Hi Guys :) So I've decided I want to keep my mix as porus as possible to avoid rot, I've grown Hippeastrum in pure coco peat before when I've gotten the boxed kits and I never seemed to have any luck with it, I wonder if it's because I chose to water from the top? I'm worried about the amount of salts and chemicals the can accumulate from exclusive bottom watering, I know that the gas exchange in potting mixes is very important, do the roots get adequate gas exchange with the pure coco? I've seen the wonderful pictuers Hans has posted and I was blown away! I did for a time use the granite chicken grit posted on the first link provided above, I found it to weigh the medium down a bit but that's because I wasn't using it along with bark to avoid compression, now that the two have come together in my mind I'd like to try it again? I would also LOVE to try the hydroton, it sounds like a wonderful idea as the plants wont be overwhelmed by water!

I wouldn't put it back in the original container/bag/box - whichever. But I sure wouldn't throw it away either - far to good and all sorts of uses for it. Containers for growing in, flower beds, the garden, the compost, even rejuvenate it. Here, most used mix gets tossed into a large storage bin in the corner of the GH and gets fresh peat and compost added to it, mixed well, and eventually reused for large growing containers for the bushes and shrubs we grow for sale. Dave

That's pretty much the problem. Commercial potting mixes were originally made for seasonal things, annual flowers and/or veggies, and they do a fine job for that purpose. Most mixes were never meant to last for more than a year or two, and yet many plants in pots these days are long lived shrubs and trees, such as citrus. And actually there is another area where we can look to for advice, in addition to the fine folks who've developed Gritty Mix and 5-1-1 Mix; Bonsai enthusiasts. They've figured out a lot on how to keep looooong lived plants in pots, often the same pots(!) for decades. Really, Gritty Mix is very similar to Bonsai potting mix, without the painstaking layering of various layers of different sized particles. A well planted bonsai pot mimics the layering of soil in nature. But we don't need to do that for Citrus, just a well draining, long lasting mix is fine.

Laura, you may want to read this. I have made truce many times and even further..) http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/4897055/iron-deficiency?n=21 In particular this) Silica Trickyputt, WTF ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Like Bookmark October 5, 2017 at 3:36PM Susanne Michigan Zone 5/6(6) Silica don't feed the troll please :) 1 Like Bookmark October 5, 2017 at 4:22PM trickyputt(8a AL) But Trolls need feeding too. Because you do not care for people learning how to grow on their own I deleted the post that offend you. mikerno_1micha(Zone 6a, Massachusetts) Tricky point, get lost since you have nothing nice to say or I shall have to report you to my friends at Houzz...I have never seen such a crude and rude person here in the ten years or so since I have been helping. There is no place for you here I will make sure of it if you can't be respectful or considerate..I suggest you delete your last one too silica. Just a heads up. Houzz will be coming by as soon as I talk to them. and probably mistake your post for something inappropriate. I don't want him to think anything bad about you since you have been a wonderful help here and I would miss all you have to offer if they banned you by mistake. Waiting on you