Were you able to buy it locally? I would think that like hydroton, it's expensive to ship.

Thanks for showing your unique way of successful rooting!!

Excellent, Nancy!
I've found that I need to water the Turface more often when I use it by itself.
Nice pics of those roots, and none of them damaged when potting!

Josh

I had used Schultz Soil Enhancer which is similar to Turface. It's just a finer grade. It worked great. Unfortunately, it's hard to find locally. I used to get it in Walmart, but this year I've checked three different stores and none have it. I like to mix it in with my potting soil. I have a small pot of hydroton that I got from a gift plant from one of my children. I saved the clay pellets and use them for difficult cuttings. I'm also interested in where you found it. Locally, I hope.
I hate to pay those high shipping charges.

I have been using turface for awhile and love it.I even have a couple hoyas growing in turface.I have been trying to root imbricata in turface and just noticed it has started to grow.

Cindy

If there's a Golf Course near you, there should also be a Golf Course (Turf) supplier.

Josh

I should try that, most of the time I use 3/1 perlite with good potting soil, still not satisfied.
Thanks for sharing.
sue

Eyelove...I'm with you and will never order Turface online...its a 50lb bag so it would cost an arm and a leg to ship,lol. Absolutely won't do that! It's not the easiest to find but I've attached a link below that has a phone number and a place where you can enter the State you live in and it should pull up some suppliers.

Josh is right...Golf courses can sometimes order it for you, depending on the person you ask? If you root it in a terrarium/aquarium or use ziploc bags...you won't have to water except once or maybe twice. The humidity in there will keep it very moist (not soppy wet).

Lesco is another company that might be able to order it for you...they're a Fertilizer Company. I'm fortunate enough to be able to get a bag for around $10-$12...I pick it up once a year when I have other errands to run in that area. The Bag last me a very long time...I also use it as an additive for my Hoya potting mix.

Cindy, thanks! Good to know...

Ima, Schultz soil conditioner is the same product I'm almost positive...HD used to sell it too but discontinued selling them :o(

John Deere/Lesco Co.

Below is another link...you will want either the MVP or All Sport.

Here is a link that might be useful: Turface Website...

Sue, we must have been posting at the same time(check out our time)...You're most Welcome!

Do you ever use Cloning Gel or Cloning solution ? like OLIVIA's, there are others also... the rose folks use it for rooting, in pure Perlite, and have good results... they drop the cutting into a pail of the Solution and then dip it into the Gel when they put it into the perlite, and claim success.... sally

Looks great, Pug! It sounds like this setup makes a lot of sense, especially for you, as you are accustomed to how gritty mixes handle.

I always like trying new strategies, but what I should be doing is trying them NOW on cuttings I take from my own plants, instead of waiting until I'm in a panic with a rare delicate cutting in my hand, because I've lost my head. x_x

So now do you feel more gung-ho about starting cuttings? o_O

Hi Sally, I've never tried Cloning Gel but mostly because I checked the price once and it was more than I was willing to pay and it was a tiny size,lol...I'm sure it works great.

Thanks GG! I do have a little more confidence now...just a "little" :o)

So, I'm sorry - are you basically just ROOTING the plant in this substance and then what? you will have this all wrapped around the roots - do you just plop what is around the roots into your normal growing mix? Or are you actually growing the plant in this mix for good? (I'm just not sure if I missed something there?)

Hi Lynn,I think pug will then plant in her medium.But I am growing a few in the turface.I have 2 lacunosa,pusilla and waymaniae in the stuff.Maybe a couple more that I cant remember right now.They are growing fine for now but I will see how these ones do over the winter months.I got my turface from a grass supply store in surrey but cant think of the name.

Cindy

Hi Golden...Yes, once its rooted I just place the rooted cutting ( I shake it gently) and whatever turface is left I leave on the roots, since Turface is 1/3 of my Hoya potting mix anyways. I use 1/3 equal parts of each of these ingredients.

