Hey all! (I apologize if this should be on a new thread?) I am trying so hard not to be annoying, but I find myself doubting almost every decision that I am making through this soil mixing process and could use a little bit more advice. Thank you so much to everyone who has helped me so far. I attempted to post on the container forum to give you guys a break, and because I noticed that there are many conversations there about soil mixing, but my post went unanswered so far. I was hoping to mix some soil yesterday, but didn't dare move forward without any validation. So I have just a few more questions about my materials, if you all don't mind giving a little more input. I am wondering about the pine fines - So far I have opened two bags of material and sifted through them. The first bag is mountain magic premium grind bark mulch. It is made of Western fir and pine bark. The mix seems to be too big in general, with a lot of woody material. I am wondering if it is at all useable or if it should be mixed with the product below this one to create a mix with different sized bark pieces... Here is a picture after I ran it through a 1/2 inch grate and then screened out the tiny particles. I also attempted to pick out the woody material for a few hours, but as you can see, there is still a lot of it left. The second product I have tried is Soil Pep, also by Mountain Magic. It is Western Fir and Pine Bark plus composted forest materials. I would say that it is half really small particles and half good bark. It looks almost like soil right out of the bag but after I sift it to remove a lot of the small particles it looks pretty good. Almost no pieces that are too big, and not too much sapwood that I found. I am thinking it is probably the best option that I have. However, it takes forever to sift!!! I am about 2/3 way through the bag right now and I have spent about 8 hours on the sifting. It's killing me. There is no way that I can sift through a bag of this again. And I think that by the end of this bag there will only be enough for 2 of my trees. (I need to pot 4-5) Do you think it should be mixed with the bark above this which is made of bigger materials? Here is a picture of it after sifting. Then I have all of the tiny pieces and particles that came off during the sifting process. They may be able to be substituted for the peat moss I believe? Or is the moss better? I am thinking that maybe I can mix like 4 parts of the sifted bark in the second picture with 2 parts of the unsifted bark (not pictured.) Then I would only have the perlite and lime left to add in, which brings me to my next question. Should I try to substitute in Napa Floor Dry or Ultra Dri (yes I bought both after reading about them on the forums) for the perlite to help with water retention? I have read about people subbing in DE for the peat moss, which I could do if I used all sifted bark, thought I think that would end up like more of a gritty mix. Or I could sub it in for the perlite to aid in water retention since we are in the desert... I have already been needing to water some of my trees every day (and they are in super thick nursery soil.) THANK YOU for any advice you may have. I don't know why I am so petrified to take the next step and mix. I am terrified of doing something wrong, and I have spent so much money on these plants and all of the supplies that I just want to do things right. It will be a very costly mistake if I fail! To end on a happy note, this beautiful butterfly found my Meyer Lemon today. I love all of the new bees and butterflies who have been coming around! And the smell of the trees in bloom is so amazing! Emily

I will be moving my tree in and out late winter/spring as I did last year. I placed a plastic bag over my trees before moving then so it would take a half hour for the are temperature on the leaves to change. I was afraid that an instant temperature drop would cause leaf drop or sickness. I have 2 indoor trees of which one weighs 200 pounds. it will be up potted and planted in ground against the south wall of my basement on the north side of the greenhouse this February/March. My 5 gallon tree will go in and out. The in and out process worked well for me last year. 6b Steve

Mike - you should still believe root pruning reduces top growth - at least temporarily. By way of chemical messengers that move about the plant, plant central knows when roots have been pruned or damaged, which effectively puts the brakes on top growth until enough root mass has been generated/regenerated to support new new growth. Root growth always precedes top growth except in cuttings where buds have a store of starch at the base of the bud to fuel emergence of first leaves. That's why pussy willows and apple/cherry/pear branches can be forced to bloom if you put them in water before buds open. What emerges first from a seed? The seed radicle (tap root). You ARE right in thinking no plant likes or prefers to be rootbound. If it did, there would be perfect little clusters, balls, and cubes of congested roots directly under the stem of every plant in the landscape. -Is root pruning always necessary (specifically if one is going up a pot size) Let me answer by saying a full repot with rootwork/pruning, bare-rooting, and a change of soil offers plants much more growth/ health/ developmental opportunity than up-potting. If, however, you pot up before the root/soil mass can be lifted from the pot intact, you can pot-up w/o root work and not suffer the effects of root congestion that occurs when roots circle, grow straight up/down, girdle trunks or other roots, ...... Once a plant has reached a state of root congestion that allows the root/soil mass to be lifted from the pot intact, nothing but a set of human hands actually getting into the roots and correcting the congestion will eliminate the limitations associated with tight roots. - Any tips to limit stress from repotting? Know your plant. Repot at the appropriate time; focus on removing problem roots and large roots not directly attached to the base of the trunk; keep all roots wet at all times while you work on them; when you cut a root back, cut it back immediately distal to a branching root; have everything all ready (soil, new pot prepared to receive the plant, tools, water source, soil made and immediately available, beer or wine can be helpful, too; but it's your job to see the plant abstains. Keep out of direct sunlight? For how long? Depends on the plant and the severity of the work. I'd say most trees average 1-2 weeks. Al

Geez. . .so many! I'm overwhelmed now, lol. Looking at Palantine. ANyone have any suggestions to narrow it down a bit? haha! Wow. This will take me forever to choose. I definitely have one dead one to replace so I can stick a smallish shrub rose there (it's in amongst an Alexander Mackenzie and 2 Martin Frobishers, so . .they will get quite large.) And I have a small spot at the front that I was thinking maybe just a tea rose .. And another one I think is dead . .again probably small shrub there. Need to go out this morning and check a few others that I think are being taken over by rootstock. What on earth happened in my garden this year???!!! Geez.