a chemical injector. Do yourself a favor and avoid the expense of Foliage Pro with your water. You will be correcting micro issues in any case and you have better Ca/Mg/S than the fertilizer can offer you anyway.
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Yes you can, and in the short run 5-1-1 in may actually perfom better than the Gritty mix. But it will wear out quicker (break down) than the gritty mix. I tend to think of annuals going in the 5-1-1 mix, and perinnials in gritty mix. If you are going to be up-potting in a couple of years go with what you have. Either are a better choice than most anything you can find in most garden centers. Gritty mix makes future repots a dream, tip the pot over and you have bare roots.. Grading the pine bark is not fun, I hate it! A major concept of the gritty mix is based on particle size, larger particles have less surface area (by volume) and thus less water retention. 1/4 to 1/8 inch seems to be the optimal size, although due the screening process of pine bark and the thin strips I will let most 1/2 and under get in the mix (under 1/8 is not good either). If you are looking for Turface MVP check a local irrigation supply house, the stuff was designed for baseball diamonds so look in that direction. The dust is not good for the mix (particle size) The gran-i-grit is intended for chickens to help them digest grains. There are many other products other than gran-i-grit that will perform just as well. Look to a local farm supply house for the rock. Rock dust is not good for the mix (particle size) Gypsum is available at the big box home improvements stores. Gritty does dry out quicker than potting soil so you do need to water a bit more often. It is extremely difficult to overwater with gritty mix, that includes mother nature overwatering. Root rot is probably the number one killer of potted plants. After water, air is the most important thing you can give roots (most plants), more important than fertilizer. Gritty mix excels at this without drying out the root system. Gritty mix is heavy stuff, an advantage of heavy is the pot is less likely to tip from heavy winds. Al is a smart guy, it is such a simple concept.
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ykerzner
13 years ago
That's some amazing citrus there. But why do you use the 5:1:1 mix for an ostensibly long-term planting?

OT, but since you would know, I have a citron bush that's seriously pot-bound and could really use a replanting into gritty mix, to alleviate major nutrient deficiency. Should it be repotted now, despite the colder weather, and kept in a heated greenhouse?
greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
13 years ago
Ykerzner, if you've got a heated greenhouse in zone 9, the sky's the limit! ;)

Also, I have my Blood Orange in a mix very similar to the 5-1-1. The 5-1-1 is lightweight,
easy to source, and easy to change out (bare-root, re-pot).

Josh
meyermike_1micha
Original Author
13 years ago
Xuan: Thanks my friend for noticing and taking the time to come here a recognize my hard work..You too have many beauties that I love to look at..I think we have a lot in common, except of course living in a huge natural greenhouse..Good to hear from you and thank you. Pictures please?

Christine: Thank you so much for your kind words..They are work, but at the same time very fun...I look forward to seeing them everyday...I love my plants. If it were not for them, I would have to think hard to find some joy lately..Thank God the feeling of knowing what I do with them now brings me much happiness..:-)

Ykerzner: Hello...Have you been here before? If not it is nice to meet you..I use it for the very same reasons Josh quoted..I also find it much cheaper and it seems as if I always have perlite, peat, and bark lying around..I also find my plants growing into bigger containers quite frequently, which forces me to transplant anyway..
If I had a greenhouse, I would do so..As Josh said, the sky is the limit with those...I ahve done so many transplants recently, and when put into my pop up, they respond very well..

Josh: Hello!! Would love to see a recent picture of a few of yours right here..Anything that you grow since you have some fantastic plants doing real well! I think you and I can attribute our success to the mix we use very simular..
You have been a great help to me, especially with my jades..Thank you.

I would love to see a few pictures of some of our friends plants for this time of year and how the mix has helped them through the toughest months of the year.

Pictures please???
greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
13 years ago
Pictures? Did someone say pictures?! ;)
Well, I hope I have enough bandwidth left...if not, we're about to find out!
Let me give you a quick tour of the bistro, the window-sills, and some bonus shots....