1/3 Small pieces of either Fir or Pine Bark,

1/3 Turface

1/3 crushed granite or Perlite.

This is what my potting mix looks like after I get them all mixed together.

Cindy, I'm growing one small Jade cutting in 100% turface and so far so good...let us know how it works out with Hoyas. Thanks!

Pug, so it WORKS with the bark pieces being that much bigger than the Turface and granite?? That was the problem I had, and in my case, the Turface and granite kept separating from the bark, so it was less of a mix and more like layers, unless I was very careful with the distribution as I went along. I rather liked the mix, although it was heavy and made repotting a little tricky (the weight tended to rip the roots off unless I was very very careful) but it is difficult for me to find Turface here and I don't have a car anyway. I ordered it once which is how I got to try out the mix, but it's too expensive that way.

Hi Quinn, You're so right.. the slightly larger pieces had a tendency to separate in layers...so I ended up sifting the larger pieces out. Used those pieces for my inground fruit trees in my yard. You can break them up by hand but its a bit of a chore.

The mix should really look more like this...more uniform in size...

Oolala...! Jade delight!

Josh

It looks like Pine Bark Fines, smaller than the Pine Bark Nuggets that HD sells for mulch.... I use the Fines in all my mixes.... for almost everything, mix it w/Perlite and some S. Moss... it's like Al's Mix that Tom on the Fla. Forum uses... he gets the Fines in Tampa... sally

Thanks Josh...I knew you would notice them,lol...You Jade Guru you!

Sally...Yes, that's exactly what I've been using for several years now...>Al's Gritty Mix. I've been fortunate to be able to buy the Pine Bark Fines locally at WalMart and a local nursery but I still have to sift the larger pieces out and the fine dust particles as well.

There's a John Deere store less than 2 minutes drive from my house and they have Turface in 50lb bags for about $20. I'm going tomorrow to get a bag and experiment with it in my potting mix and to root cuttings and see how it works.

I love that jade. I especially love how you got it to branch in such an appealing way. Or at least, I assume you were the one to get it to do so. I've seen your desert rose :)

What do you use to sift the pieces out? Do you have to get a special strainer? I've wondered this before, I might as well ask the question, finally, right?

David, Make sure you ask for MVP Turface. I think they have different types.Wow 20 bucks thats on the high side.I only paid 12.99 for a 50lb bag.Good luck with rooting cuttings,I love it.

Cindy

Cindy,

I live in a MAJOR tourist area,EVERYTHING is high here!!!!! I'll make sure and ask for the MVP.

The one thing I would like to know Pug... isnt it harder to tell when to water with this mix? Because it doesnt look like you can tell when the mix is wet???

David, Cindy's right MVP is best...I agree with you on the price, it all depends on where its sold and the location. The first time I bought it I paid $21. I'm just fortunate to have found another place that sells it for much less.

Quinn, I don't mind questions at all and happy to help if I can. I use one of those aluminum kitchen strainers, I think I bought it at Target? You can use anything similar.
Here's what mine looks like...

{{gwi:53458}}

This Jade variety is one of my favorites for the pretty colors it gets in the winter in full sun.

I can see how that strainer will strain out the dust. But... I feel like I am missing something. How do you separate out the big pieces? That is my biggest problem. Even if I get small bark, there are usually a lot of bits that are too big to mix uniformly, and I get that separate layer thing going on.

Golden, it is initially kind of tricky to figure out when you need to water. The good thing is, it never really gets soggy because it only holds as much water as the Turface and bark can hold, and that is not nearly as much as, say, peat. I usually look at the color of the bark. When the top layer looks bone dry, and if you can see the mix through the bottom drainage holes, and they look dryish also, that's when you water. I also cheat, a lot of the time, and plant things in clear pots. I like to see roots. It also is much much easier to see if you have a mealy problem. I have been known to put the clear pot within a more decorative pot, but more for weight than appearance. Nothing against being decorative, but it's easier for me to tell whether or not things need watering at a glance if I can see the potting medium all the way down. On a day to day basis, I do not take everything down to check on them, because it is a process of delicately avoiding knocking everyone else over as I go along.

