General Questions: Fertilizer / Gritty Mix

6 years ago

Hello All! I have been lurking around a few mths now gathering info and advice from the forums. A lot of good info here, ty! I just have a few ques that I saw multiple answers to or am still looking for answers to that I cannot find or have missed. I have a Draceana Massangeana (corn plant) with multiple stalks planted at different levels and wanted to know how you deal with watering in gritty mix. I have noticed my other smaller plants in the gritty mix will dry out in the first few inches but still be wet at the bottom. It's mininal so not a big deal in those but since there are roots higher up I don't want to underwater the top and overwater the bottom. I have read some about wicking so that is an option too. Also, I will be getting the Foliage Pro eventually but was wondering if I could finish out the MG all purpose I have first or should I just toss and start over now. I bought it last yr before I really got into all of this so still had it. Bought Espoma Grow this yr but just read you can't use that with the gritty mix since it's organic. One more thing, we have well water and I read you shouldn't use the soft water for plants but is it ok to use the hard unfiltered stuff or just use distilled until i get my rain barrels going? Some say it's ok, some say too much iron. I really appreciate all the info here, keep up the good work!!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

litterbuggy (z7b, Utah)
6 years ago
I was so excited when I got my Foliage Pro that I just stuck the jar of MG in the back of the cabinet. But my plants were in very bad shape at the time and I wanted to give them as much help as I could right away. But there's nothing wrong with the MG, so if your plants are healthy and you've got more self discipline than I do, you can use up the old stuff first.

I haven't made my first batch of gritty yet, but I've read two approaches to the drying issue. First, if you screened all of the ingredients well, you can just water any time at all. But if you left enough fines to create a PWT, use a spray bottle to wet the top few inches between regular watering.

If the water is really hard and you don't have a ton of plants to water, I'd suggest using reverse osmosis water until you've got a supply of rainwater. It's about $.39/gallon from the machines at grocery stores, which I think is about the same as distilled water.
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
6 years ago
Even in plantings that have been created using water-retentive soils, roots in the upper few inches of soil end up serving primarily as plumbing or anchorage. IOW, once your planting is established, unless you're over-watering, the upper roots contribute virtually nothing in terms of water/nutrient uptake. You'll find those all-important roots deeper in the pot where the soil never really dries out completely. So after your planting is established, don't think you have to water everyday in order to keep the top few inches of soil moist.

It's difficult to say whether or not your hard water is appropriate. The answer depends on what's making it hard and how much of each 'hardening' element is present and what its relationship is to the other elements in the water. I think your best course would be to navigate around the potential problem. I invested in a small inexpensive ($200) R/O water system and count it as a very good investment as I use it to make all our drinking water, too. It's also VERY easy and inexpensive to maintain. Mine is over 5 years old and Ive only had to change 1 sediment pre-filter @ under $5.

