I have been using Repti Bark, available at most pet stores. It's a little chunkier than what many people want, but it has worked fine for me.

Crenda - perfect I can find that at my local Petsmart! Thanks!

Crushed Granite? Is this what I am looking for (at my local Home depot)

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Pavestone-0-5-cu-ft-Decomposed-Granite-54160/100250107

I am not familiar with the HD decomposed granite. Hard to tell in the picture how fine it is. They don't carry it here at my store.

I finally found Manna Pro Poultry Grit - crushed granite with no supplements for the chickens - at Tractor Supply Store. There is very little waste when sifting. Other feed stores may carry it or something similar. Before I found the granite, I sifted perlite to use for the grit.

I use Repti bark as well. I get the fines out and then sieve the larger pieces out so they are the same size as Turface and granite. You can blend the larger pieces in like a food processor to get them smaller.

In refferance to the uncomposted granite, it's to fine for your needs and compacts very easily when wet and remains nearly rock hard for long periods of time Your find of poultry grit is an A okay material to use in part for many.

Sifting....is the purpose to remove what is too fine in the grit or bark (falls through the screen) and what is too large in the bark (can pick out by hand) attempting to get everything about the same size?

I have found the bark at Petsmart - Repibark

Grit - Manna Pro at Tractor Supply

The Turface is a bit of a drive....what am I looking for in Turface? same size as the other ingrediants? Is there anything that is as good?

Also, should I wait until spring to repot my Jades? They are doing fine now in their horrible potting soil but I hate to wait just in case..... opinions?

Yes, Gigi, sifting removes the smaller bits and dust. I also rinse my granite (or perlite) and turface in the wire colander that I use. There is a surprising amount of dust remaining, even after sifting. I often use the reptibark right out of the bag, unless I happen to get a bag with some really large chunks in it. I wear a mask when sifting the turface and perlite. I'm kind of messy in my process, I guess.

Near the end of this thread, Erica has posted a nice picture of her gritty mix.
Thread about unhappy aeoniums

Glad you found all the ingredients!

Sifting: Generaly speaking yes apx the same size and to also provide an even distribution of material

Turface: MVP or All Sport Your call it'll work. My experinace there is lots to be said about a high fired clay absorbant & it's not all bad remind yah. Yes there are longer lasting, more stable & longer lasting (better) materials that you could use but aren't always easier to find.

Sooner is usually better than later if you want to repot your jade plant(s) then go for it .

Oh - it's a trip for me to get turface, too. I often use NAPA Oil absorb, part #8822. It's a good enough substitute. I use the fines sifted out to actually absorb oil spills!

Gigi. I substitute crushed pumice for Turface which is a pain to sift and leaves me with too much fine material I have no use for (i.e. until I got into mesembs). The pumice, I also get from Amazon.

Pagan

I am the party crasher here, I do not use gritty mix and do just fine, thank you.

why do people who don't use gritty get so bitter when other people discuss it.....like this post isn't even about the merits of gritty so, uh, thanks for your contribution? glad your plants are doing good I guess?

If you are referring to me, k8, there is no bitterness, just stating my opinion, for the 1900th time on this forum, which is my right I guess?

yeah, you don't sound bitter at all......

It looks like there are three TSC stores close to Greenville. Look for Mana Pro Poultry Grit.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/manna-proreg%3B-poultry-grit-25-lb

Yeah, you got that right. Voicing an opinion which is different from yours is not bitterness. Get over yourself.

kaktuskris: Like many others who don't use gritty mixes your plants look good to me.

My question is ( and there are a few answers) whats so wrong with a grity mix that it comes acrost as a repotting protest from more than one person ? May I offer more if you list as many cons to repotting in grits as you can think of as there is more than one?

Can you be ready to be assisaed in being right and as well being not so much as wrong but inaccurate?

For reasons I can't fathom, the gritty mix has become a point of contention. If my plants are happy, I'm happy. I would hope other feel the same.

I'd like to try it someday. I don't have anything bad to say about it but I don't think it's required for most plants.

@ major pet stores:

"Repti-Bark", Aquarium Grit, Turface-MVP or NAPA #8822....sift out (?) all the fine particles The TURFACE and Repti-Bark/Pine Bark Fines retains some residual moisture....you supply the nutrients, i.e. macros, micros, and trace elements when watering with well-diluted, ferts.

In all honesty, I use these Gritty-Mix products right out of the bag, without sifting. It drains so quickly that I'm not sure that sifting will have any measurable benefits...and, I'm lazy. Lifting/sifting a 50lb. bag of TURFACE is not #1 on my Hit Parade.

I use it for most of my containerized fig trees, Clivia, and fat-plants. In large containers this stuff is heavy, and heavier when wet....but it works.

Frank