My First Time Transplanting into 1:1:1 Gritty Mix

13 years ago

I did it!

I am totally drenched and cold, (it is raining here in Seattle and it took me a few hours to transplant both trees outside) but I am done. I finally transplanted my Meyer Lemon trees into the 1:1:1 Gritty Mix! They look fabulous!

The soil:

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A few pointers that I kept in mind that several of you more experienced growers suggested to me prior to my first transplant:

- Cover the holes in the bottom of my pot with Drywall Tape to keep my gritty mix from falling out the bottom of the pot.

- Rinse off all the old soil from the root ball. Blast it off with the hose if you have to!

- Mound the gritty mix into a mountain in the middle of my pot and let the roots fall down around the sides of the mountain.

- Keep the roots damp during the transplant process!

- Using a skewer (BBQ skewer, chopstick, pencil anything!) poke around the root ball to encourage soil to fill the spaces between the roots as you plant it to ensure that there are NO AIR POCKETS! I even took the sprayer on my hose and stuck it down into the soil with the root ball and blasted the soil hoping it would force the soil into every nook and cranny!

- Keep the tree out of direct light and extreme heat for a few days while it recovers from the transplant.

So how did it go? Well the first little "sapling" tree I have went really well. The soil it was planted in was very bark-y and fell right off the roots, it was great! Now I have an idea of what it will be like to transplant again in Gritty Mix, it will be a breeze! He went right into his new pot without issue.

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Then I started in on my larger Meyer... Unfortunately I did not expect my larger tree to be so massively root bound. :( So we will see if it can handle the mauling I gave it.... I pruned away some of the roots. (I have no training what-so-ever in root trimming...) The soil packed into the root ball was totally bone dry when I unearthed it.... It was definitely time to transplant!

I had a heck of a time getting all the soil off the roots because they were so matted. The tree was so root bound that after blasting away with the hose for about 20 minutes, there were still completely bone dry spots within the root ball!! It took me quite a while to get it all out.

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I trimmed the roots.... I hope I did not kill it!

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This is what my tree looks like now. I will post another photo in a week or so of its progress (Or decline. Whichever it may be�..) Hopefully it will forgive me for the mauling I gave it!

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I also trimmed the branches back a bit to compensate for the loss of roots. I did not have the heart to cut it back any more than that, all the flower buds are on the tips of the branches! Do I need to prune it even more?

My vanity got the best of me and I decided to go with the pretty clay pot. Kind of wish I had not now. It is really really heavy! :( Next chance I get, into a plastic pot it will go! Sorry tree, no pretty pot for you.

On the next watering I will begin my Foliage Pro fertilizer and white vinegar regimen and my tree will be on its way to health and happiness!

Thanks again to everyone on the forum for all your help in getting me up to speed on Al's 1:1:1 Gritty Mix, and answering all my questions throughout the process!! I am looking forward to many more years of successful citrus growing thanks to ALL OF YOU!

~Jessica's (Now) Growin' Citrus

Comments (16)

Jessicasgrowincitrus
Original Author
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Oops. I think I should have put this post under the Container Gardening Forum. Sorry about that.
meyermike_1micha
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Hey Jessica!! Fantastic fantastic job!! I am so very proud of you.

That mix looks wonderful and so is the narrative. So thoughtful for you to come here and share and I hope many others take away a lot of information from your road to success.

Bravo!

If you need any tuning up or other suggestions, I am sure the ones that supported and helped me will be along to educate you even further.
Wonderful

I linked this thread to the container forums for you and if you still want to start another thread, go for it since many over there will probably never visit the citrus forum and your thread will be appreciated by many at the container one too.