{{gwi:57368}}

No sewing going on here....that there's some prime real-estate, as I call the sunny window-spaces....

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This is the window-sill in the room where I sleep. That means it stays nice and cold!
Perfect for rooting cuttings on that bright window-sill. The Jade on the far left is a rooted
plant that I just potted in the Gritty mix. The Jade came from a kind GardenWeb member.
The cuttings in the bonsai pot beside the new Jade are from a different Forum member...
I think we can guess who he is ;)

{{gwi:57370}}

These are the Crosby's Compact tip-cuttings that I took about two months ago when I whacked
my Crosby's. They're fully rooted now and extending new leaf-pairs...sorry for the dingy pic.

{{gwi:57371}}

Crassula arborescens cutting (5 months old) that I took this summer, and an Aloe 'California' pup that I've been
nurturing as a bonsai in a very gritty mix for well over a year.

{{gwi:57372}}

And last but not least, the first open bloom on my big Christmas Cactus!

{{gwi:57373}}

Josh
ykerzner
13 years ago
Mike: I have been here before. Nice to meet you too.

Greenman28: Wouldn't that aloe look better with a mix without pebbles?
jojosplants
13 years ago
Hi Everyone!
Mike, Josh, everything looks wonderful! Can't go wrong with these mixes. ;-)

I don't think I have any pics to add, but I'll look later and see.

Most of what I have in the 5-1-1 were annuals, gone now. But I am currently getting many things ready to go into the gritty. :-)

JoJo
greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
13 years ago
"Greenman28: Wouldn't that aloe look better with a mix without pebbles?"
- How so?

I have a larger Aloe 'California' in a mix that is nearly pure pebble, and it looks better than this one.
The purpose of the small container, however, is to keep the plant small. These guys get big!

Hey, JoJo! Nice to see you!

Josh
greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
13 years ago
The larger Aloe is in a mix too gritty to be called Gritty....mostly just large gravel.....

{{gwi:57374}}
haxuan
13 years ago
Mike: I always have time to look at GW friends' posts; but sometime I don't have anything to share... :-(

I've been travelling to China and am still in Saigon so practically I have no pictures of C&S to share. But I can share some photos of my amaryllis then.

Hope you don't mind my stealing your post.

{{gwi:57375}}

{{gwi:57376}}

Josh: Love all your plants, as always. They look so well-tended. They must be very lucky to have you as their master :-)

Xuan
meyermike_1micha
Original Author
13 years ago
Dang. I can't see your pictures here at work Josh and Xuan!!:-((Although Xuan, at times I can see certain pictures, like the sunset you posted..I will comment on that..BEAUTIFUL!!!You live in a Paradise..

Xuan: Stealing my post? Please..We all have fun helping, chatting, showing geography, clouds, plants, birds, dogs and the like..That is what makes this forum special..I think I actually invited you to show us some pics..Lol
Love every one of them..Thank you so much.:-)

Josh: Dang, I can't see your pics here...I shall have to wait until I get home to see yours..I look forward to it!From the sounds of them and the description s of where they sit and occupy space, and in what mixes, I can only assume they must be quite nice...:-))

Jojo: So good to see you!!!!:-))Yes...Bring them on....
Can't wait to see what new offerings you have in store for us...I'll bet many of your plants are reacting very well to the cooler temps and yes, the gritty mix..;[)

Have a great Friday all.

Mike
eggplant30038
13 years ago
Boy!! You guys have beautiful houseplants!!! I am truly jealous :) I wish mine could look as good as yours...

Crissy
christine1950
13 years ago
Very, very nice everybody, if I knew how to post pic's I'd join the party LOL..
Christine
plant48
13 years ago
For someone that does not use coir, i am surprised your plants look that nice meyermike.
I am not a bit surprised your teacher has had nothing to say about your plants though while everyone else including you do about his.
Congrats

Plant48
greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
13 years ago
Well that was rather cryptic...!

