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cfox248

Increasing water retention for gritty mix

cfox248
9 years ago

So. Repotting lemon tree here pretty soon before I bring it indoors for the winter. It's still in the soil mix with cedar shavings and perlite, but now it has stopped it's massive growth flush so I am comfortable repotting. I decided to go with the gritty mix. I will be buying a big bag of ReptiBark fir bark from the pet store, ordering Turface and scouring Fleet Farm for chicken grit. I use Foliage Pro so won't be adding the gypsum. My Orange tree will probably have to wait, since it's been repotted twice this summer already (It is the one in Black Diamond soil heavily amended with "Pine Nuggets" and perlite) and I don't want to shock it fatally with a third transplant.

How can I increase the water retentiveness in the summer? I am sure over the winter here in zone 3 it will be best for it to have the great drainage of the Gritty mix, but in summer I am often gone all weekend and as it stands I can give the trees a good soak before I leave and don't have to worry. (I mean I'm gone over the weekends in the winter too but I don't have to worry about the sun baking them dry inside!) Could I put a dish underneath the pot while I'm gone so it can suck up some of the water and jut remove it when I get back? Mulch over the top of the pot? Could I add 1 part soil to the mix (so it'd be 1:1:1:1 with bark, granite, turface and soil)? I wasn't going to use the 511 or Gritty because of this reason, but I really do want what's best for the trees.

My other option is to use 50% Black Gold soil and 50% bark and perlite. It would hold more water for me over the summer. This was my initial plan. Currently the lemon tree is more healthy thatn it's ever been, so it's hard for me to repot! but, I know it'll be best in the long haul.

This post was edited by cfox248 on Fri, Sep 12, 14 at 12:47

Comments (7)

  • Monyet
    9 years ago

    If you going to use Tapla 1-1-1 mix it will provide enough water for citrus, but you have to remember small particles is the key. Raptibark might be stiil too large.
    Repotting should be done late winter or spring depending on your zone, but just before budbreak.

  • Ryan
    9 years ago

    You could install a small programmable automatic watering system. They are very effective in my experience. They are not expensive to setup and the supplies are usually available at your big home improvement stores. I have about 30 trees on such a system and really don't ever manually water all summer. I take it off the system around this time of year because water intake slows a lot and then back on around May.

  • gregbradley
    9 years ago

    How humid is it in the Summer in your location?

    I have had problems with Gritty Mix drying out too fast in my hot dry climate. A few days ago we had 3 days of hot humid weather. 100 degrees and 30% humidity. It took 3 times as long to dry out. They would have easily made it 2 days.

    That is extremely humid for inland SoCal but probably is about normal for much of the US.

  • cfox248
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I can't wait to repot till Spring, everyone is telling me my lemon tree will probably die from the cedar shavings in the soil or from root rot. I'm going to have to do it sooner than later I imagine for the tree to last the long 6 months inside.

    We do get humid! We get dry heat, but a lot of it is humidity. The other day was around 90 degrees... with dang near 100% humidity. it's not usually quite that high, but we definitely stay humid for the most part. Good to hear it should keep the water retention!

    I will look into a water system. I couldn't have done it this summer, since I have a shared outside tap. Next summer..I have no idea where I'll be, I'm moving since the place I'm in is temporary for school. You can bet a place with nice south facing outside space is a must!

  • meyermike_1micha
    9 years ago

    Cxfox, you could add more Turface to your mix and make sure the Repti-bark is not to much bigger than the turface and the granite chips.

    Also too, if you want to hold out until spring, you could wick the moisture out to hold you over or use the pot in pot method...Both will draw moisture out of your container making it more difficult to over water.

    Gotta run, but thought I would quickly help.

    Mike

  • cfox248
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    That would help with the watering (I've also "wicked" by setting the pots on an extra fluffy towel - the towel fuzz has contact with the soil through the drainage holes and pulls the moisture out.) However, that doesn't address the cedar chips in the mix and the probable nitrogen problems, yes?

    If it will be a potential major problem repotting before fall, I will wait. I'd feel much better about it if I did it soon, as in my last several threads there has always been mention of the terrible soil and how problematic it will likely be for me if it sits in it over winter.

    I will make sure (whenever it happens) that the bark is not too much bigger. If it is I'll put it in a sheet and mash it up a bit with a hammer to break the pieces into smaller chunks.

    Maybe a silly question, but I have a bag of Vermiculite that I am not sure how I came across. Is that similar to Turface?

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    9 years ago

    Vermiculite is not at all similar to Turface.

    For the Summer, a mulch layer will help greatly. And then the mulch can be pulled back when the tree is brought in for the Winter.

    Gritty Mix is a precise mix, and you'll need to screen your ingredients 1/16 to 1/4 inch, particularly the Fir bark. If using pine bark, the pieces can be screened up to 3/8 of an inch, due to their thinner shape. Screening properly is very important to prevent the migration of smaller particles to the bottom of the container.

    I had to re-pot a Citrus one November....the tree survived, but the recovery process was slow.

    Josh

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