What soil mix are you using for your container plants?

[nullzero]

Been trying this coco coir pine bark mix with charcoal pieces out. So far it seems to work well with most plants. The only plant that showed issues was a Surinam cherry, not sure if it was due to the salinity in the coco coir or something else.

Yuzu, Guava, Cactus, Yacon, all seem to like the mix.

[bangkok]

This is the website:     http://rfcarchives.org.au/Next/CaringForTrees/PottedTrees7-83.htm

The standard mixture is now by volume:
2 parts coarse river sand
1 part peat (50/50 Tableland and German)
1 part loam top soil (Krasnozem)

We find however that it is desirable to have a higher percentage sand for some species, for example, mango and higher content of organic matter (preferably leaf mould, bagasse, etc.) for others such as Rambutan, Lychee, and Longan. However the standard mixture is reasonably satisfactory for the whole plant range providing container size is regulated. Fertilizers added to the potting mix prior to steam sterilization (pasteurisation at 80°C) per cubic metre of mixture.

Dolomite   4 kg   
ZnS04   200 g
Superphosphate   3.2 kg   
MgS04   600 g
K2S04   800 g   
FeS04   200 g
KN03   800 g   
MnS04   20 g
CuS04   80 g   
Borax (10%)   4 g

I am starting to get all these ingredients together but are there online shops who easy can deliver all in once? (In Thailand or Holland).

What do you fruitlovers think about this recipe? Would you change something?

[luc]

When I read this it would be fun to do a computer stimulation , if thats possible ....

I just dump the seeds in a pot and use what soil I can get .

Later on I will fertilize with bat shit ( just gathered over 100 pounds today ) cow , horse ..name it , I will even pee on the plants .

On the other side I have to admit and take my hat off , you dutch people know how to plant stuff ....congratulations .

[bangkok]

Luc this is a recipe from an Australian website, not from me. But you are right the Dutch have a lot of knowledge about plants and diseases. I am just a hobby gardener who wants to use the superstrong sunshine around here.

Here in Bangkok they sell papaya with the name "Holland" and also tomato's from "Holland" haha. Now people ask me if we like to eat them in Holland and if i tell them papaya's don't grow in Holland then they think i make some joke.

But a test would be great, i like tests.

The reason why i like to use natural minerals so suddenly is because last week i gave me Indian pomgranate some Dolomite and now it has one fruit growing. I bought the plant some months ago and untill last week all the flowers fell of all the time.
My mother in law had pomelo-flowers and fruits fall of all the time, i gave her bonemeal and now she has loads of them growing.

To make you feel good i can tell you that Hoegaarden witbier is getting popular around here, also the chocolate from Belgium is famous.

[BluePalm]

I also like to put in some pea gravel and some Black Kow (or composted manure). Occasionally some pine-bark nuggets (broken up into smaller pieces) too.

[zands]

I also like to put in some pea gravel and some Black Kow (or composted manure). Occasionally some pine-bark nuggets (broken up into smaller pieces) too.

Hard to find but some WalMarts carry the smaller pieces pine bark mulch. I got some from a Wal-Mart 10 miles from me...closer ones did not have. If you bug the manager maybe they get a pallet for the spring

[CTMIAMI]

I really do not have time or desire to make my own mix. what happens is that when I did my own mix not the same products are available all the time and you tend to make changes to "improve" the mix. The result is that you have several different mixes in your pots. Last summer it rained every day at least once. As result I lost some trees to root rot. The point if you use a commercial mix at least you know what uniform action to take according to the time of the year and weather conditions.
I'm now using this commercial mix. High porosity for those (like me) who wake up with hose in hand  to water every day. In the no rain period you have to water more often, but in the summer the plants I had in this mix did very well. Is a big bag, not expensive and has mycorrizae in the mix. I add about 10% small pine bark. I have used it to starts seeds and works well, I just leave the bark out. .

[bangkok]

I read a lot of websites about bonsai mixes and they like to use fired claymixes like kitty-grid for that. Those mixes have to be replaced after 2-3 years though because the grid is becoming clay after some time.

