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spikef35

Kind of gritty mix maybe

spikef35
9 years ago

So I got some new potting soil with pine bark sand soil perlite and NO PEAT MOSS i also got some orchid mix with bark to mix in i also can get gravel from the ground what do u think

Soil particles size

Comments (36)

  • cactusmcharris, interior BC Z4/5
    9 years ago

    Nothing looks gritty in that out-of-focus picture, and there are too many pieces of wood in it, IMO. There are lots of posts about gritty mix here, so how about reading them first to get an idea of what you need. What you show isn't it.

  • spikef35
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Sorry can't get much but I know it works

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    9 years ago

    Bad pic....but even from that bad pic I can tell you that is nothing like the Gritty Mix, nor is it a gritty mix.

    Those yellow matchstick pieces are sapwood, which is exceptionally bad in a container mix. If you are going to incorporate a wood product, it must be a fine-grade durable Bark only - from Pine or Fir.

    Sand is ill advised.

    Josh

  • deva33 Z8 Atlanta
    9 years ago

    spike,

    I am curious, do you listen at all to the advise everyone on this forum gives you? You are often posting about rotting plants and show us pictures of saturated soil. I strongly recommend you take the advise and knowledge that is shared from everyone on here. I joined this forum a few years back when I was battling the loss of a very large jade. Since then I have listened to everyones suggestions and my little succulent garden is thriving. Everyone has been extremely helpful and I have learned so much in these last few years. You could probably save yourself a lot of time and headache if you would just listen to the advise that is delivered the first, second, or even third time it is given.

    You say "can't get much but I know how it works" That is not a full sentence. I dont really understand what you are trying to say. You know how what works? And using proper capitalization and punctuation can get you much farther in life. I suggest practicing it.

    In an effort to learn more about why gritty mix is important please read this link. It is a post by Al or tapla, who has shared so much knowlege.

    http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/contain/msg0701092420048.html

    If for some reason the link doesn't work you can search this site for "Container Soils - Water Movement and Retention" and you should find it.

    Also, although I know you have been told this many, MANY times before, you can type these words in the search bar "Als gritty mix" and you will find the recipe to make gritty mix. literally, just copy and paste the words between those quotes and you will find it.

    Good luck.

  • IMCF
    9 years ago

    if there's soil, it's not gritty.. a gritty mix should look like a bunch of crushed rocks and not a sponge with bits and pieces of wood/grit stuck in it.

  • DavidL.ca
    9 years ago

    @Deva this is exactly why I suspected that he's trolling on this forum, but I'm not sure.... either way this is NOTHING like a gritty mix as others suggested. And in your previous posts you should've got enough info. to know what gritty mix is about by now...

  • cactusmcharris, interior BC Z4/5
    9 years ago

    'Sorry can't get much but I know it works' is just completely inaccurate, as most of your plants exhibit problems.

    If you don't commit yourself to doing some of this research YOURSELF, I'm giving up answering your questions. It's all out here for you ALREADY.

  • deva33 Z8 Atlanta
    9 years ago

    David & cactusmcharris,

    I was really trying to be nice about it but he just keeps posting about the same problems and it seems he never takes the advise given to him.

    Spike, if you really do need help we are here to aid you but we get pretty frustrated when we tell you the same thing over and over again & you just don't listen.

  • oxboy555
    9 years ago

    Lol. I sincerely hope English is Spike's 2nd or 3rd language.

    I can also think of about a million other internet forums worth trolling than this one.

  • spikef35
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Sorry plz forgive me for everything i come to this forum on my phone im sorry for ignoring your posts or being rude and havering bad grammar if you want me to i can go to the forum on computer and I am no troll i really have a love for plants i also have a great love for aviation just to let you know I am a teenager but plz forgive me and don't make fun of me

    Noah

  • aurorawa
    9 years ago

    I can make it easy for you, spikef22. Go to Home Depot or Lowe's, grab a bag of fine grade orchid bark. Then, find your nearest feed store (or check at Walmart, they sometimes have it there) and ask for chicken grit (crushed granite or #2 cherry stone). After that, visit Auto Zone or an auto parts store and ask for Turface. You can also order that online. When you get home, screen the orchid bark (should not need much screening, as it is pre-bagged and they do a great job).
    For the ratio:
    EQUAL PARTS OF EACH PRODUCT (for example, you want 3 cups for some plants, you will need 1 cup of Turface, 1 cup of orchid bark, and 1 cup of chicken grit.
    Before mixing your ingredients, SOAK the orchid bark overnight. Rinse the turface and grit until water runs clear, to remove dust.
    The next day, mix all together, and voila! Gritty mix!