Mike had - emphasis *had* - some trees in coir...but they expired.
Moreover, there was a dearth of help to be found back when he did ask for advice.

Josh
mrlike2u
13 years ago
Dayumm sorry to change the subject mid thread but Josh only your pics say bandwidth exceeded. Maybe a raw deal from Phtobucket ?
greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
13 years ago
No, nothing so sinister ;)
I simply exceeded my bandwidth for last month.
By midnight (tonight) the pics should re-appear...when my bandwidth alotment is reset.
And the 1 hour, 45 minute countdown begins....

Josh
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
13 years ago
Mike doesn't need much advice anymore. He does just fine by himself, and has been doing a great job for quite some time now. ;o) He also goes way out of his way to try to ensure that whatever he offers is sound, which earns him a great deal of respect from me.

Strong work, Mike, and a hug for Sissy from me, please. ;o)

Al
jodik_gw
13 years ago
I most heartily concur with Al... solid work, there, Mike! Much respect! :-)

Your plants look fabulous! I'm jealous! I've neglected mine in the pursuit of summer outdoor gardening activities, but I'm starting to catch up with it now that winter is here.

Josh, you, too! Excellent growing!

And, Xuan! Ahh... the illustrious "Evergreen"! A real beauty!

Well... I think it can be seen quite clearly that it's the lack of coir that has done the most good! Great Gritty Growing, you guys! ;-)
mksmth zone 7a Tulsa Oklahoma
13 years ago
great pics everyone. I dont post much here but I should since all my stuff is in containers.

Of course those of you who frequent the citrus board have probably seen mine but here they are. Everthing I have is in the 5.1.1
{{gwi:57377}}
left to right
mexican lime, meyer lemon, naval orange, lemon seedlings.

{{gwi:57418}}

meyer lemon in front, key lime back left, armstrong satsuma back right. this pic is a few weeks old and now the meyer and key lime just about in full bloom , woo hoo!!

{{gwi:57419}}
plumeria(just got 2 of these and im waiting to re-pot this spring) pineapple, mango seedling, avocado seedling
{{gwi:57420}}
And this is my mothers Christmas present. she wanted an indoor herb garden I was able to germinate the parsley, basil, oregano, and lettuce(I know not an herb, but it did sprout) I had to buy the rosemary and peppermint. Im sorry if this was off topic, but hey, they are in little containers, LOL.

Take care everyone!
Mike
meyermike_1micha
Original Author
13 years ago
Mike: Fantsastic looking plants! I am so glad you decided to go with the 5.1.1 mix:-). You have come a long way with your plants..Just wonderful. Let us know when would love to use a mix that last's a lot longer than that, and we will get hooked on the gritty mix..:-)Nice lights too.

Jodik and Al: I appreciate your vote of confidence in me..That means alot expecially coming from the very ones that helped me every step of the way and especially the one that introduced this concept and mix to me in the first place, Al:0)
By the way, Sissy say's "right back at you"..
Thank you!

Josh: Thank you for your input while I was sick. Your right, and I figure if anyone is really interested in what coir has done for my plants, let alone see pictures, all they would have to do is plug my name into the search field and they can see my journet from begining till recent. Coir stinks, and that's that.;-)

Plant48: Thanks for the congrats..It is not the first time my good friends and teacher have commented on my plants. Just do search of my threads.

Eggplant and Christine: Thank you much.Your can look like this if you just hang around this forum for a while..Thank you Christine. Posting pictures is easy..If you have photbucket, just upload and we will tell you from there if you do so.

Hi mrlike2u, how are you? Sorry I missed you this weekend..Maybe next time.;-)

Xuan: Just BEAUTIFUL as always! I love every picture you show us just as much as I love everyone"s!! You pictures always make me feel warm and cozy..lol. Thank you! You are so lucky not to have to face this dreaded cold winter..

