Soilless definitely...

It could look something like this..

2 parts fine pine bark mix
1 part peat
1 part turface, pertlite, or other similiar products.
Dolomitic lime
Controlled release fertilizer like Dynamite, Osomocote
Ocassional watering with soluble micronutirents like STEM, Kelp seaweed, maybe Fish hydrolyzed fertilizer ( I am not clear if they are absorbed fast or need microbial break down before roots can absorb them)

There is a lot of information by Talpa (Al). I'd say do a search but I don't know if the search function is still down or not. it has been down for a while so I had to go though hundreds of threads to read everything. Time consuming and too much info that made me forget about other stuff!

FWIW, most commercial potting soils ARE soilless mixes, with a base of something like coir, peat or bark fines.

While I would never discourage anyone from making their own container mix, especially one of high (and known) quality like Al's, sometimes it is just not practical to go through that process and expense for smaller amounts. In most areas one can find and purchase well-made, high quality commercial potting soils (aka soilless mixes) that work equally well. And in various formulations for a variety of applications. But just as I'd caution carefully examining the quality of plant material from some mass marketing outlet like HD or Lowe's, I'd also suggest locating better commercial container soils at a nursery or garden center or a place that specializes in plant material.

I'd liken the make-your-own versus the purchased mix discussion to starting from seeds versus purchasing started plants. It depends on the scope of the project, the intent of the gardener and the efficiency of the process. Both make perfect sense, but for different reasons.

How much $$$ are we talking about those "specialized" mix for trees and such at garden center?

Lou..I noticed that in your soil mix you use Dolomite Lime. Why would you ,if citrus trees require an acid ph soil of 5.0 -6.5.By adding dolomite to your mix , wouldn't you be only making it sweeter and more of a nuetral PH. I actually called a greenhouse for this product this past weekend and he said to stay away from it, if your using it in soil for acid loving plants? I am confused. I hope sissy is no going to be as confused as me. So why Dolomite ? Can't you just feed through fertilizers the magnese and calcium the Citrus trees need?
Thanks for your time to explain in advance...:-)

I could be wrong on that part. Maybe if you know how much to add, it wouldn't make pH too high while providing the tree with calcium and magnesium. Most fertilizer do not have or have enough calcium. Osmocote or Dynamite do not have them. Micromax micronutrients (by Scotts) has some calcium but apparently they are sold in 50lbs bag and you only need 1-1.5lbs per cubic YARD of mix. Frankly, I don't think it's big of a deal as long as you don't use too much of it.

I hope meyer mike is not going get confused as I am. In my last response,I said I hope that sissy which is me dir, would not be confused, when I meant to say meyermike. I feel bad for him and yet I want to see him get satifying answers...And can you tell that unless I don't get some straight easy help on all this citrus stuff, being new to it,..I can be easily confused too.....lol.
I guess you can call it, getting older. Maybe I need some good fertilizer to make me brain funtion easier..:-)..Ha Ha...Sorry for my nervousness. I will get use to asking for help eventually.Thanks for evryones patients and understanding for this all.
Sissy

lou. Have you ever thought of using epsom salt instead of mixing in Dolomite. Just curious. I hear alot about it and how great the stuff is. I am just very nervous about throwing in Dolomite with acid loving plants . Unless someone else makes my soil for me and knows what they are doing..:-) lou, how long have your plants been growing in this mix, in particular Citrus and how do they look? Are they nice and green and healthy?

You can use gypsum as your source of Calcium and Epsom salt for Magnesium. Unfortunately, the search function is still down. You will find a lot of information from Al. I just started coming here because I needed to know more about container mix esp on the fertilizer part. I pretty much got everything covered by reading through most of threads in this forum for the past week or so.

My "specialty" is growing plants including trees, grass, rose, etc organically in the GROUND. For that, I'd never recommend dolomite, gypsum, epsom, and a lot of other things as they can damage soil biology. Growing plants in the container and in the ground are two very different things.