Mike
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I substituted perlite in my mix to cut down the weight, and it is much lighter this way. It's working very well so far and I haven't noticed any separation when watering gently. But I don't think I would use this mix outdoors. The wind and rain could send the perlite everywhere and possibly knock over or uproot top heavy plants. As for Floor Dry, I've used it and it seems to be a perfectly acceptable substitute for Turface. I prefer the color of Turface though, and since they're about the same price, I use Turface. Their website lists distributors for each state. That's how I found mine. Also, I don't think calcined DE like Floor Dry will be a problem for soil microorganisms. It's powdered DE that is used to control pests. -Chris
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I've been using a 50:50 base mix of perlite/ turface for many years. You can easily modify this mix for different needs. Most mesembs benefit from the addition of a clayey component. For me, I just dig beyond the topsoil in my yard for some good dirt. I also substitute perlite for some lava rock and small pebbles. It's a heavier, longer lasting mix which works when repotting infrequently for mesembs. This same mix is my preference for small cactus species like Aztekium, Blossfeldia, tricky mamms like luethyi, etc. "bigger" plants like some Crassula, aloes, aeonium etc. you could add more perlite to lighten big pots. It also makes it safer to leave outdoors all spring/summer/fall with rain. My palms, plumeria and cycads live in this mix too. Floating perlite is not an issue. But it does easily displace with high water pressure like from a hose. Some form of fertilizer is a must. I'm also a fan of submerging small pots with small plants into bigger, deeper containers to help stabilize root temperatures. Practically any healthy plant I've ever had to repot always has roots circling the bottom. I really don't understand the concept of shallow or regular pots. I think the deeper the better. I haven't really noticed any exception. For some species it's mandatory. Haworthias, many cactus plants with tuberous roots. Even Lithops which tolerate a shallow home will grow much better in very deep pots. Pleiospilos too. For anyone unsure or unconvinced, try an experiment. Take a pot with any plant you want, and bury it into much deeper pot for a growing season. Pull it out later and see what you find. Bury an Aloe, pachypodium or most any strong Echeveria or similar in the garden and watch it take off. We would all be great at bonsai, plenty good experience with root constriction and limiting growth lol!
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WT You are right. I understand that it takes a while for ppl to really 'get it'. First, such unusual mix...than water just runs out...And some of the ingredients that many of us didn't even know that existed, and never knew that they will do such good job as a potting medium. And some re difficult to source! That is the reason, IMO, that posts like it should be read few times. At first, I thought it was completely different post since reading it 2nd time, I found many 'new' things there - yet there were there all the time. It is the concept to understand, and that may - or may not - take time. Also understand what the properties of each ingredient are, how they hold/retain any water and how much, how it is gradually released to the plant. ewwmayo mentioned experiment with turface: ..."Try watering a transparent plastic cup of gritty mix - it's easy to miss spots and under water"...He did lots of research, lots of measurements (that most likely won't do - I don't, just read his results he generously shared). He is using gritty mix, and his plants are really great. Unless one can see it, it may be difficult to understand. I didn't - I was overwatering succulents in first gritty mix I made: didn't know then that turface could hold lots of water (as much as it could have dry patches). So I read Al's post again (and probably asked some 'annoying' questions :), until I got it. I think that litterbuggy summarized it very well here (about watering): ..."wetting the whole surface, wetting the whole surface of the pot, going on to water the rest of his plants, then going back to water each gritty pot again. That makes sense if your think about it: the water drains through the pot too fast to get the turface and bark thoroughly wet in one shot, so it would have to take a few rounds of watering to do the job"... (that is written in Al's posts, and it is kind of a guide to watering). It is very frustrating not to be able to get results we expect, after going thru the steps of making the mix. One of the important things to remember may be that 'receipt' for making either of the mixes could be and should be, if necessary, adjusted to suit the particular situation. That could be done if one understands the concept.
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meyermike_1micha
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Jessica: I was doing some thinking.

Looking at the roots of the larger tree, I think I would of taken off the center leader root, the main thick one that you see, while I was root pruning.

I would love to know if this should of been done, and if so, is it too late? If so, and you do it, will the plant still be just fine?

I think a root pruning expert will let us know asap as I am also still learning on that one:-)

What a great sense of enthusiasm and effort.

Mike
Jessicasgrowincitrus
Original Author
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Ah. I see.

Being new to the idea of even *toucing* the roots on a plant, let alone cutting them off I was afraid to cut the bigger roots off too much. :(

I am not sure if the larger roots perform a different task for the tree than the smaller ones, or if one is more important than the other?

Hopefully someone can give me a quick run down on root pruning?

I am considering replanting the tree again soon anyway. It is way too heavy for me to move around and I really dont like that. I am thinking I sould have gone for a plastic container. I need to be able to move it from the window to the shower for a rinse-off from time to time.
jodik_gw
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Nice job, and the mix looks great, Jessica! Way to go! :-)
greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Hello, Jessica, you're off to such a great start!