I was wondering how many holes a big container should have because those small bonsaipots full of grid-mixes have 2-10 holes in them. My big clay pots have only 1 small hole and i heard that if you try to drill more holes the pot will break so i didn't try that yet.

Also i am wondering if i need a bowl under the big pots, the bowls can be full of water for many days so i made some cottonropes in the bowl that can drain the water out of the bowl. I also tried some grid of stones under the pot in the bowl so the soil can breathe easyier through the hole and roots that grow into the bowl will die off faster so they don't jam the only hole that my pots have.

How many holes do your pots have and do you use a bowl under them?

[puglvr1]

I use fired clay on my potting mix called Turface...I screen it (or rinse the fine particles so it doesn't hold too much water and it works great. You can get the #50 bag at a Lesco/Fertilizer place...here's what it looks like "screened"



Here's the small pieces of bark I buy at Walmart



The bag looks like this...



I've also used Silica Sand



These have all worked great for me as additives to premixed potting soil making the mix more porous and fast draining so it doesn't hold too much water.

[Jsvand5]

I use about 1/4 perlite, 1/4 pine bark fines, 1/4 turface, and 1/4 commercial potting mix. I used to leave the commecial potting mix out totally but I soon found out that I was far too lazy to water often enough without it. The potting mix seems to give me a little extra time between waterings and the mix is still very loose and airy.

[Mr. Clean]

I up potted a 3 gallon pickering mango tree into a 7 gallon pot for my girlfriend, using a 50 lb bag of soil I got at Walmart.  Tonight I had to carry that tree and pot up to her 3rd floor apartment (using the stairs).  If you may ever need to move the potted tree, the weight of the soil may be a factor in your soil design.  Tree bark will probably be lighter than sand.

[bsbullie]

I up potted a 3 gallon pickering mango tree into a 7 gallon pot for my girlfriend, using a 50 lb bag of soil I got at Walmart.  Tonight I had to carry that tree and pot up to her 3rd floor apartment (using the stairs).  If you may ever need to move the potted tree, the weight of the soil may be a factor in your soil design.  Tree bark will probably be lighter than sand.

Or don't buy potting mix at Walmart.  What box stores carry is a very heavy, moist, and usually not the greatest draining.  Spend the extra few bucks and go with Faford.  It can be purchased at Winfield Solutions in Boynton Beach.

[Doglips]

I really think Al's gritty mix is the way to go, ...sometimes.

It is expensive, grading pine bark is a real pain in the...

But it lasts because it is mostly inorganic. Bare rooting is a dream when in gritty mix.  Root rot is virtually impossible.

It can be refreshed after many many years by re-adding pine bark.

It is heavy, very heavy.  The plus side of heavy is less likely to tip over in heavier winds.

I don't always use it because of the expense and the effort that takes to make it and the sourcing difficulties, but the star trees get star treatment. 

I really think sand is bad news, i used to use it, but it is actually really bad for drainage (believe it or not), too much surface area for water to adhere to.

[zwanif]

i use native soil we have good one where i live and sand lol zero money spend

[Epicatt2]

Good suggestions for potting media mixes, but to lighten a commercial mix
like those mixes at the big box stores, etc., so that it is aerated and drains
better, can't we just add a percentage of perlite?

What percentage would be good?

Just curious . . .

Paul M.
==

[Seanny]

https://foxfarm.com/translations_big-and-chunky-perlite/

[Oldmanfig]

Here they are at 100 for two bags after shipping…..I like the price of 🌋lava  rock a little better 💵💸
https://www.bghydro.com/mother-earth-perlite-3-4-cu-ft.html

[Tropheus76]

So after reading this thread, there doesnt seem to be a consensus even for the same types of trees.
I am in Central Florida, using fabric pots, about to put a few mango trees in them. I have access to fox farm soil mix and whatever I can get at home depot or lowes. I have some well aged pine fines as well.