I'm curious about this too. All I can find it the repti bark and the pieces are too big. I just don't have the time to sit around and break it up. I've wondered about just using extra turface.

I have the some concerns over Repti Bark. I have a huge grocery bag full of pieces that are too large and nothing to break them up with. Considering buying a blender from a thrift store to see if that will help! I think it would be more worth the money if I didn't have to toss half of it.

Sorry I can't be of more help, Joe. We all feel your frustrations!

-Erica

I grow some plants in just grit and Turface, sometimes I throw a bit of lean garden soil in for a bit of nutrition. The jades I potted this way showed a huge improvement last summer . The only downfall is this mix is heavy! Which is good for windy outdoor conditions, but not so good for small indoor windowsill shelves....

I am giving Al's gritty mix a second chance thus summer, my bark was too big last time. Sifted a bunch of bark last weekend, but it is a pain..

You don't need bark at all. I stopped using it in my mix because it's hard to find in my area, and it tends to make my soil hydrophobic. I use a mix of 3 parts Turface/Floor Dry to 2 parts granite.

Some of my plants have been growing in this mix for 4 years without repotting, though I do try to repot them every few years.

-Chris

I also skip the bark, mainly because it makes the mix 100% reusable, looks better, and as mentioned above, gets rid of the hydrophobic tendencies of pine bark. I like the gritty mix far better this way. I also began adding red lava pebbles to my mix. While that doesn't really benefit the mix at all, it sure does look good.

Joe

Joe, yes, many mixes are gritty and barkless, mine for instance - poultry grit, Turface and sifted top soil / garden soil in roughly a 40/40/20 ratio. If you want to, you can also likely use sifted potting mix (I've also done this, but I prefer top soil that goes through two sifters so that it's finer).

Adding topsoil, or any other fine material, to a gritty mix may work for some, but it should really be thought of as amending a traditional soil with grit in order to reduce water retention. A gritty mix, as discussed on these forums, contains no fine material whatsoever because it is designed to eliminate perched water by maintaining sufficient pore space between particles. If this is your goal, then you'll want to stick with gritty ingredients only (~1/8" or larger).

-Chris

I use a blender to break mine up. (I too can only find repti bark) though it can be a pain, I didnt mind putting the extra work in for my plants. I still have a huge tub full ready to go if i need it. But......I am DEFINATLEY willing to try and leave it out when I do run out! Lol

I have to agree with Chris 100%; adding any kind of soil or potting mix to your gritty mix isn't "gritty mix with soil in it", but rather "soil with grit in it". As noted, the point of gritty mix is to create excellent drainage by eliminating finer particles. Soils and potting mixes break down into fine particles which will clog up the mix, creating drainage problems. Bark will eventually do the same, but over a much longer period. One of my favorite reasons for not using bark, but just turface and grit, is that repotting is an absolute breeze. Just work the rootball out, shake the gritty mix away, root prune as needed, and repot it. A better reason though is that the risk of rot is all but gone.

Joe