As Mike said, that long root can be removed. I'd remove it next time you re-pot.
As for the root-mauling...I think the Meyer will recover just fine.

I generally wait 2 weeks after re-potting to begin my fertilzation regimen.
"Soils that are low in initial fertility are conducive to root-growth."

Remember to provide updates! ;-)

Josh
cebury
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
great work!
mizbrendab
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Hello Jessica,

If you still follow this thread, I was wondering if we could chat about where you find your gritty mix ingredients in Seattle.

Thanks,
Brenda
westgirl
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Hi Jessica (and Brenda)
I too, would be interested on where you found your gritty mix ingredients in Seattle. From what I can tell, the closest place to get Turface is a bit of a drive. Would love to hear.
TIA,
Westy
ssmdgardener
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Jessica, I'll be planting my just-purchased Meyer lemon in Al's gritty mix tomorrow. Thanks so much for the pictures!

I have two question. Did you use lime in your gritty mix? I wasn't sure if I should add the lime, since I read that citrus likes acidic mediums.

And did you mix in a slow-release fertilizer like Osmocote? Or another brand?
greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
ssmdgardener, do not add Lime to the Gritty Mix.
Lime will raise the pH, and the Gritty Mix is already high enough.
If your fertilizer doesn't have Calcium and Magnesium, then add Gypsum to the Gritty Mix
at 1 Tablespoon per gallon. Then, when you fertilize, add 1/8 Teaspoon of Epsom Salts per gallon
of fertigating solution. The Gypsum and the Epsom Salts will co-ordinate to provide the missing
Calcium and Magnesium.

If your fertilizer provides Calcium and Magnesium - such as Foliage Pro 9-3-6 -
then you don't need to add Gypsum to your Gritty Mix.

Josh
Jessicasgrowincitrus
Original Author
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Hi Westy, hi Brenda-

I am in a pinch for time today, but I will tell you where I got my ingredients really quick so you can get started!

Bark Fines- Just plain ol� Repti bark from Petco. I had to get the smaller bag because they were sold out of the larger ones. There has been talk that they may be using different sized bark partials in the two size bags, but I only have experience with the smaller bag.

Granite- De Young�s Farm & Garden (Right next door to Molbaks in Woodenville). This was the only place I could find the exact size granite I was looking for.

Turface- Ewing Irrigation. I picked up mine in Auburn. They also have locations in Burlington, Pasco, Everett, Redmond, Tacoma and Tumwater/Olympia. (You can search locations at their web site- www.ewing1.com) Seeing how we are coming up on baseball season they will be sure to have it in stock. *In a pinch I have been told you can use Floor Dry #8822 from Napa (the automotive store), but I have not tried it yet.

If you search my name (Jessicasgrowincitrus) you will come across all my posts. I wrote up a whole post on my Gritty Mix making experience last summer. (Titled: Al's Gritty Mix -- A Learning Experience) Check it out, there are step-by-step photos of the whole sifting process and photos of the partial size you will need in the end product.

Let me know if you have any questions! Good luck!!

~Jessica
westgirl
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Hi Jessica,
Thank you for responding - I went to DeYoung's yesterday to get grit & it turns out they had Turface too. I've got a bunch of orchid bark on hand, so it was one-stop shopping! I'm going to start transplanting my cacti first. Thank you & happy planting!
Westy
mandarin1
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Jessica, that was delightful, informative reading! I also read your "learning experience" where I was thrilled to hear you can buy something called a bonsai screen and my fingers flew to Amazon! I made a 1/4" screen a couple years ago, but everything else was "best guessing" and made me crazy...I wanted to thank you for your help. The same people who are helping you, helped me a few years back ( thanks to them again!). Once I finally went to gritty mix, I never looked back...you won't either. Best of luck with your trees!
User
7 years ago
Hey Jessica, how are your trees doing now?
myermike_1micha
7 years ago
I was wondering the same thing! Let me see if I can find her e-mail incase she does not see this Vladimar) I have been thinking about her for days. I am guessing she either gave up and got busy or they are doing great since she has not been back to ask for assistance.,,..

My First Time Transplanting into 1:1:1 Gritty Mix

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