"Did you later start using the gritty mix and abandon the basic mix?" No. I use the gritty mix for plants that will be in the same soil for more than a single growth cycle. I use the 5:1:1 mix for all my veggies and display containers for the decks & gardens. I usually turn the 5:1:1 mix into the gardens, beds, or the compost pile at the end of the season. You got the gritty mix right, but The 5:1:1 mix is 5 parts partially composted pine bark fines 1 part sphagnum peat 1 part perlite garden lime The granite for the gritty mix is usually found at rural elevators/feed stores under the name "Gran-I-Grit" (grower size) or Cherry Stone (#2 size). Al

Volume!

Hi Al, I’ve finally had the opportunity to reply with an update and wanted to thank you again for taking the time to share your knowledge and help explain the process and reasoning behind choosing a particular growing medium. I am always fascinated by the science of things and am looking forward to my ficus lyrata breathing easier. July 31 was repot day. I gathered all of my 1.1.1 gritty mix supplies, screened & rinsed the turface mvp & manna-pro poultry grit, & proceeded to make a huge mess trying to coax the zoo med repti-bark into smaller pieces using a 3-cup ninja food processor - - neither a quick nor easy endeavor. Some pieces did get smaller but not enough to justify the amount of dust that landed all over my kitchen, so the size of my bark is what it is. I want to stress that a dust mask is imperative for anyone attempting this, especially indoors, and also to note that I did not see any discernible difference in bark size between the larger (24 qt) & smaller (4 qt) bags (see picts below) Next I bare rooted what I thought was 1 plant and discovered that I have 2 separate plants - - and I did wind up doing some minimal root pruning after rinsing off all the existing soil. After drilling additional drainage holes all the way through the bottom of the attached saucer, I repotted both plants back into the same original glazed pot as I did not have the opportunity to get an all clay pot, nor did I have a 2nd pot available to repot separately so they will continue to be bosom buddies, at least until next year. In the hopes of lessening the weight of the pot and more importantly, the perched water table, I placed 4 small empty plastic water bottles at the bottom of the pot and added a cotton string wick through the main center drainage hole to help keep a check on moisture levels. One other thing to note is when I originally posted on July 25, there was no visible growth activity - the brown pod (for lack of a better word) felt dry, crispy & empty, but to my surprise, right after the repot, I noticed that there was in deed some growth activity taking place. I only hope I did not jeopardize the emergence of new baby leaves with this root running & repot! As luck would have it, I have to go out of town for 2 weeks and need to leave explicit instructions for my boyfriend who will be caring for my plants while I am away so I do have a few questions: ~ How long should I keep the plant in the shade or is it ok to keep it in bright light but with NO direct sun? Right now it is behind a UV solar blind and sheer linen curtain which creates a shady environment. ~ When can I introduce it back into some direct sunlight? ~ Should I water everyday until the roots acclimate & re-establish themselves in the gritty mix? What is the best watering schedule for now? ~ When would I start adding foliage pro 9-3-6 to the mix & should it be the production or maintenance amount? Many thanks to Al and all the other forum members for all the advice. I will update once I am back from my trip with any changes - - hopefully they are all positive ones. **having trouble positing picts so will try to add in separate post

Bingo! That is where I get mine. The regular pine bark mulch in the blue bag is very good. They also sell 1/2 and 1/4 inch hardware cloth (wire) if you did want to sift. http://myagway.com/catalog/product/117217/agway-pine-bark-mulch-3-cuft#.WH-mdSMrKiY I also found some nice soil conditioner in Stauffers. I bought a bag to see what it was like, and it was partially composted. Perfect for 5-1-1. I went back to get a few more bags, and someone had bought the rest of the pallet! Luckily they got more. I'll have to look at the bag and post what the brand is.