Reptibark is WAY too expensive for my tastes as well. You'd be better off looking for pine bark mulch, rather then "fines". The labeling on what is useful for the mixes can vary. In fact, last summer, I went to a landscape outfit that sold pine bark mulch in bulk, with the intent of simply getting mulch for my garden. I filled two 55g barrels, and being a "fill your own" deal, I scooped from the bottom, where the smaller particles were. I was pleasantly surprised to find that with some sifting, I could have easily gotten quite a lot of "fines" that would be suitable for gritty mix or 5-1-1. I payed $12 for the 2 barrels full, and could have probably gotten the equivalent of 3 or 4 two cubic foot bags of fines. You might want to see if you can find a landscape supplier or sawmill that has pine bark mulch. As for the perlite, if you lived closer, I'd give you a huge bag for free. I bought a rather large bag, for around $15, figuring I was going to use lots of 5-1-1 mix, but now I realize I have too much. Personally, I'm not all THAT wild about the 5-1-1 mix, because if you let it go just a bit too dry, it's VERY difficult to water, due to repulsion. I'll tell ya though, for outdoor stuff, 5-1-1 is a good choice, but for your indoor plants, just skip the 5-1-1 and go gritty. You may try the barkless mix, but be cautious of fertilizing, and Foliage Pro 9-3-6 is a must. I got mine from Amazon for $23 for a quart, which looks like it'll last me a few years. I'm no pro, and am only a year into this gritty mix thing, but I'll assist you in every way I can if you choose to go barkless. I made the choice to do it not knowing how things would turn out, but so far, so good. I'll probably never use the bark again, and stick with my turface/grit combo. Another advantage is that when you lose the bark, your mix will literally last forever. Nothing in it breaks down, so you can just repot with the same mix over and over. Basically, you buy a couple bags of turface and grit, and you're good for eternity! Joe P.S. I have no pics, because I think you need to use some sort of host or something, and then use html to link to it. I am a somewhat old school 32 year old, not liking the hassle involved with a lot of the internet stuff, especially social networking stuff. I haven't a clue how to post pictures on this forum.

Randy I have very similar tree, even lopsided like yours. The tree was getting too tall to keep inside, but luckily was not infested. I was looking for info how to prune it & that is how I found this forum. I have followed Al's recommendations to a letter (and I have never even read about root pruning/proper repotting): 1. 'inspection' of roots/flushing thoroughly/proper watering & fertilizing - all few months ahead of proper repotting; 2. then at proper time (July), root pruning (the root ball was a mess)-repotting into brand new soil mix (5-1-1); 3. continue proper watering/fertilizing as recommended 4. pruning branches approx. month later I am very satisfied with results, the tree looks much better and has lots of new leaves growing. An it is few inches shorter (more pruning next year). It took some effort, but if you really want your plant to grow well, it is worth it. I am following similar routine with all my potted plants - it will take some time since I have 'few', but by same time next year all of them will be in new soil mix, root pruned/repotted/branches pruned and I am sure growing much healtier. The info you'll find on this forum is very helpful. Al has many extremely informative threads, and I have save them for reference. Much easier for me to get infor-he does all the hard work of writing it all... Many other members have very good posts and photos too - sorry I can't think of all the names right now. Good luck with your tree. Rina

Shell. How often do you spray Chelated Iron? Of what I read, and use for plants that require additional iron, three times a year is adequate. BTW, your Canna? is so nice and red. Beautiful. I woudn't use sand from your yard. It might be too fine/heavy for your potted tree. Besides, mediums from the garden can be loaded w/insects/bacteria, etc. Some people who use garden soils bake before using. Believe me, you're talking to someone who, in the past, baked soil. The house stinks during and after baking..It's been years since I've baked soil, and unless all mediums become extinct, they'll be purchased from a store. lol. You say you're pretty lazy watering. During winter months, my energy level drops, so I tend to do the same. Often leaves yellow and drop. Over-watering is worse, but under-watering is second runner up to leaf loss and other problems. I agree well-draining soil is best, but since you're in Fl, more often than not depend on rain in place of hand-watering, a heavier soil shouldn't cause much of a problem. Before you repotted in a new pot, did the old container have drainage holes? Hey Mike, how you doing? About black pots. Not sure I understand. Are you saying, black pots keep roots warmer/hotter in a sunny area? If this is the case, does the same apply when days are sunny but cold? Do roots stayer warmer? My little gh can get awfully cold during winter. All my citrus are in black tree pots. So, my question to you is, since my citrus are in black pots, when days are sunny, and temps drop at night is it possible roots stay a little warmer? Or does it not make a difference? You also suggested leaching soil once a month or so. Although a good soaking perks up plants, despite soils, wouldn't leaching be more important if a plant is fertilized a lot/too much? Toni

This winter (2010/2011) I have two new Washingtonias overwintering without protection (they are all brown and "broken" now in this z8b weather) in Zone 8A yet so far we did not have anything below 17F (couple of nights only) and the rest was 20F or above (nights only), which I consider mostly zone 9A weather with two nights into z8b, so basically where I live is about 20 miles south of the z7b "border" yet we are having mainly z8b weather most of the time, while temps below 15F are rare. Wonder if the USDA zone maps are outdated by now. P.S. I suspect that my Washingtonias are Washingtonia Filibusta (hybrid of Washingtonia Filifera and Robusta), because they have some (not many) threads like Filifera does. Yet they don't like even the Zone 8B weather. Mine are about 8-10 ft. tall, but I saw small ones just 2 foot tall ones in town nearby and some of them even got little to no damage this winter. Go figure....