This a perfect example of grower convenience, verses what is best the trees..

What is best for you? I would continue to grow in what you have been, since your plants have been doing ok...

What is best for the trees, may not be something you or some can not afford..:-) You will have to water a bit more frequently using any very porous mix, until the cooler wet weather arrives along with lack of sun during the winter month and the couple before and after.. I actually know some that have given up their plants..:-(

Happy growing..

Mike..:-)

If water is expensive for you, you've had your trees for a while (a year or more) and they're healthy, stick with what you know works for you. Potting soil breakdown and soil impaction are both problems, but you can work around them as long as you know that they happen and are willing to make a little extra effort. No need to bankrupt yourself on water.

An alternative I just thought of, if you really want to try the looser potting medium, would be to put the tree's container in a larger bucket, water it, and then capture the water that runs out the bottom. Put a lid on it and save it for next time.

Drawbacks to this method would include a potential salt buildup in the medium (because you'd be essentially forcing the same set of salts through the medium until they decided to stay) but you may be encountering that already with the denser soils in the other pots. You'd also need to keep a pretty good-sized bucket around, and you'd have to be careful not to use that water on any other plants no matter what the temptation. You never want to use run-through from one plant to water another one.

Not ideal, but it's a thought.

I think Mike makes a great point.

I am also in zone 9 and it is really hot right now, so watering is more frequent.

If it doesn't work for you, then stick to what you have going.

I will say, that I am a 5:1:1 believer! I have a few large pots with normal potting soil etc in them and the trees are doing fine. HOWEVER, once I learned how to do the 5:1:1 mix, I started using it exclusively. I have purchased several run down trees for cheap from nursery's and the big box stores and they have completely revivived given full sun and the 5:1:1 mix.

I think trapping water makes sense as well, but around here, WATCH FOR MOSQUITOS!!!

If you need to retain moisture in the upper inches of the soil-mix,
simply add a light layer of mulch to the top of the container.
I use the same screened Bark that I mix into the soil itself, and
I use less than an inch. This really helps during the hottest days
of the Summer. When the weather changes, you can easily pull back the mulch
to increase the drainage and aeration properties of the mix/container.

I would choose a larger container with free-draining mix, as opposed to a smaller
container with a water-retentive mix.

Josh

It is impossible to use a "soil less" mix without constant watering and constant application of chemical fertilizers. That is the nature of the beast. If that is not going to work for you, then I would suggest that you avoid these mixes. In my city we have been seeing temperatures over 100 degrees in the past few days. My only potted plant outside in the soil less mix needs to be watered twice a day. Otherwise it visibly wilts. Finally, I dragged it to the shade today in the hopes that I may have to water it only once today and need not drop what I am doing to check on it at midday, afternoon etc.
The same is the case for leaving your plants for a few days in the summer if you travel or fall sick in the summer - you need to find and arrange a "plant sitter" to constantly monitor and water the plants with appropriate fertilizers added in or you risk killing them or making them decline.
Just want to let you know what to expect before you embark on a labor intensive mission.

I apologize - I am using Al's gritty mix and not the 5:1:1 mix - so my watering experiences may not be what you should go by.

ashley, what is your definition of a 'soilless' mix?

Historically, this term refers to a potting medium that is largely composed of peat moss with a few other additives such as perlite, vermiculite, bark fines. The vast majority of bagged potting mixes on the market are soilless mediums. These mixes can be anywhere from mucky and heavy to porous and fast draining. Depends upon the manufacturer's recipe, and the source of the peat.

What is NOT in a soilless medium is clay, silt, sand or other particles that are a part of a successful (outdoor) soil system. It is those mineral solids that determine an outdoor soil's texture. SoilLESS means any medium without those particles and composed mostly of other things.

I 'think' what you mean is the artificial mixtures so many of us use containing various amounts of Turface, perlite, bark, grit, and peat. We can call these mediums soilless, also, but applying that term solely to them is misleading. Bagged potting mixes have been labeled on the package as 'Soilless' for many years, generations.

I've been trying to remember, just for the heck of it, when the first 'soilless' recipe came out. I think it might have been the famous Cornell mix, and I also think that it might have been in the forties or so.

Anyhow, steve needs to evaluate his desire to grow containerized plants and the cost of the water to support the plants. I'd like to encourage him to 'experiment', as he says, with 5:1:1 mix (or whatever) with his one plant. Using a mulch on the surface, as Josh recommends, is a good idea. It will require more frequent watering, though. There's no getting around that.

You might also consider adding some of the very porous ingredients to your existing potting medium when you do your repotting. That is a good way to see some of the benefits of using bark fines or Turface, without going cold turkey.

I'm really curious, steve, about the kind of medium you are using now? I can't imagine not having to water a containerized plant more than ONCE per week in the summer. What's your secret? Don't be bashful.

Hi Ash,:-)How are you..?

You are right..The mixes are very different in nature..Both still require more frequent waterings than most heavier soils that hold water for as long as Steve,, I think,, is looking for..

One can tinker with them in such a way where it can still be porous and yet hold moisture a bit longer.. There is a fine line though...

I am afraid that the kind of mix Steve may be looking for is not the kind that is best for his trees, even if he uses mulch on top Josh..One still has to water more frequently than bagged or heavier mixes that include fine particles, and we jknow that. That is why we use them..

Steve, just exactly what do you want your soil to do? Not really sure what you are looking for..To be honest, you could use the 5.1.1 mix and let your container sit in a saucer full of water for days, and that alone would extend your need to water for day...
But what is best for your trees and for you amy also be two different worlds..;-)
What is going to work for you? I don't think anyone can really decide...
Universally, the mixes are perfectly made for most..:-)

Good luck and it is good to meet you..

Mike

Rhizzo, you are so amazing..My thoughts too..At the end of my post..:-)

You just worded it better..

Mike

Lots of good thoughts--I appreciate the efforts of all.

Everything in life (and, of course, gardening) is compromise. In this case, I'm concerned about the drainage of the mixes I am using (typical: cactus/palm mix, or, more recently, Kellog's patio mix, sometimes augmented with perlite) both because of the large sizes of the containers and because of our typical weather.

When I said "heavy marine influence", I meant it. Many of you may be roasting, but here I think we have seen a full day of sun perhaps 6 times during this summer. It is much more commonly foggy and sometimes drizzly. Los Osos is on the back arm of Morro Bay and sits in a fog pocket. I'm only 5 short blocks from the back bay.

Our summers are known for fog, but this year has been extreme. In the Spring and Fall, however (and in the Winter when the weather is clear) the hot spot I have my citrus in *really* heats up--for about 1/2 day. It's so hot there that one can barely stand to do anything there while the sun is shining.

So...that may explain how I seem to be just fine with the water I am using now. It's just not that hot. But it will be in the Fall (I hope!) and beyond.

Ashleysf's comment about being away or sick (3.5 weeks and just am getting over it....) is important. I've got everything on drip with timers, but I don't think a drip system could really handle the demands of something like the 5:1:1 mix without wasting a lot of water (something drip systems are not supposed to do!)

Dunno.....I still think I might try just this one plant to see how it goes. I can always farm it out to someone (hopefully) if I need to be gone. And if it dies, well, lots of plants do....

Steve you show you care very much about your situation, and what you could do. Something tells me you get the concept of these mixes..

You will do just fine with everyone here, and that of Al's if he sees this post..

It is very nice to see the willingness of everyone here..

With the weather you described, I can't imagine you having to water so frequently even in the 5.1.1 mix except for a few short hot days....

Mike..:-)