You can always sift it out, turface is much smaller than bark...

It's quite a big batch :/ and my bark particle size is quite similar to turface size :/

Nice small bark, but it still looks bigger than turface...if you have appropriate screen, maybe you can at least try? After, you can see if it is worth sifting or not - if few grains of turface remained after sifting, I wouldn't worry much. And if there were some pieces of bark with most of turface, I would just use that in gritty mix...(ps: is that bark you bought in hardware store?)

Thank you Rina. I actually only have one screen (I used my pasta drainer lol) This turface particle size is what the screen holds back up, so both my bark & turface would not pass through it :/ But would it be causing much of a difference if my 5-1-1 would be 1/2 perlite & 1/2 turface instead of just 1part perlite? :/ I also happen to not have enough bark to use it as an ingredient in my gritty mix. I ended up following your previous advice and do my gritty as 1:turface 1:perlite 1:aquarium gravel.

And in regards to the bark, omg I was so happy to find this one!! (Not from home hardware lol) I ended up discovering an Orchid supplies store located in Stratford, ON. that also happens to have an online store as well as offering shipping Canada wide :D They sell tons of growing goodies, as well as this New Zealand pine bark, already screened to precision from a variety of particle sizes. The one that I ordered from the picture above is the "extra fine", which has for size 3-6mm, and price $8 for a 3 litres bag. The store is called Ravenvision. Here is the direct link to their pine bark product page:

https://ravenvision-orchid-supplies.myshopify.com/collections/orchiata

:-)

I actually happened to find them because I was searching online for "clear" plastic pots (rather than black, or white or green) in order to hide them well in my planters that don't have drainage holes. They also sell all sizes, I was very thrilled of finding this website haha, and very glad to share about it :-) The shipping cost me $12 for a dozen of pots and pine bark.

Marie

I have heard of Orchiata, but never used it. Looks really good. There are many orchid growers in Toronto, check Orchid society (not sure about exact name) on line and see if they, by chance, have some listed for sale. I know for sure you can buy bags at their show - I did, very long time ago. I am not sure about price - everything is getting quite pricey.

I buy bagged small bark nuggets (have to find a bag to get exact name) in big bags for just under $10. But it is not that small, and I try to break big chunks. For tropical plants, I use even bigger chunks.

Part of Turface in your mix will be smaller than bark, but you would have to use bigger sifter. I confiscated a toy sifter my GD doesn't play with anymore, it has bigger holes & would probably work well (can't tell you size of them...). It is quite small, but works very well. It was part of sandbox play set. I'll get a pic of it & post later.

I would not decrease amount of perlite: both Turface & bark will hold some water, so you need to compensate for that with more, rather than less, perlite (that's what I would do). JMO...

Thank you Rina, and that is so cute haha! I have tried to find a few things at home to use for screening the turface out but it's either both of them fall through or both stay. There's a bit of variety in the size of my turface and it always seems to pair perfectly with the variety size of my bark, no matter what. If a bark piece looks slightly bigger, because of its thinness, it will falls through along with the turface, haha.. I don't think there's an exit for me with this one. Would you suggest that I should still add the 1 part perlite to the mix, or possibly more like 1 1/2 (since there's 1/2 turface in it)?

Thank you so much!

Don't screen it out...leave it :-)

I have made many mixes that include a portion of Turface. Just be sure to stir the mix well while potting, so that you don't end up with a heavy amount of Turface in the bottom of the container. Try to keep the mix uniform from top to bottom.

Josh

Oh, and on the ratio, I suggest you add the regular amount of Perlite (1 part), and treat this 1/2 part of Turface as half of your "peat" component. That's what I've done in the past.

Josh

Thank you very much Josh for the kind reply and help :-) I am so glad to hear that my mix isn't ruined after all haha! I did as you suggested, looking forward to seeing the results, thanks again!

Marie

Rina, I am curious what you are using for the bark and where you get it. I bought a bag of All-Treat but IMO it is too shredded to be suitable for gritty mix.

This is the bark I have used couple of times:

Thanks for the details! Yes, I did buy the mulch. Perhaps it was more a suggestion for 5-1-1. Although there were some mentions that it wasn't shredded so who knows.