Al
Related Discussions
Effect of rain on 5:1:1 and gritty mix fertilizer program
Q
Comments (4)
Personally, for my plants that are outdoors, which include my bonsai trees, jades & succulents, peppers, and a few others, I try to shelter them from too much rain to avoid leeching. But, I don't think it's too big a deal unless you are getting heavy rain, and often. In order for a lot to be leeched, you'd have to have significant rain, somewhere in the inches range. I prefer to follow a maintenance fertilizing schedule, with a small dose every time I water. I also use FP 9-3-6, so I add 1/4tsp per gallon, as directed in the bottle. I have a 2 gallon watering can, so I'll use a plastic syringe to measure out 1/2tsp of FP, squirt it into my empty can, then go to my rain water storage barrel and pump in water, which mixes it up good. Using this schedule for fertilizing, you are applying a small, usable dose every time you water, so it can offset any effects of natural rain leeching. As for you watering practices, to each their own, but I don't follow a schedule. I water as needed, to prevent any overwatering problems. Joe
...See More
Fertilizing with Gritty Mix
Q
Comments (20)
Oh, no, Claire... I was speaking of myself. I've been gardening for the better part of my life, but I really didn't have an elementary understanding of the science basics. What I meant was, Al has given me a goldmine of simplified information that has helped me become a much more successful container gardener. For me, at least, I wish Al had been around to teach me the basics from the very beginning. That way, I wouldn't have learned everything helter-skelter, which is how I imagine a lot of people learn. I wouldn't have struggled along, having some success here and limited success there. There are no hard and fast rules to gardening, and there isn't one single source or school of thought when it comes to learning all that a gardener learns. There are some things I wish I had learned FIRST! Such as... there is a world of difference between container gardening and growing in the ground. And I also wish that I had learned the basics of how plants grow and why they need the things they do... what role each aspect plays, such as soil, watering, fertilizing, etc... And it wasn't until I read Al's article on Container Soils and Water Retention that I really began to understand the roles each variable played in container growing. Let's face it... the gardening world is rife with fallacy and old wives tales, many of the books written are rather technical in nature, and it seems that no two people or writers do the same things. It can be confusing. I can certainly understand where you're coming from... I'm not a spring chicken, either... and I have various health issues to deal with. It's frustrating to realize that some of what you'd like to do can't be done... because your body betrays you. It won't allow you to do what you want. For me, it's Lupus and permanent injuries, on top of age. Don't mind me, Claire... I'm just lamenting the fact that it's taken me so long to wade through the world of growing and find the truth, the facts, the basic tools that have finally given me success. :-)
...See More
Can I fertilize again? with gritty mix after seeing fert. salts?
Q
Comments (3)
Short answer: wait a week or two before resuming fertilization. Longer answer: while the mix certainly sounds gritty, it most certainly isn't Gritty Mix - so I'd refrain from calling it Gritty Mix or drawing conclusions about the Gritty Mix proper. Each ingredient is moisture retentive, and I'll be interested to hear how it dries out. After watering your mix, tilt your containers to see how much water was perching in the lower layers. I predict there will be a fair amount. If so, be sure to tilt your containers after watering or utilize a wick to drain the mix. Many folks grow succulents in pure pumice, pure lava rock, or pure turface....with good results. Choosing the right size container will influence the results. Josh
...See More
Gritty mix and fertilizer questions
Q
Comments (17)
Hey Mike & Josh. I'm doing OK -- had a couple of really bad days (make that weeks) recently. So as usual, I drop off the face of the earth for a while. Eric: Now that I realize the tree will be indoors a lot, I'm even more concerned about the lack of sifting. But if I were in your shoes, I'd probably just stick it out to see what happens. Although it's not ideal, it shouldn't be any worse than the peat based (bagged) mixes as far as root zone aeration and additional water retention (my two concerns). But I've never grown a citrus tree indoors, heck I have had problems keeping houseplants alive. So you'll have to seek advice from others... Mike is hinting at a real problem with beginners bare-rooting in the mix: you really need to spend a bit of time making sure the mix gets into all the spaces in the roots. One way to help, now that it's all done, is to use the skewer/dowel to gently push down into the roots and if the mix starts to sink there, you know there was a gap. So continue in that spot until it stops sinking. After I do that, I would take a large buck and soak the tree in the bucket for a few minutes or longer. You'll probably need help lifting it out. It's only required to do this once to help the mix sink in a bit and also ensure the entire root area starts out moist. What size dowel? Somewhere between the thinnest BBQ skewer and regular chopstick. The thin skewers can work to help push the mix in the spaces, but can be too thin for checking water. I'll let Mike explain the water check process using the dowel. He is famous at FourWinds, look at this quote from their website: An alternative method recently shared by a New England citrus enthusiast simply employs a plain wooden dowel about the diameter of a pencil. Sharpen it with a whittling method (sharp knife) or pencil sharpener. Then insert this into the pot at varying depths, shallow to deeper, determining moisture using your direct senses (feel, smell, etc.). I wonder what New England citrus enthusiast they are referring to? Here is a link that might be useful: FourWinds Growing Citrus in Containers
...See More
litterbuggy (z7b, Utah)
6 years ago
Thanks for the info on the functions of roots near the top and lower down in the pot, Al. Also, could you tell me the brand of your R/O system? I tend to get quite bogged down in the details when shopping for such things.
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
6 years ago
This is the system I have. http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/5-stage-75gpd-plus-ro-di-system-bulk-reef-supply.html There is a 5-stage filter just like it without the gauge that tells you the level of dissolved solids (mine is always 0 anyway), and one a few bucks more ($20) that has the gauge and a water saver feature and will make twice as much water r/o in a day (150 gallons) as the one I have. It wasn't available when I bought mine, or I'd have bought that model. You can see the comparison chart if you scroll down on the page I linked you to.

I mounted mine on a piece of plywood I'd guess to be about 24 x 30. It took a total of about 15 minutes to set up.

Al
litterbuggy (z7b, Utah)
6 years ago
Thanks!

General Questions: Fertilizer / Gritty Mix

Comments (5)

litterbuggy (z7b, Utah)

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)

Related Discussions

litterbuggy (z7b, Utah)

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)

litterbuggy (z7b, Utah)

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US