Al's 5-1-1 or Gritty Mix for Citrus/tropical plants? I have big pots!
chirurin
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
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jenny_in_se_pa
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agomyermike_1micha
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoRelated Discussions
A gift from AL and a few succulent plants in a gritty 1.1.1 mix!
Comments (20)Yes. THANK GOODNESS IS RIGHT JODI! I was just at HD lastnight when I noticed all knds of bulbs, seeds, and many spring items coming in! Guess what I saw surrounding all the seeds and bulbs like the great wall of China? Big bags of Miracle Grow...lol Yup. Somebody is making tons of money on that stuff. Not from me anyway. By the way, I also saw tons of houseplants, mostly all of them left for dead! All were so dehydrated, including the beautiful Hoya's they had just gotten two weeks ago. The mix in those pots was peat based and hard as a rock! They were also infested with mites! My goodness, I will never take a plant home from them this time of year. We are happy you are watching yourself and not pushing anymore huge piles in wheel barrows. Lets's bring in the warm temps. Suppose to be in the 50's by next weeks end and finally, just maybe I can finally draw some fresh water from my 30 gallon barrel that has been frozen since December. I can't even see any of my bushes or shrubs under all this snow. I can't wait just to see the ground again.:-) Xuan: I would love to see some pics of your flowering bulbs. I would also like to say to you that I am so happy to see that you are no longer getting any snow..lol -3 degrees this am with temps in my popup at 40. I hope to God that my Hoya's make it ok since I forgot to bring them in. It should be warmer from here on out, thank God. Have a happy Friday everyone! Mike...See Morewhere to buy Al's 5-1-1 and gritty mix ingredients in PR ?
Comments (9)hello mike glad ur around : ) , well yes indeed the grit would'nt be no prob : ) , but the turface was or maybe still is the prob : ( , upon what said looked up and called PEP BOYS , WESTERN AUTO and AUTOZONE , all auto part stores here and this is what i found thrifty sorb: http://moltan.com/Products/Flyers/Thrifity_Clay_flyers_10.pdf http://moltan.com/msds/MSDS%20pdf/MSDS_Clay_Thrifty-Sorb.pdf ********************* oil dry : http://oildri.net/Downloads/OD%20Granular.pdf http://oildri.net/Downloads/MSDS_1003000Aug11.pdf *************** and this oil absorbent found at AUTOZONE , its only name was OIL ABSOBENT ( didnt take a pic of the front of bag , but took this pic of the ingredients ) http://i1115.photobucket.com/albums/k542/tecnico5/Photo0056.jpg please check them did not put in the link section cause they were 4 links : ( , so have any one used this options instead of turface , which by the way the only company that has it here only works the GREEN and the PRO LEAGUE , which have read and Al also says is to small for the gritty mix , and called the company TURFACE where they make the product and told me they could send me a single MVP bag but the cost would be tooooo muchhh pricey :'( , they gave me the price but with that cost price of only the shipping it would be various $$$$$$ so not an option buy the 50 lb bag via them : ( , so woul appreciate if any have used this products as turface subsitute , and could tell me which could be a better option : / , hope Al also checks them : )...See MoreExcuse me, Al's Gritty Mix 1-1-1 question
Comments (2)1) All plants have rhythms (search endogenous/circadian) that control how they react throughout the growth cycle, the primary stimulus being photoperiod. My plants in the basement, with only 1 small window at the far end and growing under timed lights, 'know' when the spring equinox has arrived, because that's when they begin to grow in earnest. It's possible to trick a plant into ignoring what would be its natural rhythm by very closely controlling photoperiod, but it's not easy. Your citrus tree will grow in spurts. You can repot at the end of a growth spurt if you wish, but it's better to repot in April. Still, with the cool temperatures we've been having here in MI, it wouldn't be too far off the mark if you hurried and repotted now. 2) Screen your Turface MVP over insect screen and use the fines for something else. Screen the crushed granite or cherrystone over insect screen to remove the dust. For bark, use what passes a 3/8 screen (1/2 is ok if you can't find 3/8) and what doesn't pass a 1/8 screen. 3) Yes 4) Saw off the bottom half of the root mass, then cut 2-3 pie-shaped wedges into the remaining roots that will eliminate half of what remains. Next spring, you will remove the other half of the roots by removing the wedges that remain, then skip a couple of years. Zone 5b, eh? What city/town do you live in/near? Al...See MoreAl's Gritty Mix for Succulents/Cacti- 1:1:1 with bark or no bark?
Comments (38)I've been using a 50:50 base mix of perlite/ turface for many years. You can easily modify this mix for different needs. Most mesembs benefit from the addition of a clayey component. For me, I just dig beyond the topsoil in my yard for some good dirt. I also substitute perlite for some lava rock and small pebbles. It's a heavier, longer lasting mix which works when repotting infrequently for mesembs. This same mix is my preference for small cactus species like Aztekium, Blossfeldia, tricky mamms like luethyi, etc. "bigger" plants like some Crassula, aloes, aeonium etc. you could add more perlite to lighten big pots. It also makes it safer to leave outdoors all spring/summer/fall with rain. My palms, plumeria and cycads live in this mix too. Floating perlite is not an issue. But it does easily displace with high water pressure like from a hose. Some form of fertilizer is a must. I'm also a fan of submerging small pots with small plants into bigger, deeper containers to help stabilize root temperatures. Practically any healthy plant I've ever had to repot always has roots circling the bottom. I really don't understand the concept of shallow or regular pots. I think the deeper the better. I haven't really noticed any exception. For some species it's mandatory. Haworthias, many cactus plants with tuberous roots. Even Lithops which tolerate a shallow home will grow much better in very deep pots. Pleiospilos too. For anyone unsure or unconvinced, try an experiment. Take a pot with any plant you want, and bury it into much deeper pot for a growing season. Pull it out later and see what you find. Bury an Aloe, pachypodium or most any strong Echeveria or similar in the garden and watch it take off. We would all be great at bonsai, plenty good experience with root constriction and limiting growth lol!...See MoreG'Anne JTX
5 years agomyermike_1micha
5 years agoNil13 usda:10a sunset:21 LA,CA (Mount Wash.)
5 years agoLemon Lime Orange Zone 6a
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoedweather USDA 9a, HZ 9, Sunset 28
5 years agogardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
5 years agotropicofcancer (6b SW-PA)
5 years agogreenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
5 years agoLemon Lime Orange Zone 6a
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agogardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
5 years agoLemon Lime Orange Zone 6a
5 years agogardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
5 years agoedweather USDA 9a, HZ 9, Sunset 28
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoSilica
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoedweather USDA 9a, HZ 9, Sunset 28
5 years agoSilica
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoLemon Lime Orange Zone 6a
5 years agoPacNorWreck
5 years agochirurin
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoVladimir (Zone 5b Massachusetts)
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agogardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
5 years agomyermike_1micha
5 years agobklyn citrus (zone 7B)
5 years agobklyn citrus (zone 7B)
5 years agotropicofcancer (6b SW-PA)
5 years agomyermike_1micha
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agogreenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
5 years agomyermike_1micha
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agotropicofcancer (6b SW-PA)
5 years agoPepper Cuts
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agotropicofcancer (6b SW-PA)
3 years agoPepper Cuts
3 years agotropicofcancer (6b SW-PA)
3 years ago
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