Why/how are the repots of plants grown in gritty mix easier if it's likely you have to repot even more frequently than you would with a standard potting mix? Hi, M - The roots don't get intertwined with the peat fibers & the larger pieces of grit and bark fall easily off of the roots. You usually need to comb the soil out a little, or use a root pick, which is nothing more than a tool shaped like a pencil. Chopsticks work very well. I can repot most plants under 5 gallons in the gritty mix in 30-45 minutes. That includes cleaning the soil from the roots, selectively pruning the roots, preparing the pot/container, adding all new soil, securing the plant in the pot, and getting it soaking in a root stimulant. I usually use the saw (on left) to cut off the bottom 1/3-1/2 of the root mass; then use the root rake, which is next to the saw, to remove most of the soil. You can use a coarse comb or just the root pick, which is what I use to tease old soil particles out of any stubborn pockets formed by the roots. Would using an organic liquid fertilizer (versus soil amendments) eliminate the possible negative effect on 'high air porosity? It would help. You wouldn't be dealing with the soil amendments (like various meals and such) clogging up the soil's macro-pores (which was what I focused on when deciding on how to build the soil) but you still have the organic component of what you're applying for nutrients feeding and increasing populations of the soil organisms that break down the 1/3 organic component of the soil. This is not near as large a consideration, though, as it would be in a peat-based soil, or even the 5:1:1 mix. The reason is that there is still a 2/3 mineral component in the soil that remains unaffected by biotic activity and is enough to sustain porosity, even in the face of a collapsing organic component. The gritty mix is durable enough that it almost never 'wears out'. Plants generally become severely rootbound and in dire need of a full repot long before the gritty mix has seen the end of a useful life. I'm not attempting to change your ideology when I suggest you try the mix in a side-by-side comparison of non-food plantings, using a chemical soluble fertilizer like Foliage-Pro 9-3-6 on half of the plantings, with the other half supplemented with your program of choice. If your set against the idea - that's fine, but I think it would be enlightening.

Mac, you wanted it because they are spectacular when they bloom. There is a backyard on the Paradise Valley Parkway that has 3 huge ones. The bloom is amazing. I do find, as nc-crn mentions, that deep watering can make the difference. I have 6 plants that all take quite a bit of water so I turn the hose on real low and leave it on the plant for a minimum of 24 hours, then it's moved to the next for the same treatment. Sometimes I forget to move the hose but they are basically watered once a week or so and mine has done well on this routine. Across the street is one on irrigation, the schedule in summer is water every 2 weeks, but it's deep. That one grows and blooms.

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Good morning all! Thank you for your replies! I am so glad to hear the Knock out Gnats will work, i will go ahead and purchase it today! I used to make my own potting soil with black dirt, sand, & perilite, but then others said it wasn't good for houseplants because there was no nutrients in the soil and it was to heavy when drying out which kept oxygen from reaching the roots. I did have more problems with other pests when using my homemade soil, but not gnats. I may go back to experimenting with making my own again. The potting medium i have been using says on the bag...... Miracle Grow Potting Mix for indoor/outdoor containers. This stuff has actual wood chips/chunks in it. I bought some last season and also this spring, both with the same very bad smelling, moldy mildewy smell. Actually strong enough to make you cough when breathing in above an open bag or a pot of wet soil. I also noted that when starting seeds in this mix, after the top had been wetted, in 2 days the wood chips showing on top of the mix, started to grow white mold and the smell was worse. The wood in it looks like some of the shreded mulch you see for sale. My concern with trying to sterilize potting medium is whats in it. Are we talking sterilizing actual soil and not the peat based mixes? Most container mixes have fertilizer, perilite, vermiculite, & wood chips in it, which causes my concern of heating this up in the house. Especially me, as i am the worlds worst cook to begin with! Any thing concerning the stove/oven and me,is great cause for concern and disaster! ;) Thanks for helping me learn & grow with my plants! Tonia