  • spikef35
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks man took a snapshot hope to look for it tomorrow also could I add some if that to my existing mix

  • aurorawa
    9 years ago

    NO, do not add to your existing mix. A gritty mix does not have soil or sand. The soil will compact, which defeats the purpose of a gritty mix. Sand will also compact. The reason you want ONLY the ingredients I listed is to provide maximum aeration to the roots, and maximum drainage of water. Also, invest in a nice, balanced liquid or water soluble fertilizer, as you will need to feed your plants!

  • spikef35
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks do you really need liquid fertilizer or a soil with very little organic material

  • aurorawa
    9 years ago

    NO soil. Just get a liquid fertilizer, mix it according to directions, and then use it every time you water.

  • spikef35
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Ok thanks what happens if u don't use fertilizer and how should i set up the fertilizer should i dilute it

  • DavidL.ca
    9 years ago

    Noah, sorry if we made you uncomfortable, everybody is welcomed here. We are just frustrated when we've already answered your questions from other threads, and you open a new thread asking essentially the same things. I find this forum generally really friendly and helpful, so I would just suggest for you to read through everyone's replies on EACH of your threads, maybe go back a few pages and see if you've missed anything. (the email notification is not reliable at all, I find.) I think that way you can figure most things out.

    Best of luck, gritty mix is hard to find for me in Canada, but after a few months of search, I managed to have a "grittier" mix that works quite amazingly with my plants so far.

  • aurorawa
    9 years ago

    Not using fertilizer is the equivalent of your parents choosing not to feed you. Fertilizer is how a containerized plant eats. Don't feed your plants, they get deficient in nutrients and either suffer horribly for a very long time and die, or they just outright die.
    Follow the instructions on the back of the fertilizer bottle. I use Miracle Grow All Purpose Liquid Plant Food and mine says to mix 1 teaspoon per gallon of water for house plants.

  • spikef35
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks a lot I will fertilize soon

  • spikef35
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    So what about a soil would i still need to fertilize

  • missingtheobvious
    9 years ago

    What goes in a container is properly called "mix" rather than "soil." The word "medium" may also be used (as in "What type of medium are you using for your plants?").

    A container mix should not include any "soil." No "dirt" in container mixes either.

    This post was edited by missingtheobvious on Sat, Oct 18, 14 at 1:10

  • spikef35
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thank you all for all of the information tomorrow I will post about my seedlings which germinated. Good night

  • IMCF
    9 years ago

    Hey there Spike, it's good to know that theres another fellow young member here on the forum :)
    I posted a thread a week or so ago regarding the gritty mix, maybe you might find it helpful. I really suggest you go take a look at it and also Al's (tapla's) threads which are very very informative.

    http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/cacti/msg0917274428822.html

    Being a teenager money is probably a bit tight and I imagine that you want to use what you already have so it doesn't go to waste, but having a good gritty mix will really help the health of your plants and save from some complications in the long run.

    Best of luck!

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    9 years ago

    So what about a soil would i still need to fertilize

    While it has been explained to you that you do not want soil in any sort of container mix, the answer to that question is yes.

    Anything grown in a container - as opposed to growing the same plant in the ground - will require routine fertilization, regardless of the type of potting mix used. Whatever nutrients might be present in the mix are minimal and will be leached out with regular watering. These must be replaced and the way that is done is by fertilization.

    There are some brands of premixed potting soil that come with a slow release fertilizer mixed in. While this may seem a happy shortcut, it is really not a great idea and the mixes that offer this benefit tend to be of very poor quality as well. Certainly nothing like the gritty mix referred to above, which is ideal for any type of cacti or succulents.

