-add epsom salt every 2 weeks, just a bit. -keep a calender -regular water on the off week -no commercial liquid fertilizer- I'm in deep water with these two trees. or maybe 6 trees cos there are 4 limbs in one pot, and two in another. No matter what, I have to get these re-potted. Their pots are far too small and too heavy with wet soil, from what i've read. But i'm at a total loss as to why I just can't use Al's gritty mix in a big tree?

I'm far from an expert, and hopefully Al will show, but my understanding was that the gritty mix would work for any container plumeria, no matter the size (since it's really about drainage, not the age of the plant). If you use the gran-i-grit, it gets heavy, though, especially in a bigger pot. Personally, I repot everything in the gritty mix.

HI!!!

Guess I'm up late.. I'm on the east coast!!!

I'll try and answer some questions..

The Gritty Mix is wonderful for rooting as well as repotting older established trees. This particular mix is known for the makeup of the particles that are similar in size so that the mix will keep the roots healthy and not sit in a container full of wet soggy soil. It helps keep the roots healthy by allowing the flow of water to absorb into the particles and allow a proper aeration inside the container to give the tree the best growing enviroment. In some soils, the water that will sit in the bottom of the container ( pertched water) will harm the roots of any plant and this is one of the reasons this mix is liked by so many in the garden communtiy. It is a fast draing mix that allows the proper gas exchange as well.

You will find that some like it, some don't.. It just depends on what you want from your trees and how much time you want to put into the mix. Some like fast draining mix from the bag, some like to make their own. We all want the best for our trees, so that is why we all have our different opinions on what is best.

Same with the egg... Some like it and think it works, some don't. Again.. Depends on your thoughts. I personally did a test last year on two cuttings from the same tree in the same mix. One with the egg and the other without. I didn't see any difference, so I personally don't use the egg method, but a lot of my friends do.. I didn't like the smell and the mess, but others swear by it.

An inflo aka inflorescence is a newly formed grouping of budding flowers that show up as a strange looking crown from the end of the stem. They usually form from a mature tree and can show up in cuttings that were ready to push a new " inflo" but the limb was cut before it emerged. This can happen and appear in cuttings that will push an inflo while rooting because while it was on the mother tree.. It was ready to send it up to appear. When others talk about cutting off the inflo, they are talking about while rooting the cutting. So we like to cut the inflo to allow the energy to be focused on rooting instead of the flower. Some of us will wait to see if leaves form while the cutting is rooting and decide to leave the inflo. It just depends on what you like and what you were taught. I was taught that if the inflo is forming as the leaves are with the inflo..leave it. If it is just the inflo emerging.. Cut it off.

Sounds like you have a few established trees.. Since you live in Cali. Orange County Farm Supply has lots to offer you. Just a suggestion..

I love the gritty mix and I have taken my trees and barerooted them and repotted them in the Gritty MIx. I will post a link to show you one of my trees that I repotted..

Welcome.. :-). Sounds like you have been reading and your head is spinning, just relax and know that we will help you. Glad to see you!!!

Lots of wonderful people here that are more than willing to help!!

It's late.. Ready for bed!!!

Take care,

Laura

Here is a link that might be useful: Prepping Plumies In The Gritty Mix

This post was edited by loveplants2 on Fri, May 31, 13 at 16:05

I don't see why you couldn't use gritty mix on more mature trees if that's what you have available or want to use. Like Laura said she has had good results with it and others say so too. I use it in some small containers and have not seen real measurable differences on Plumerias between this mix or other mixes. I would be the first to offer that my climate may be a factor in it (warm dry winters, hot humid summers).

I think there comes a point where the weight of a container (with gritty mix), the expense in both time and money to make gritty mix and the fertilizing and watering technique for maximizing gritty mix's value may begin to chip away at the grower's propensity to use the mix over time as plants get larger and mature. Just think of how heavy a 25 gallon container would be of that stuff. Plus it would probably have cost a small fortune in materials to make it.

I typically up pot in the same way Laura does. Its my opinion to use wide and squat pots over tall pots. a three year old plant for me would be in a 12 or 15 gallon container (20 inch diameter) with lots of drain holes and a wick. I like to have the container in direct contact with the ground soil whenever possible to allow excess water an avenue downward and out of the container. Good luck with your plants.

Dearest Laura, will you please think about blogging, specifically blogging about your gardening. Your hand held photo tutorials are perfect! I really like that perspective. Love, Lnor

Never posted pictures before... So this one is from my JJ's expedition today. We believe it is an Incognito. We, meaning the dude who helped me. it's label has disappeared so this is best guess.
I thought I uploaded 5 pictures, but no idea where I went wrong.

This post was edited by Lnorigb on Sat, Jun 1, 13 at 0:05

Gorgeous!!

If you have several plants growing in one pot, you are going to have a potential problem of very intertwined roots. You can remove the soil root ball and soak it in a bucket of water to remove most of the soil and then try to separate the roots but you will probably have to cut as best you can two spit the plants. Then repot into what ever mix you desire (cactus mix and pumice is not the best but is what many people can find. The gritty mix has only been used on plumerias for a few years but it has a lot of followers. I have used Jack Morgans mix for almost a decade and like it especially because I have many very large pots with 10+ year old plants. weight is important) I use B-1 and or superthrive in all transplants. Realize that not all of us agree with many things said on this forum because everyone can be an expert. You eventually find what works for you and find those you feel you can trust. (BTW epsom salts every two weeks is way too much magnesium and creates a need for calcium). Laura did a really good job of answering many of your concerns. Until some college tests all these theories scientifically, we are just looking at opinions. Good luck.