I use to like it when I snow boarded..Not anymore..
Have a happy one everybody..I would love to see more pics by the way..

Mike..:-)))
mrlike2u
13 years ago
{{gwi:57422}}

Mike: Don't be sorry it's Okay note how I wont mention the odd looking caudiforms you missed out on and your chance to adding at least one of them to your collection. Our friend from West took the deadest looking living stones(
lithops) I've ever seen. At least we know there in good hands now.
Winter containers in progress and so far all is well including the as seen in pic one that you requested prior. Maybe I'll post your nemesis plant(s) later.

haxuan Very nice good strong scape height by the way as for posting them on this thread...... Mike asked for it.
mrlike2u
13 years ago
Hmmm Mike: what are those orange finger shaped things in your adeniums which aren't the frog ?
jodik_gw
13 years ago
I'm a little curious, too, Mike... they look suspiciously like... carrots! ;-)

But seriously... they look like they're made out of terra cotta... but to what purpose, I'm not entirely sure.

I love Nana's Garden! What a great gift idea! And so personal, too... I think she'll love it!

The pink flowered Hippeastrum... "Susan" is it? Or "Vera" possibly? Lovely, whatever it's variety name!
greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
13 years ago
They're terra cotta watering worms!
We used to sell them at ACE hardware.
Basically, they absorb moisture (and darken) when the soil is moist...
and they dry out (and lighten) when the soil dries out. It's a loose method of moisture checking.

I spotted them in his pics at the Citrus Forum, and he confirmed, so I figured I'd share the info. ;)

Josh
meyermike_1micha
Original Author
13 years ago
Hi Guys and Gals! Lol

Those are terra cotta worms! The only kind of worm anything that is allowed in my pots....

I thought they were cute and I would them a try, but you are right Josh, it is a loose method..lol
Everyone here at my house that has seen them loves them.
I suppose they might work in heavy wet mixes, but not sure about that.
They might work in big pots if they reached to the bottom of them too, lol...
Jodi, watch for a special picture just for you by the weekend:-)

Mrlike2u: Most beautiful I must say and I DID miss out:-(((
Great job..

Have fun everyone! I get tomorrow off to do some spring cleaning of my plants, watch lot's of movies, then plant spring clean again..!

I would love to see more recent pictures.. Jodi, I can't wait to see your flowers so that we can see more beauty such as Mrlike2u's..Hope your back is well..

Josh, we can never get enough of your pics or surroundings! I LOVE the palms by the way..I have always loved them. Thank you for that special picture..

Cheers

Mike
greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
13 years ago
Excellent, Mike! I'm so glad you saw those palms!
I'll take pics of larger palms when I'm out walking around the Lake today.
I'm glad you're feeling better...and very glad that you have time off!
Cheers!

Josh
jodik_gw
13 years ago
We'll be incommunicado for most of the weekend, Mike... we travel north on Christmas to visit the kids and grandkids. We should be home by Tuesday, at the latest. When we travel and visit, I leave the internet home. We do have access... laptops, phones, the kids' computers... but we're usually so busy having fun with the family, we neglect checking email or messages!

Watering worms... of course. I didn't recognize them. I don't have any, myself. They reminded me of little terra cotta carrots for some reason!

Unfortunately, I have no new bulbs and nothing setting buds at the moment. As spring approaches, though, so the plants should begin to send up scapes. I'll be sure to share!

Have a nice Christmas, everyone, and a Happy New Year!
meyermike_1micha
Original Author
13 years ago
Josh: You kidding? They are one of my favorite plants, always reminding me of the warm Carribeans!

Jodi: Please travel safely. See you when you get back..:-)

Cheers everyone

Mike

December pictures of my plants in the gritty and 5.1.1mixes..

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December pictures of my plants in the gritty and 5.1.1mixes..

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