The only hoya I have in this mix is australis ssp Tenuipes. It seems to have reserved judgment for while, but it has decided to like it. Unfortunately, I don't have anymore granite chips or Turface left, and no affordable way to get more, at the moment. Plenty of bark though!

That is a beautiful jade... I've never seen a variegated variety like that.... very pretty!

Pug...I love your Hummel's Sunset Jade...gorgeous, and much more colourful than any of mine are...waiting till Fall to see the brilliant reds and yellows. Congratulations on always growing everything so well!! Fondly, Patrick

So Turface is like Hydroton except it is more like chips than round balls? But people can find it locally?

This thread has really interested me, I use a lot of Hydroton, and it really hurts what I pay for shipping on it.

Has anyone compared it directly to Hydroton, like does it dry a little slower, or a lot slower?

And DMichael, yes I live in a vacation town too, it's digusting how much prices go up as soon as summer hits, even like lunchmeat doubles in price from winter to summertime.

Renee

Quinn, the most important thing is to start with the right sizes of Pine Bark...try to find a bag that doesn't have large pieces in it like the one I pictured with the strainer...there's not much you can do with the larger pieces except remove them by hand before it goes in the mix. That's the only way to prevent them from separating is to make sure you don't add the larger pieces in the mix...anything larger that 1/2" I try to remove. There is also an Orchid or Fir Bark that has small pieces supposedly the pieces are between 1/8" to 1/4" only. Its called "seedling" or Fine Grade fir bark. I put a link of a photo of the size below...I believe they sell them at Orchid supply stores but are quite pricey compared to the large bag of Pine Bark Fines that I buy at WM for around $3...I think the one at the orchid stores are around $20-$25 for the same size bag!

Thanks Golden! Patrick, that Hummel sunset Jade picture was taken last Feb...now they are all GREEN, I've lost all the pretty colors now. Mine only get those colors from Dec thru March when its cold/cooler.

Renee, I'm sorry I won't be able to help you with the comparison between Hydroton and Turface...I don't use Hydroton and don't know much about it.

I provided a link above if you want to see if you can find a dealer near you...

Here is a link that might be useful: Fine Grade Fir/Orchid Bark...

Hehehe. I'm so glad you asked that question, Quinn, because I always wondered the same thing. I am so relieved to know that the answer is:

Pick them out.

NOT

Are you an idiot? How do you not have the big hole strainer everyone knows about?

OR

My pugs are trained to remove all medium over 1/2". It only takes them about 15 minutes after I have fed them a fresh kitten. Chihuahuas only take 5 minutes, which is why so many people here own them.

Lol...GG very funny!! Yes, my wonder Pug is great at removing large bark pieces with his teeth,lol. He'll do anything for doggie treats :o)

Actually, Doh...I forgot I also have this plastic sifter(actually its a nursery flat) that Josh hooked me up with...he posted a link on another forum and told me to check my local nursery. Here's a picture of it...so you don't have to remove them by hand or teeth,lol...much easier!

GG, that is exactly why I asked. Because if there was some magical strainer that sifted out the big pieces, I want to know about it! Although it seems that there is. Thanks Pug! Next time I get my hands on some Turface, I will give this a try. Because hand mixing granite, Turface and bark is a little uncomfortable on the hands. Especially the nails. I am not super fussy about my nails like some people, but I'm not necessarily sure I want them to look like I took a sander to them. Poorly. The put it all in a bag and shake it up method doesn't work with uneven sizes.

Hmmm, I wonder what triggers it to have those lovely colors only in cool weather. It never goes dormant, right? For trees, it's a cessation in the production of chlorophyll, correct?

You're welcome Quinn!