Here's a CL rescue: Dunno what her name is. but from further reading, and a very lovely visit to JJ's I now know this is just two trees in one pot. was very heavy when I fetched and she pee'd ALL over my car she was so wet. I intend to let her dry out and follow Laura's pictorial about re-potting. Ideally, the drying out will coincide with the arrival of all the ingredients for Al's GMX. Have bugs eaten the leaves or has my uber wind already damaged her? (she's only been living here 2 days, but the wind is fierce, so it's possible.)

The 2nd rescue. this pot was/is so heavy still... the poor dear. is it okay to reuse the same pots? I'll rinse them out with a weak bleach solution. I see here 90% of photos are in those (ugly) black pots, and as yet, I've yet to suss why.

Without this forum I would never even attempt Plummies. Historically, I've been given sticks and promptly regifted. I was too gun shy to try. Now I am empowered! Thank you.

Hi Linor,

Thank you..

Looks like a beauty from JJ's!!! Congratulations!!!

Just wanted to say that Bill is correct in that everyone has an opinion and you just need to find what works best for you.. I have learned so much from Bill as well as others and I put it all to good use for what works for me.

I'm glad you like my link. Just wanted to show how I did the repotting...

You live in an area that has so much to offer you and you have all sorts of wonderful people to help you in Southern CA.

Containers are another area that we all have different opinions.. ;-). You can use what pleases you, but make sure it has lots of good drainage. I would stay away from any container that has a collection tray to hold water.. It is best to allow the water to flow freely from the container to avoid a build up of water ( Pertched water) this will keep the soil moist and could cause root problems.

I do agree about the size and weight of the container... This is when you have to determine what is best for you. Hope this helps...

Good luck !!!

Laura

Hi, guys! I'm late to the conversation, and the original questions have probably been answered to the OPers satisfaction, but if there is anything you want me to weigh in on .........

Mt focus isn't on plumeria, though I do have a few I traded bonsai potensai for, with Laura. They don't act any different than other trees, and appreciate the same cultural conditions my tropical bonsai appreciate.

My focus is always on the health of the plant first, but growth control often enters into the picture. Sometimes I want trees to grow quickly (developing trees), other times I want them to grow slowly (mature trees). Most of you are most interested in keeping your trees growing with good vitality (vigorously is the wrong word - vigor is a genetic thing, vitality is a measure of how well your plant is coping with the cultural hand you are dealing it) and getting all the growth potential you can out of your trees.

The primary difference between the gritty mix and other soils is, it's designed to hold good amounts of water without holding perched water, which is always a limiting factor in conventional container culture. Soils that are primarily based on small particulates like peat, compost, composted forest products, coir ...... are going to hold too much water to allow your plants to realize their genetic potential. This is where vigor comes in. Vigor is how well the plant is capable of growing, but limiting habits stifle vigor (genetic potential).

To be sure, growing is supposed to be fun, which sometimes makes it a compromise. If you're watering your plants every 3-4 days & feel that's all the time you want to invest, you might feel the gritty mix isn't for you. Before you make that conclusion, remember that the gritty mix is adjustable for water retention by varying the ratio of Turface or calcined DE to the grit fraction. I could easily build more water retention into my soils by changing the 1:1:1 ratio of bark:screened Turface:grit, but I choose not to. Having to water frequently is GOOD for plants because it promotes even better gas exchange; and plants do better when the soil is damp, not wet. It's much easier to keep a soil like the gritty mix damp or moist as opposed to wet than it is to keep soils made of finer ingredients at the same level of moisture retention.

It's also a significant nutritional plus to be able to flush the soil when you water. This is especially true if you've chosen a fertilizer with NPK % that provide a ratio of nutrients that don't mesh well with the ratio the plant actually uses. For instance, if you're using a 1:1:1 ratio fertilizer like 20-20-20, or a "bloom-booster" fertilizer that has an extremely high phosphorous content (1:1:1 ratios like 20-20-20 already supply several times more P than the plant can or will use) it's essential that you're able to flush the soil at will w/o having to worry about root rot issues. 'Essential' because if you can't, the excess P (or other nutrients out of sync with actual usage) builds up in the soil and quickly creates problems that ensure the plant's potential is limited.

In the end, a plant/soil/fertilizer combination that allows you to water and fertilize frequently while relieving you of concerns about root health due to soggy soil conditions is by far the easiest and surest way to healthy plants. I can say that because that type of combination doesn't create limitations, it eliminates them. In the end, our abilities as growers are defined by how well we are able to identify limiting factors and to the greatest degree possible, eliminate them.

Al

My guess about the "(ugly) black pots" is the cost. Many people have 100+ plants and buying fancier pots would cut into the budget money, leaving less to buy more plants. Lots of people also plunge the pots, so a fancy pot wouldn't be visible buried in the ground anyway.

*really wishes Al would sell his mix* struggling to get all the components tghtr. but it's a lovely challenge!

Al could sell it, but the shipping would be a killer. LOL

I've got 2 of the 3 components. still struggling with the pine bark/orchid bark. I can only find it in big pieces, nothing fine enuf to pass thru a 1/4 or smaller screen. I saw on a tomato forum something called 'soil conditioner' that might be a good substitute.

The black pots are used mostly to absorb heat into the root area. Also they are available and inexpensive. Light colored pots reflect heat and terra cotta pots seem to breathe too much and roots stick to the side. That being said, I have grown plants in all kinds of pots with success so this might just be a tale. I think from my experience the dark is helpful in getting a plant established with a good root system.