@Rina

"'Sexy'-looking" hahahaha, that made me laugh :P

As Josh said, do not worry about turface. Just treat the bark+turface as just bark and make your 511.

And Rina's comment about bark: Once you have started making your own mixes you start "seeing" the difference in components from different sources. So "sexy looking" is indeed a factor. Many times I had bought some bagged bark and after sifting I would stare at how bad it looks and feels. They usually end up in my annuals mixes.

This recent thread comes so close to answering my question about 5:1:1 that I'm just going to piggyback on it. Basically, I'm trying to figure out whether replacing the perlite with Turface in 5:1:1 mix, or even replacing both peat and perlite with Turface, would make a significant difference in water retention.

Basically I'm going to repot a plant for someone who probably can't keep up with the watering requirements of the standard versions of either gritty or 5:1:1 mix during our long summer. when the daytime Rh is less than 20%. I mean, my pots of 5:1:1 are bone dry within three days, even if I submerge the pots for 15 minutes at watering time, and in two days if I give them the normal careful and thorough watering. That's fine for me, but might mean trouble for someone with a more casual approach to houseplants.

My first thought was making a 5:1:1 mix using one part Turface instead of perlite in order to gain some water retention without losing aeration and fast drainage, because water is held inside Turface particles, as opposed to on irregularities on perlite's surface. Unlike mariec, most of my new bark is about the same size as my off-brand Turface substitute after it's been sifted, so that's not an issue.

I've also considered modifying the 5:1:1 to a 5:2 bark:Turface mix. I'd lose the way peat helps hold the mix together and helps wet the bark by absorbing and holding water for a while after watering.

Another option is the 4:3:2 (Turface:bark:gritty) variant on gritty mix Al has recommended. That's what I'm going to use for all but my biggest (and heaviest) houseplant's pots, so if folks aren't sure on the first two ideas I can wait to see how they perform before repotting the plant in question.

Any takers?

@litterbuggy if you are still around, I use 4:3:2 gritty mix as my standard mix for succulents and cactus. Even with the 4 / 9 component of Turface, it is a pretty dry soil. I don't think I would use it for anything other than succulents and cactus.

Like you, I have toyed with the idea of 511 mix using a 5:2 bark:Turface mix and doing away with the Peat Moss. I guess this substitution is going to hurt you if the plants are extremely thirsty types.

One argument against peat moss is that about 70% of most peat mosses are dusty fines, so that definitely affects the soil's ability to drain.

Hi everyone! I just thought I'd resurrect this thread as I am playing with some very similar ideas at the moment. I'd love to hear how some of these recipes have worked for people over the years. I'm particularly interested in how the 5:2 mix of bark and turface worked for everyone.

I have been growing in the 511 and gritty mixes for 2 years and am constantly tweaking the recipes to suit my conditions, and also because I absolutely love experimenting.

So here's where I'm at:

I have noticed that watering my plants in the gritty mix is VERY easy; in less than 15 seconds, the entire root ball is wet. While this does need to happen more often than my plants in 511, the actual watering process is very simple and quick. Also, when I go away from home for any length of time, I can simply tell my gf to water on a schedule. There is no guesswork involved for plants in gritty mix.

For my plants in 511, I often need to soak them for some length of time, or use both top and bottom watering methods to fully saturate the soil. This is very tedious and time-consuming.

Since I am now in quarantine, (along with the rest of the planet), I recently removed all of the dust (smaller than 1/8") from the bark I have on hand and I'm itching to throw some turface into my next batch of 511.

I was planning to use:

5 parts bark (no dust)

1 part turface

1 part lava

I don't like perlite because it just floats to the top. I have no problem with the weight of lava.

Now I am wondering, should I just use 5 parts bark and 2 parts turface instead?

Or maybe the "classic" 511 recipe will be easier to water now that I have removed the dust?

I'll likely make a small batch with turface and lava today to use on a single plant, but I really hope to hear from some of you! Gardening is making this whole ordeal bearable. I hope you all are well. Cheers!