Hey, Frank, a search on the 5-1-1 soil mix should yield tons of results,
across all the Fora. For the seminal links, check the Container Forum.

The recipe is 5 parts pine or fir bark, 1 part perlite, and 1 part peat (or potting mix).
Add 1 Tablespoon Dolomitic Garden Lime per gallon of mix made. Slow release Fertilizer if desired.
That's it. A well aerated, durable, economical (in large batches), and lightweight seasonal mix.

Josh

By all accounts it's good stuff. The primary rationale for 5-1-1 is control of moisture around the roots - something that is apparently a big problem when growing in containers. And for a known starting point when adjusting soil chemistry, e.g. the lime.

But be aware that it can't be treated like a soil-based medium. 5-1-1 and similar media are poor in nutrients and the plants must be fed more often than with soil. The practices are more like hydroponic than in-ground gardening.

It is a inert hydroponic bark based grow media. It takes great skill to grow in hydroponic grow media.

Just like DM siad above ^

Thank You for the info.

Now to find a Pine tree to skin for some bark. hehe
I will see if I can get the ingredients to keep my hab happy over the winter.
Going to pot it in my office as I have a south facing window and no pets to knock it over.

FWIW the 5-1-1 search yealds 65,000+ threads. :)

northern hab:

I ran into the same problem with my search. Click on the link below. I started this thread earlier this summer and i got quite a few of my questions answered by the expert 5-1-1 enthusiasts here on GardenWeb.

Kevin

Here is a link that might be useful: click here

Kevin, thanks for including that link.

Frank, for the 5-1-1 mix, it's best to use composted or aged bark (for the exact recipe).
I use fresh bark - because that's what's easy for me to find - but others have had issues using
fresh bark. To balance the "nitrogen binding" in the bark, add slow-release fertilizer and
keep up on fertilization throughout the season.

Yes, there is a little more work up front, and one does need to fertilize regularly to reap the best
results, but this type of mix actually allows for a greater margin of error when it comes to watering.
Primarily, this mix is more difficult to overwater, which mitigates issues caused by those with a
heavy watering hand. It takes the guesswork out of watering and fertilization....in other words,
you know that you need to water and fertilize. From this perspective, it doesn't get any more
simple - water and fertilize, done.

Some people just want to water once a week, and don't want to fertilize. I recognize that this mix
is not for that person who wants a hands off approach. Try to find a balance between convenience for
the grower and results that are satisfying.

Josh

"It takes the guesswork out of watering and fertilization....in other words,
you know that you need to water and fertilize. From this perspective, it doesn't get any more
simple - water and fertilize, done. "

That is a very good point.

If it helps you out at all Frank, this is my first year growing peppers from seed. I have about 30 plants in pots. I used the 5-1-1 potting mix after seeing one of Josh's post. It has worked great for me. I never have to move my plants around when it rains. I mixed osmocote fertilizer in with mine at the beginning of the season. I water about every 2 to 3 days depending on weather. There have been times when it was cool, or we had rain,that I went a week without watering. I add fertilizer every 10 days to 2 weeks. I really don't know exactly because there is no set schedule. It's just a feel you get after watching them grow. If your interested, I can post pics of my plants. Also, you have to separate the white wood from the bark when you mix your medium. It's a tedious job, but well worth the results! here's a pic from a couple months ago.

Tim

Outstanding, Tim!
Your plants look wonderful.

Josh

Kevin,
Great thread link. ThanX
I spent a good couple of hours browsing through last night.

The video was awsome. Now to find suppliers in the GTA, Ontario area.

I just want to try and overwinter one plant, as that's all the room I have in my office.

Seems people up in Canada have an easier time finding the pine bark fines than we do down here.
Bruce

"Also, you have to separate the white wood from the bark when you mix your medium."

The sap wood? You take that out? Wow! I thought sifting was tedious.

Yes, MG, you want to keep the amount of sapwood to a tiny, tiny fraction of the overall mix.
In short, starting with a mostly-bark bag of bark/mulch is really the best way to start.
If a brand has too much sapwood, don't use it.

Josh

Frickin' Lowes! I just happened through the garden center tonight and sure enough, they had small nuggets! At the END of summer! I looked for them all season and the only place I found them was at a local nursery chain for 10 bucks a bag.

Time to go stock up!

Kevin

Complete the story. I bet the mini-nugs were less than $3 a bag. Say what?

Nah. $4.50 or so. Still enough of a savings to jump on it. Too bad the stuff I got earlier in the year(GreenAll Micro Bark) wasn't less expensive -- it was perfect stuff. Maybe a couple handfuls of waste for the entire bag.

Kevin

Nope those mini nuggets from lowes are 4 bucks a 2 cuft bag. I get about 5 gal of pine fines in the 1/8-3/8" range per bag. I noticed some have a good amount of sap wood, but not much at all. I will tell ya' one thing, my cacti have never grown so fast before I used the 5-1-1 with them.

Haha we posted at the same time!!!

TMG1:

What's the brand name/label on the stuff you got? I just opened a bag of the stuff I got (Garden Time Ponderosa Pine) and it's way too big.

Kevin

The bags are cheeep here. It must be because I live in the land of pine weeds. When we first moved here (Atlanta), Barb looked at the slope of a relatively fresh road cut and said, "Oh look. They've planted baby pine trees!" I replied, "Nope, the damn things are weeds around here. They planted themselves." And they did, too.

Of the mini-nugs I get about half a bag of fines per bag screened (1/2") and no sapwood that I can see. YMMV

I'm still trying to find perlite at a half-decent price, though.

Well, I just may have lucked out. After opening that bag, I got pissed and finally started calling around to some local landscape dealers and such.

I found a place that has the 1/2" fines for $69/yd. That comes out to about $5/bag. If there's very little waste, I can live with that. They'll even sell me a half yd. for $35.

My research paid off even more when I found a place that will sell me potting mix(for my oak barrels) at $20/yd. and another place had 5 c.f. bags of perlite for $16.

:)

Kevin

"Pine bark mine nuggets". White bag with black and blue lettering.

2 cuft. I get about half or less pine fines, The rest I use as mulch. I have also let them sit a while and age, and made a media with the larger bark (1/2-1" range). Works well in large containers.

woohooman,

"5 c.f. bags of perlite for $16."

Wow!!!

And potting mix at $20/yard!

Great find!

I need to keep looking around for deals like that.