Hi Linchat,

I've been using Al's Gritty Mix(1-1-1) with excellent results! I have Mango, Kumquat, Meyer Lemon and all my Succulents, Hoyas and other container plants are on this mix.
Good luck!

Ugh! Just been talking to Al about this in the Container Garden Forum in the attached topic. I am a little nervous about the Gritty Mix because I have never used it, and I just bought 3 new plants. I am afraid to kill them, and a new soil, especially something like the Gritty mix, which I am totally unaccustomed to, makes me nervous.

One of the plants Pomegranate and the Star Apple / Fruit, both plants and there varieties are good for containers. Al even said I should go with the Gritty Mix. Decisions, Decisions.

Here is a link that might be useful: Soil Sub Tropics (container garden forum)

I won't talk you into the gritty mix...its ultimately your own decision,lol. I do have to water mine a little more than usual, but it was partly my fault. At the time (3 yrs this Nov.) I couldn't find Pine bark fines. All I could find was the Pine Bark Nuggets, so I had to remove all the large pieces and used the smallest pieces I could find in the bag. They were still larger than what was recommended, so the results were it drained too FAST. Which resulted in getting dry too fast.

The tree is fruiting right now, but as soon as the fruits are picked, I will re-pot it using the right size Pine Bark Fines...should help the watering issue, so I won't have to water as often. Good luck with whatever decision you make!

Here is my Mango tree in the gritty mix...

I was on the hunt today. Found a bag of fines but could not find the rest of the ingrediants for griddy mix.

1 part uncomposted pine or fir bark ( check )
1 part Turface ( cannot find it, but NAPA I guess has alt )
1 part crushed granite ( cannot find it )
1 Tbsp gypsum per gallon of soil ( not sure where to look )

The last two, been to two nurseries and the did not have crushed granite. Not even sure where to get gypsum.

I am going to give it a try when I need to repot everything after summer. Going on vacation so I will drop the new plants into 511 mix for now and work on gritty for fall if I can find the ingredients.

Repost from above needed to add some comments
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I was on the hunt today. Found a bag of fines but could not find the rest of the ingrediants for griddy mix.

1 part uncomposted pine or fir bark ( check )
1 part Turface ( cannot find it, but NAPA I guess has alt )
1 part crushed granite ( cannot find it )
1 Tbsp gypsum per gallon of soil ( not sure where to look )

The last two, been to two nurseries and the did not have crushed granite. Not even sure where to get gypsum.

I am going to give it a try when I need to repot everything after summer. Going on vacation so I will drop the new plants into 511 mix for now and work on gritty for fall if I can find the ingredients.

Your mangoes look nice, what is the variety you are growing?

Are you using a soker system or over head sprinklers?

Out of dumb curiosity, well water or city water?

Thanks & Cheers

If you can't find the granite you can use perilite in it's place. The turface is available at the John deer store sold under the name allsport. I think it was around $10 for a 40 lb bag last time I bought it.

I use Al's mix with a couple of modifications.

I sub CHC for pine bark with great results on many things. It lasts longer than pine bark.

For a little faster draining mix, I use Al's usual 4-1-1 along with 2 parts of turkey grit. This is basically crushed stone, granite, I think. The particle size is about the same as perlite and bark, but it does not hold quite as much moisture as perlite. Also, and perhaps most important, it is HEAVY. So my pots don't blow over as easily.

I'm not familiar with the gritty mix, I need to go back to the container forum and read up.

What is CHC?

Just to be sure could you outline your 411?
4 Parts Pine
1 part Perlite
1 Part Peat Moss
2 Parts Turkey Grit

do you mix all your gritty mix with regular potting soil? what's brand of potting soil? and how much should I mix with gritty mix? Thanks

Hi linchat,

What's exactly formular for gritty mix, especially for mango potting tree? Please help. Thanks

To Linchat: yes that's the recipe. It has been some time since I looked at Tapla's original recipe, but I thought it was 4 parts bark, 1 peat, 1 perlite. To that I add 2 parts grit for my fast draining version.

CHC is coconut husk chips. I use a mix of 1/4 and 1/2 inch chips. Supposedly they break down more slowly and they hold more water, yet they drain very well. I have figs in pots in CHC mix now for 3 years with still no water table in the pots. They are supposed to have a good CEC as well.

Stressbaby,

Not sure if first sentence was grammaer error or not, isn't that the recipe I posted ( of your mix )? 4 bark, 1 peat, 1 perlite, 2 grit. Right? :)

CEC? Fig tree is another I need replanted so good to know what is working on those.

Deewillis,

The mixes we either refer to or refer to as a foundation for other mixes come from a user on the forum named Tapla (Al).

Here is a link to the topic in container garden forum ( started for the 8th time because it always gets the max of 150 posts). The first posting is a long detailed description of how and why the soil has been created and why it works.

At the end of the post is three different recipes for soil. This is the gritty mix, but I would recommend that you read the article. Also, allot of questions are asked and answered. Good read.

1 part uncomposted pine or fir bark
1 part Turface
1 part crushed granite
1 Tbsp gypsum per gallon of soil
CRF (if desired)
Source of micro-nutrients or use a fertilizer that contains all essentials
I use 1/8 -1/4 tsp Epsom salts per gallon of fertilizer solution when I fertilize (check your fertilizer - if it is soluble, it is probable it does not contain Ca or Mg.

Do you guys move your potted mango trees indoor during the cold season? I'm just wondering if I should plant mine on the ground (have 1 already inground), but planning on buying some more.

Thanks,

Cold season, I am 10b... I do not know what that is! Depends on the reason. I container allot of my plants for a variety of reasons, move them around the deck, but the biggest is I am moving in a few years and I plan on taking them with me!

But if I lived somewhere that gets below freezing, container mango might be a good idea.

Newgen, I have one Mango planted in a Container and I do take that one inside when the temps dips below 32ð...I live in Central FL zone 9. I have 8 young Mango trees (2 yrs old) planted in the ground. I have to cover these and add Xmas lights for added warmth during the "freeze" threats. Its a pain, but I have to do it, if I want it to survive.