Derrick, where are you located? If you're in an area that gets super hot or dry you may need to adjust the mix by adding more peat to increase water retention. I think some growers who post here also use wicks with the 511 for plants that need constant and even moisture.

I've only recently started using bark and a version of 511 (mine is an eyeballed mix of mostly presoaked reptibark with a handful each of peat and pumice) so I can't really comment on how well it works...

Liz, I'm in SW PA. My plants are all indoors, however, and it stays between 65 and 75 degrees depending on the time of day and whether anybody is home.

I think I'll try filling an empty pot up with the 5:1:1 mix I've made, but not planting anything in it. I'll just water it as thoroughly as I did the plants, and empty it out in a couple days to see what it looks like at the bottom of the pot.

Yes, However... It does not retain TOO much water like the soils you might be used to, so you may have to water more frequently. It contains air pockets with close to

100% humidity, rather than standing (perched) water.

When I started using it 10 or so years ago, I was sure my plants were dying from not enough water, until Al set me straight. To get used to it he told me not to water until I saw a slightest onset of wilting, then water well. I used that, and lifting the pot to tell how light it felt when it needed water, and how heavy it felt when it didn't.

I'd suggest that if you feel you need more water retention, that you don't glog up the soil's air porosity by filling the soil pores with peat. Instead, add Turfacve MVP or calcined DE to the mix. They both hold a lot of water w/o having to sacrifice air porosity to get it.

If you have a bucket of peat and start mixing peat or perlite into it, the same bucket after addition of 'some' peat or perlite will have LESS air porosity than the bucket of peat. This is true for both total porosity and air porosity at container capacity. And surprisingly, as you add perlite and pine bark, porosity actually DECREASES up to the threshold point, which occurs when there is exactly enough fine material to fill all the spaces between the large particles. This is the worst mix to grow in because it has the least amount of aeration.That's why you cannot effectively amend a water-retentive medium by adding 'some' perlite and pine bark. The perlite + pine bark has to be a VERY significant fraction of the medium (like 75-90%) if you want to take advantage of media with superior aeration.

If you're going to add a larger fraction of peat to the 5:1:1 mix, you'd be better served to grow in the peat and use ballast to keep perched water volumes low.

Al

Thanks, Al. Because I'm still new to using your mixes, I'll use a wait-and-see approach. I think I'm just over-thinking the significant difference between the 5:1:1 and the typical MG soils I'm used to, so I'll continue watering once or twice per week until/unless I see any negative signs from the plants.

On another note, and since I have your ear, I purchased some Dyna-Gro FP. So far I have mixed about 1/2 tsp in a gallon of rainwater. Is that a safe ratio? And would you suggest using the fertilized water each time when watering these plants, or should I alternate between plain and fertilized rainwater?

Derrick, what has worked for me is 1/4 teaspoon per gallon at every watering, and then 1/2 to 1 full teaspoon at every watering per gallon during peak growing months. My plants thrive and love it.

I have to fertilize more often or be consistent in very porous mixes for best results. Just as it is almost impossible to over water in these great mixes but impossible for me to over fertilize at that rate.

And then, I water with ferts (also Dyna Gro) only a couple of time a month during the growing season and even less often during the dormant period. IME, very few plants - even grown in containers - need fertilization that often.

Comparing the gritty mix or 5:1:1 against soils such as those packaged with the Miracle-Gro label is like comparing grilled fish with raw veggies, steamed, to a double bacon cheeseburger with onion rings. Many will favor the flavor of the burger/rings over the fish and plant matter, but there's little question about which is better for the body. Extended intervals between waterings are a convenience to the grower, but a limitation to plants whenever it's perched water providing the extension. There's no judgement to be made if someone chooses the convenience over what will provide a much better home for roots, but there is no way to deny that the excessive water retention that provides those long intervals requires the plant to pay a price in the form of unrealized potential.

There's a considerable margin for error built into the dosage suggested on the packages of almost all fertilizers. When temperatures allow (65-75* range), I fertilize plants in both gritty mix and 5:1:1 at 2 tsp of 9-3-6 per gallon at weekly intervals, the result being very strong growth; and, so far I have observed no indications plants are having difficulty tolerating the more concentrated solution.

During the winter when my trees are under lights, I had been fertilizing at every watering with 1/4 tsp/gallon of r/o water. I got a LOT of winter growth, but it was rank growth that had no place on trees that are being worked to increase ramification (more fine branching and smaller leaves). I decided to try fertilizing every other time I water at the 1/4 tsp/gal, and that seems to work well. I'm not getting as much growth, but my trees are packed so tight the shade produced by excessive rank growth is a major problem for me.

If you're using a fast draining medium, you have lots of options and near total control over what your plants get and when they get it. If you are using a medium that precludes flushing the soil when you water, the job gets much tougher and the kind of control you might want to enjoy just won't be there. It's very important that you are able to flush the soil w/o the planting remaining saturated for extended intervals because the saturation affects root function/health.

Al