Science is not my best subject, so I'm not sure exactly why...but all I know is my Hummel Sunset Jades and some other varieties of Jades and Succulents gets the prettiest colors when our night temps gets around 55 degrees or below in conjunction with full sun during the day. I leave mine outside all year except when frost/freeze is in the forecast...and usually in 4-6 weeks I notice the nice colors return. My Jades/Succulents normally goes almost dormant when our temps reach around 80+ degrees...I usually don't see any growths at this time till around mid fall.
At least that's my experience growing them in Florida...they just don't like the high humidity in the summer. I know they prefer dry conditions and I'm sure that's why they grow much better in the winter for me, much lower humidity. Probably why they grow so much better and carefree in California because of their abundant sun and drier climate.

I thought I would bump up this post for those of you that are looking for Turface. Ace Hardware sells Espoma Soil Perfector, which is similar to the old discontinued Schultz Soil Enhancer. According to the info, is is supposed to be identical to Turface. I'm going this afternoon to pick up a bag to test it out. It's $14.99 for 27lb bag.

Well, they didn't have any in stock in any of their stores. I ordered it online. It's supposed to be delivered to my local Ace Hardware store. I'll keep you posted.

Thanks for the great info Ima! Yes, please let us know if it ends up being the right stuff...that sure would be great since Ace will be SO much closer for me than where I get mine. Please post a picture of what it looks like if you can...Thanks!

I have an Ace around the corner. I will have to check that out. However, I just bought a bag from a building store I found that is about 6 miles away, so I do have a place, and it will be awhile before I need any. I have some things rooting in a mix of half perilite & half turface. I am very curious about the stuff & will let you know how it goes.

I'm sorry it took so long to post this picture. My SIL work in my local Ace store and he ordered it for me. I had to wait for him to deliver it to me. The color of Espoma is different from Turface, but it's supposed to be the same. I've made a batch and today I'm going to put a few clivia and plumeria plants in the mix. I'm also going to transplant a desert rose I just bought at Walmart into the mix. It has glued rocks on top of soil. I can't wait until I get that one done. I'll wait before I try one of my hoya.

{{gwi:47424}}

The Turface looks great and so does the other ingredients Ima! I agree, I wouldn't be concerned that the color of Turface is different, I'm sure its the same thing! My hoyas have done great with this mix as well...I just "tweek" it a little for the ones that prefer it a little more moist by adding a little more Turface and less turface and more granite for my Jades and Succulents that prefer it to dry out more. Once you get the hang of it you'll find the correct proportions that will work the best for you and your plants. Good luck!

Nancy

Ima,

I do think there is a significant difference between Espoma Soil Perfector and Turface. The ESP (lol) is a fired slate product, while Turface is a fired clay product. Also, judging from the picture, ESP is much larger than Turface. It may still be a very useful product, though. I prefer a very coarse mix for my epiphytes, and may try to find some ESP even though I already have Turface. Turface is half the price, but after sifting out the fines, I end up with only half a bag anyways.

Another newbie here, I've had a "hoya" so I found out, for 13 years. Rooted some cuttings in water with fertilizer added, ended up with 2 large plants, one I gave to my Dad. Neither has ever bloomed. The original plant was my grandmother's that DID have blooms on it. Is the reason WHY we've never had blooms because we haven't rooted it in hormones? Should I try that to get blooms? or can I do it the way I've done with most "Ivy type" plants and put them in a clear vase, give them "Root and Bloom" fertilizer water from Fertilome,(Even though it never bloomed), and set it in a sunny window anyway? Perhaps it needs more Potash?
Thank you for any advice or feedback on this!

Hi Truedes! My suggestion is give them a lot of bright light. A sunny window would be best but be careful if its been in the shade all this time so you don't burn the leaves...introduce it to a sunny window gradually. I don't grow any of my hoyas in water and I'm not familiar with the fertilome fertilize so I can't be much help on that.

Is one of your plants in potting mix? If it is you can give it some weak fertilizer once a week (maybe half strength or less) and give it plenty of light...hopefully, you will see blooms soon after. Good luck!