I'm going to attempt growing possibly hundreds of trees (mexican white oak, montezuma cypress and shantung maples) and needed to learn more about container mix and such. I like to do a lot of research first before I do things like that.

LOU....Nice..I hope all works out for you....I would love to hear a sucess story from your goals..
In the mean time if you have been growing citrus trees in the mix you told me to try, please let me know how the trees look and are they growing really well. If so I want to try your mix..Ok..Please get back to me on this.
Thanks for everything so far and you are fun to chat with.

Hi lou, and my new found friend sissy!!!
Looks like I have a follower on the same subject and some great advice from you lou. Sissy. I hope you find the perfect soil such as I have been looking for a while now, and lou, thanks for all your interest in helping other forum members. I to would like to try your soil out along with other forum members ideas by the spring. I to love citrus and want the best for them too. I on the other hand agree with you on feeding also. I think both organic and "chemical" can do wonders for them. Now to make the perfect soil for my own good experience!! Thanks again and to any one else that adds to this forum. I can't wait till I can be one that gives advice and not always ask for it.....:-)
Have a great weekend EVERYONE!

MIke

Hello Mike,

I can't say which is better because I have only experience growing citrus soilless in containers (still with organic amendments and microbs for supply of trace elements and moisture/temp control suggested in the "organic soil" thread); however, I can say if you go soilless you would have greater control in supplying your citrus roots with above than average air and water (and nutrients) and in managing crop losses and eliminating difficult to treat soil-borne diseases. Unless you know how to pasturize your garden soil or the manufacturer can assure quality and removal of pathogens, it would seem to make economical sense not to introduce or buy "problems" with all things being equal. Regardless of a chosen gardening method (soilless, soil, hydroponics, aquaponics, grow box/subirrigation, and etc), a gardener's primary mission and objective is to supply maximum amount of oxygen to plant roots once suitable amounts of light, water and nutrients required by a plant species are also met. When all technical issues about water and plant nutrients are managed, the value or quality of a growing medium is not so much in the aggregates of a potting mix strictly but in how much consistent available O2 (and water/nutrients) can the roots get through these aggregates (organic or inorganic). The balance of available O2 can be passively, mechanically, or actively supplied, manipulated, or adjusted by a soilless or hydroponic grower.

Moreover, if you should need to adjust your container mix or reproduce your success under certain condition or changed conditions and after all gardening is very hands-on, it's a lot easier to reproduce success (or at least not having any plant die on you) if you know what you started with or have comparable conditions or experiences, or results to verify or compare to. The control is the advantage of soilless container gardening, but the extent, types, and choices of control over air and water supply will vary from gardeners to gardeners, climates to microclimates, and logistical situations in all these alternative grow methods.

ON FERTILIZERS

I stopped using Dynamite (CRF) and would not use Micromax personally at this time in supplying micronutrients. I rely on compost, compost tea, seaweed emulsion, for trace elements. I am looking into experimenting with some commercial complete and balanced soluble (dry) fertilizers if I can get data or informed disclosures.

At the present, there isn't really an established or uniformly accepted standards on the allowable or safe amount of metals such as arsenic, cadmium, coblat, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, selenium, zinc, and lead in fertilizers, so my caution and objection about fertilizing with Dynamite and Micromax may be premature. However, two such published guidelines do exist and are available on the Internet, and one source is Canadian and the other is possibly from Cornell University(?) or a New York university source. I believe the minimum detectable amount of Molybdenum, for example, from these two sources are in the teens or at least in double digits, but the Molybdenum detected for both Dynamite and Micromax are very high or even in the triple digits the last time I looked. Molybdenum is an essential trace element for plant growth but only in minute amounts. I have not researched into if human bodies are able to metabolize and eliminate large amount of molybednum without harm.

Thankyou greenchem and everyone else that shares their ideas. I really appreciate the ideas and I will be using them this spring.
Thanks for all and have a great day!!:-)