Thank you both so much! Greenman28: Now you mention "Gritty mix or 5-1-1"...what are those? Are they a description for mixes you (or I) would have to mix ourselves by buying the ingredients separately? Or is that something pre-bagged i can buy? Gardengal48: THANK YOU! If it was me searching/buying the ingredients I would have no issue at all buying them and mixing my own mix, but because in my current circumstance i am relying on a family member to buy the mix for me, it is fantastic to hear about a bagged mix! So its http://www.kellogggarden.com/products?brand=gardnerbloome&category=gardnerbloome-soils#5 or http://greenhousegardencenter.com/Master Nursery Catalog.htm (scrolled half way down "Acid Planting Mix") ? I hope my local nursery (Sky Nursery) carries one of those cause that would make it so much easier! Now when you use that, what do you use for a mulch on-top of the soil? Also is this perfect to use when germinating seeds? Because remember i am not only needing to re-pot my trees into 1gal pots, but i am going to be growing JM from seed and so i'll need soil for that as well, so if i can use that for seeds as well that is fantastic. (I thought manure wasn't recommended for JPN MPL's? I read the specs for the Acid Planting Mix and it says it has: chicken manure, and bat guano) Just called Sky-Nursery, they said they used to use Gardener & Bloome but found it too rich so they now carry and use EB-Stone mixes and for my use they recommended: http://www.ebstone.org/13_azalea.php Any thoughts? (Here's whats in EB-Stone Azalea Mix: Contains: Composted Fir Bark, Sphagnum Peat Moss, Redwood Compost, Mushroom Compost, Volcanic Pumice Stone, Earthworm Castings, Bat Guano, Kelp Meal, Feather Meal and Gypsum) Here's what i got so far: 1) Potting mix: EB-Stone Azalea Mix 2) I'm thinking this mulch for 1" bottom of container: http://www.lowes.com/pd_109329-1802-CARY30P_0__?productId=3156693#BVRRWidgetID And this mulch for top 1" of container: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Terrace-Mulch-4-qt-Terrace-Mulch-Cypress-Mulch-Resealable-Bag-MULCH3359CYP/203920301#.UbvAw9jNkSo Feel free to give your opinion on if that's good or not good, if you know of a different type that's way better. (The idea being a shredded mulch for the bottom of the container to help with drainage and a bigger chip-style mulch for the top layer to provide heat/moisture insulation/retention and good aeration) This post was edited by M3rc_Nate on Fri, Jun 14, 13 at 21:49

No, this post like so many of your others are not about tomatoes but are about container gardening. We love to discuss issues specific to tomatoes here but the focus of this forum is not container growing. So issues that are not about tomatoes need to be discussed on the forum that exists for that subject. Otherwise off-topic posts just bump off all the tomato posts - another reason why redundant and already often discussed topics should be avoided and the search used as required by the forum guidelines. The issue of this post has nothing to do with growing tomatoes. The issues you keep raising is which brand of potting mix is best and how to achieve proper drainage in containers. Those are container gardening issues, not tomato issues, and there are umpteen in-depth discussions about both issues on that forum and that fact has been pointed out to you politely by several people now. When it comes to container gardening and container mixes the plant growing in the container is basically irrelevant. You just "happen" to be growing tomatoes in yours but the same guidelines apply to beets, flowers, peppers, squash, etc. etc. etc. There is no BEST mix just for growing tomatoes. There are good container mixes and bad container mixes regardless of what you are growing in the container and the Container gardening forum is where you can learn about the various mixes. Dave

Well, at this time of year I don't water them at all! LOL! Seriously, that is a bit hard to answer. Knowing my plants well and the size of the containers they are in, I rely more on the weather to guide me than anything else. However, having said that, you never want the container soil to dry completely. Many container gardeners will test the soil moisture level using a wooden dowel. Inserted down into the soil and then removed, the dowel should indicate some moisture but not be wet. This can be a helpful indicator as the top surface will typically look rather dry, yet not reflect how much moisture is still present deeper in the container. For smaller containers - my baby maples - I generally judge when to water by weight. A heavy container will be adequately hydrated - a light container will need a drink.

Al, that Yatsabusa is a thing of beauty. I found this thread because I have one on the way and I've FINALLY sourced the ingredients since moving to a different state. Thanks for the help during every phase of my gardening obsession the last 10 years, whether it was my orchid obsession, my euphorbia enthusiasm, or my maple madness (and, most recently and probably stupidly, my weeping cherry craze). To the rest of the folks, I found bark fines a couple of places including pet store reptile bark (make sure it's the right size), local nurseries selling it as soil conditioner (definitely have to strain here), or if you're lazy and have money to burn there are some independent shops that sell it on Ebay, Amazon, and Etsy. As for the granite, a feed store locally is truly your best option, everything else is going to cost buku bucks. I can never find Turface anywhere except for the internet so I bite the bullet there and have that one just shipped direct to me.