What is the soil you used for your plants. I think valerie is correct they need food to live. I an trying this on a small scale with UCG for food and nitrogen fertilizer. This is not for long term planting but for trying to extend, or for partial reuse of the potting mix. I am growing leaf vegetables as cut and come again salad greens. I would expect the breakdown of the soil into fines to effect the pwt for long time use.Thanks Curt~

Hi, guys! I'm late to the conversation, and the original questions have probably been answered to the OPers satisfaction, but if there is anything you want me to weigh in on ......... Mt focus isn't on plumeria, though I do have a few I traded bonsai potensai for, with Laura. They don't act any different than other trees, and appreciate the same cultural conditions my tropical bonsai appreciate. My focus is always on the health of the plant first, but growth control often enters into the picture. Sometimes I want trees to grow quickly (developing trees), other times I want them to grow slowly (mature trees). Most of you are most interested in keeping your trees growing with good vitality (vigorously is the wrong word - vigor is a genetic thing, vitality is a measure of how well your plant is coping with the cultural hand you are dealing it) and getting all the growth potential you can out of your trees. The primary difference between the gritty mix and other soils is, it's designed to hold good amounts of water without holding perched water, which is always a limiting factor in conventional container culture. Soils that are primarily based on small particulates like peat, compost, composted forest products, coir ...... are going to hold too much water to allow your plants to realize their genetic potential. This is where vigor comes in. Vigor is how well the plant is capable of growing, but limiting habits stifle vigor (genetic potential). To be sure, growing is supposed to be fun, which sometimes makes it a compromise. If you're watering your plants every 3-4 days & feel that's all the time you want to invest, you might feel the gritty mix isn't for you. Before you make that conclusion, remember that the gritty mix is adjustable for water retention by varying the ratio of Turface or calcined DE to the grit fraction. I could easily build more water retention into my soils by changing the 1:1:1 ratio of bark:screened Turface:grit, but I choose not to. Having to water frequently is GOOD for plants because it promotes even better gas exchange; and plants do better when the soil is damp, not wet. It's much easier to keep a soil like the gritty mix damp or moist as opposed to wet than it is to keep soils made of finer ingredients at the same level of moisture retention. It's also a significant nutritional plus to be able to flush the soil when you water. This is especially true if you've chosen a fertilizer with NPK % that provide a ratio of nutrients that don't mesh well with the ratio the plant actually uses. For instance, if you're using a 1:1:1 ratio fertilizer like 20-20-20, or a "bloom-booster" fertilizer that has an extremely high phosphorous content (1:1:1 ratios like 20-20-20 already supply several times more P than the plant can or will use) it's essential that you're able to flush the soil at will w/o having to worry about root rot issues. 'Essential' because if you can't, the excess P (or other nutrients out of sync with actual usage) builds up in the soil and quickly creates problems that ensure the plant's potential is limited. In the end, a plant/soil/fertilizer combination that allows you to water and fertilize frequently while relieving you of concerns about root health due to soggy soil conditions is by far the easiest and surest way to healthy plants. I can say that because that type of combination doesn't create limitations, it eliminates them. In the end, our abilities as growers are defined by how well we are able to identify limiting factors and to the greatest degree possible, eliminate them. Al

Just got my FLF yesterday and last night after examining it I noticed some weird tiny brown dots on the stems and leaf creases. I think they're scales? Can anyone help with the ID? I sprayed it with Bayer Neem Oil, all over the stems, leaves (top and bottom). If it is SCALES, how do I go about getting rid of them? Should I use a wash the entire plant since I need to repot it (what kind of potting soil should I use? Can I use Cactus Soil + Perlite since it should be well drained? Or return the entire plant? Any suggestions/help would be greatly appreciated. Newbie here lol. Thanks.

Thank you toxcrusadr and gardengal48! I currently have an avocado tree growing indoors which is doing well except the soil I used is too dense and as you two both know, it's been less than ideal and I'm worried about hurting the roots from overwatering. I'll check out the 5-1-1 and gritty course mixes. And I believe the olive tree should do fine indoors. My avocado tree is doing very well even considering my neglect of proper potting mix. I use a nice grow light called the Aspect. Isn't anything overpowering but helps plant and gives off a nice warm white light. Between the light and the proper potting mix I'm hoping it'll really thrive in my library. Thanks again!