    A good all round liquid fertilizer is best. You will find numerous references to Foliage Pro on the Container Gardening forum as one of the best. It offers ALL the necessary nutrients plants need to grow well, including many of the trace elements that other liquids and popular water soluble ferts (like Miracle Gro) lack.

    During the primary growing season you will often find container gardeners fertilizing with every watering but at a dilute level, often 1/3 to 1/4 strength. That eliminates the possibility of nutrtients leaching out with each watering, as they are immediately replenished yet avoids over fertilization.

  • nomen_nudum
    9 years ago

    Spike... All they mean is old schoolers found a way to make it eaiser

    Better odds: if you put a plant in soil add some water, the plant already knows what to do.


    The pic your about to see don't look like a grit mix either Yet it is alive and doing well.

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    9 years ago

    Looks like significant root-congestion that ought to be addressed sooner rather than later.

    What sort of succulent is that, Nomen?

    Josh

  • cactusmcharris, interior BC Z4/5
    9 years ago

    Josh,

    That's how we roll (and root) in SouCal - that picture brought back so many repotting memories. That's a well-grown plant needing more room is what it is.

  • cactusmcharris, interior BC Z4/5
    9 years ago

    And, in fact, that's how Aloes grow up here in the GWN, too.

    {{gwi:663242}}

  • Crenda 10A SW FL
    9 years ago

    I've had a few of those myself!

  • spikef35
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Jeez I have had that too I had a aloe blue elf hybrid with 2 foot long roots

  • nomen_nudum
    9 years ago

    Greenman: Euphorbia pulcherrima AKA Poinsettia that I picked up last year, yep as mentioned the well grown & root bound guy needed sizing up.

    Will mention( IMO) for a succulent Aloes in effort to get to get flowering from are nice & even fun for the humming birds but big time water hogs if grown in a gritty mix.

  • Crenda 10A SW FL
    9 years ago

    In my defense on those roots, that was my first aloe and I had no idea the roots grew so fast! Now most of my aloes are PIG in my sandy soil with plenty of grit added.

    They may be water hogs, but I really have plenty of rain (about 60 inches a year with 40 coming in summer). So the drainage is more important for me. In dryer areas, such as yours, the water issue is worth mentioning - even if it is just your opinion. (wink)

  • cactusmcharris, interior BC Z4/5
    9 years ago

    Well, isn't anything grown in the hallowed gritty mix water hoggish?

  • deva33 Z8 Atlanta
    9 years ago

    Actually, if you just add a little more turface and/ or bark fines that'll make the mix more water retentive.

  • nomen_nudum
    9 years ago

    A little more turface ? Why add more of anything if they dont have a drainage or retention problem I don't care if any of my Aloes @ 108 F UV 11 grown in hallowed grits are water hogs they get pounded, they earnt it.

  • kwie2011
    9 years ago

    Spike - here's a quick, easy, cheap grit recipe for you:

    1) Moltan Oil absorbent - available from almost any auto parts store, often renamed as their own brand. Read labels because the one you want is diatomacious earth, not clay. $10 for an enormous 30# bag of the stuff. This is a Turface substitute.

    2) Gran-I-Grit - available at most feed or farm stores as chicken scratch. $10-$15 for a 50# bag. Some feed stores might carry it in bulk for hobby farms.

    Mix 1 part DM to 2 parts granite. It is already appropriately sized particles, but to rid it of fine silt that suffocates roots, rinse through kitchen sieve, colander, bug screen or something before planting in it.

    That's all you need IF you use Foliage Pro fertilizer which already contains calcium and magnesium. If you use any other fetilizer, you'll need to add gypsum for calcium, and epsom salts for magnesium. Someone else will have to give you the quantities of gypsum and magnesium because I don't remember offhand, and I'm using Foliage Pro so I don't have to mess with it.

    It's brain-dead easy, and dirt cheap. I mix it as I use it. I also have some plants in the same mix with one part screened pumice. And I've grown in pure screened pumice and had good results even with tropicals. Forest products companies, landscape companies, etc. often carry pumice in bulk for about $2 per 5-gallon bucket. Call around.

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