Sorry, but there is much in the post that would need correction. - Peat might break down 3-5 times as fast as composted pine bark. Conifer bark retains it's structure about 4 times as long as peat. Add to that thought the fact that the bark particles used are usually considerably larger, it actually outlasts peat quite a bit longer than that. - Vermiculite might break down at 5-10 times as fast as perlite. "Fresh" vermiculite might be a little bit more water retentive than fairly fine perlite. Vermiculite loses it's loft and compacts very quickly - almost immediately. so should be used sparingly in containers. - Compost generally start as pretty fine/compacted particles but varies a lot depending on type of material used for the compost and how aged it is. Depending what you have, it can either supply too much nitrogen too quickly (fresh manure?) or take away too much nitrogen (partially composted hardwood wood fines??). All finished compost is fine because mainly what remains after all the cellulose is eaten by soil biota is lignin. Unfinished compost breaks down at varying rates and causes varying degrees of N immobilization. Sometimes it's a serious problem; more often it's not, but it depends on how 'finished' the compost is. - Hardwood bark fines break down much faster than pine bark fines. True - but there are other issues like high levels of soluble salts and the tendency of pH to raise quickly during the composting process of hardwood bark. Heat build-up from the composting process can also be a consideration. - Turface is about equal to perlite in retentiveness and porosity but lasts a lot longer. Both last indefinitely, but Turface has much, much greater porosity than perlite. - 1 part pine fines and 1 part average, non-compacted compost might equal 2 parts of fresh, non compacted peat moss. They're different and there are too many variables to assume anything. - 1 part very coarse sand and 1 part pine bark fines might equal 2 parts of perlite in porosity/water retention. No idea on breakdown of pine bark vs perlite. See comment immediately above. - Peat and Pine Bark are both fairly acidic, but I don't know which one is more acidic. Peat Al

Hi lightning....according to David Liddle, most hoyas grow in a somewhat acidic medium. However, you're right, the eriostemmas seem to grow and bloom much better with lime added to the potting medium. Many growers, myself included, add pellitized lime to the potting medium...and use this for all plants. You may wish to also add charcoal to your mix....lime and charcoal are commonly added...it prevents the mix from getting "sour". Just be careful to not over do it. You can either mix it into the mix, or sprinkle a teaspoon on the surface of a 6-inch pot. Some people have tremendously great results doing this, however, I haven't really noticed a difference so far. Hope this helps. Fondly, Patrick

Well, my mom's two citrus trees in the ground do get a lot of sun so and a lot less watering once established. I use Roottrapper bags that has white covering that would keep media cool from sun exposure. They also have knitted fabric at the bottom that would let fine roots escape into the ground. Yeah, I've had to water dozens of containers once a day in the summer but I get good growth out of it. It doesn't really take much of your time if you only grow a couple trees. Maybe just a few minutes each day. I know what you mean. I went through the same thing wondering about it when I started it years ago.

Miracle grow, as well as pretty much any commercial bagged soil, is organic peat based. Basically, after a few months of use, it decomposes and turns from that nice fluffy mix, into a mushy silt. Most people never realize this happens because they don't do a proper repot, but just a potting up, which is popping the root & soil ball into a larger pot and filling in with new soil. If you are interested in a superb mix, search the forums for "gritty mix" or "5-1-1" and do some reading. I'll warn you though, that it requires a bit of elbow grease to make compared to just buying bagged soil, and it is 100% inorganic in the case of the gritty mix, so you must fertilize each time you water, which isn't hard because it becomes normal habit. But, if you choose to dive in, I can assure you it is well worth the effort. The gritty mix is good for permanent plantings, like potted trees and house plants, but most beneficial for cacti and succulents. The 5-1-1 mix is good for your annuals, although some use it for houseplants too. Search them up and let us know what you think and if you have any questions. Joe