I used ProMix (professionally) for quite some time...with the same 'adequate' results. When my distributor started carrying Fafard professional potting mixes and I sampled some, I never used anything else. Even now, though I am out of 'the business' of growing professionally, I still manage to coerce local nurseries or garden centers to special order some Fafard for me.

My requirements in a potting medium are very simple: it must be very coarse textured (composed largely of bark fines) so that it is extremely porous and drains rapidly. Once I began using the Fafard products, I didn't have to combat fungal disorders anymore. I can water freely without fear of root rot and transplants develop sturdy root systems rapidly. You know what THAT means!

I'll attach a link to the list of Fafard's professional mixes. I use a 'Heavyweight mix' for all of my potting needs: seasonal outdoor containers, houseplants, woody plants. I've been using the Nursery Mix for quite some time, but it will contain more bark than some people are used to. I'll use a 'middleweight' mix in my seeding flats where plants remain for but two or three weeks before transplanting.

Fafard also makes a retail line of potting mediums which appear to be much like the standard junk found everywhere: mostly very fine milled peat. If that's all you can find, I'd absolutely stick with the ProMix and maybe find a source of bagged bark fines to incorporate with it at the ratio of 1:1.

Here is a link that might be useful: Clickee

You never did say what you were potting into one gallon cans. That can make a real difference. I worked for one concern where we made our own mixes in bulk and I had my own business where I opted to go with the pro-formula premixes. And, I've use peat base, bark based and coir based. They each have their own uses. BTW promix offers lines in either bark based or peat base and has many formulations.

Would you mind sharing what type of plant material you are growing? I do know that over the course of my business, I used to be able to buy the compress bales for eight dollars. This year the cost was up to around $22. The one thing I will say is that your growing medium is very important to the end result, and you will want to trial any new ones the season before you commit on a large scale. Changing mix forumaltions impacts all sorts of the variable from drainage to pH and your fertiliser programs.

We grow primarily perennials in gallons and shrubs and trees in larger containers. we use the same general purpose mix for everything. we have good success with annuals and woody trees and shrubs. We have good initial success with perennials but they peter out about mid season. i personally think its a lack of fertilization program, the prior owner i bought it from didnt believe in fert, and have remedied that for next year but was wondering if fert alone would do it or would changing my media also aid in longevity of looking good in the pot. and if so, is the best GP media pro mix or is it just spendy due to the brand.

I would not recommend peat based mix for woody stock. Bark based is the way to go on that. When we did our custom blends for woody stock we always went bark base and used Milorganite and topcoated with osmocote slow-release. Like rhizo says, your drainage needs to be sharp. With sharp drainage and bark-based mix comes the need to supplement nutrients. The woody stock was not on a constant feed program and some of it was under overheads (not my choice) so slow release was necessary.

I used to grow small-sized perennials and that meant basically liner-sized and up to gallons to sell to other growers. I did start out with promix until they hit quart-size and switched to bark-base. They were on constant feed when in the g'houses through an injector in the water and then went to osmocote when they got large enough to move to the perennial house.

You can duplicate in your own mixes most of the qualities of the major brands. I'm not so sure that it's anymore cost effective than purchasing name brand after you start adding things like wetting agents and in my case mycorrhizae.

.......... We have good initial success with perennials but they peter out about mid season. i personally think its a lack of fertilization program..........

Yes, I think you are right.