The Tropical Fruit Forum

Sorry for posting another potting mix thread....

I'm needing to make a change and am searching for alternatives. I have several trees in modified 5-1-1, but I need to do some up-potting and my source for the pine bark has turned to garbage.
I know I could use reptibark or Bonsai Jack but that becomes cost prohibitive for me in large quantities. I have all my trees on a drip system, so whatever I switch to will need to be comparable to 5-1-1 in terms of drainage so I don't run into issues. I have one tree in the 1:1 Turface MVP:MGGS and that seems to do well, but the resulting mix is HEAVY, and probably wouldn't be suitable to put in the ground later (which I hope to do once I get more property). I could do CHC, but I understand that tends to break down pretty quickly with how much watering I have to do here in Phoenix. So, besides pine bark, CHC, or Turface, are there really any other options?

I do have a distributor of EB Stone mixes. I've never used those but they look like good quality. I also have access to Sunshine Mix #4. I can get plenty of course (#3) perlite. Any ideas for a low-cost mix that might be comparable to 5-1-1, or negative experiences with EB Stone or Sunshine Mix #4?

Thanks in advance!

In March I grafted 5 varieties on to 10 sour orange seedlings. All of them succeeded, and most are going really well. My Rio Red grapefruit, navel orange, and valencia orange broke early and have taken off. My minneola tangelo and daisy seedless mandarins were the last to break and grow. As summer has started here in Phoenix, most of my young grafts are tolerating things okay, but my two daisy mandarin trees are really struggling. They are doing the taco curled leaves. At first I thought it must be a pest because they are getting watered daily and are in a fast draining mix. But the more time I've spent, the more I wonder if it's a watering issue. I pulled one of the mandarins out of its pot this morning. The mix is moist but was not soggy or clumpy. The roots looked good and their were several white tips, which I believe are new root growths. Are daisy mandarins just more heat sensitive than other varieties? Or perhaps since they broke last, they didn't harden off as well as their siblings? Or is this pest damage? The leaves aren't crispy and aren't falling off. Temps are hitting 100F daily and they are in morning sun and afternoon shade.
I'll post pics as soon as I can figure out how.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/9UkGmmqrqyjBUsvU6
https://photos.app.goo.gl/TGuNuNGhyetgwxDn6
https://photos.app.goo.gl/CcyTrj3oBm2ZBUnD8