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gritty mix questions, and a hot patio

4 years ago

Hi!


TLDR Questions:

1. Which turface product do I want for gritty mix?

2. Will it be possible to grow citrus on a hot balcony in gritty mix if I use a light-colored grow bag (e.g. root pouch, smart pot, rain science, with favor to the latter) ?


Background

Zone 10a, coastal southern California. I've been doing a lot more research into container gardening over the last several weeks. The gritty mix seems to be more what I'm looking for compared to the 5-1-1 because it could potentially last longer, and I can set up automatic irrigation by cleverly hiding some drip lines. I have multiple little indoor avocados that need repotting, a mango, outside sago, and I hope to get a citrus or two as well.


As far as parts that go into this, I don't have immediate access to fir bark fines where I'm at (I've checked all the nearby nurseries and big box stores, see attached picture for what I can get my hands on.. I don't think any are good for either mix), however, I found a source for Bes Grow Orchiata relatively close and good pricing, with a variety of pricing. Chicken grit is really expensive where I'm at, however, I have access to quality perlite which doesn't need much sifting (see attached as well). I've read it can be a sub for the granite. So far so good I hope?


Question 1:

Ewing Irrigation has a shop almost walking distance to me, and looking at their website, there are multiple turface products. Which one? All purpose clay? MVP conditioner? Pro League Field Conditioner? Seeing as I am lazy and much prefer to avoid sifting, I looked into alternates, and found I should look for calcined DE. Napa #8822 part apparently could be it; I called the store (45 minutes away), and there's no label telling me what kind it is; the website's msds states it is calcined, and a product by EP Minerals. A nearby OReilly autoparts has the floor-dry product as well from EP Minerals, but according to the msds it uses natural DE and listed for agricultural use, which I think is not what I want, right? (I found this link which tells me the difference: https://www.absorbentproductsltd.com/diatomaceous-earth-calcined-vs-non-calcined/ )


Question 2:

East facing balcony gets 6-7 hours sunlight in winter, 8-9 hours in the summer due to how the house is positioned. Balcony floor is a synthetic wood. Despite cooler coastal so cal temps and very pleasant ocean breezes, it gets pretty toasty here. I'd like to try growing a citrus, it's where I get the most sun and have room. Everything I've tried growing here has struggled, if not died, except some freesia bulbs, and I think it's because the pots and media bake the roots. My neighbors have similar patios, and they've resorted to growing cacti after multiple attempts, but, I am not ready to give up since I have the internet to help :). Does the gritty mix get hotter compared to 5-1-1, or, will it stay cool? I'm thinking about using light-colored grow bags, such as a smart pot or rain science mesh bag, to help with this. Of course, watering will need to be more frequent but I can setup automatic watering.


I appreciate input and time, thank you!


Perlite/pumice options (the store also offers a medium sized perlite, but they were out of stock at the time I purchased these):


Bark options (excluding orchiata brand, just to demonstrate I've been doing a lot of homework):



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