Another gritty mix question.

11 years ago

Hi everyone.

Quite new here so I apologise if these questions have been answered somewhere else.

Basically I am growing some Arabicum seedlings and I want to transplant them into a gritty mix when they are ready.

As I own some chickens I have a bag of chicken grit already. It basically consists of 99% granite grit and 1% broken seashells. Would the seashells harm the plant or maybe give it a calcium boost.

Also as I am in UK I was wondering if any American growers can help me. I want to know what turface is, I know it get sprinkled on sports fields that are underwater. But is it a rock or a fired clay or something.

Regards

Gareth (England).

Featured Answer

User

11 years ago

Remember that adenium seedlings are less like their adult counterparts and more like coleus when very young. Seedlings less than a year old will suffer transplant shock if you move them into gritty mix. When they are this young, they need so much water that in a free-draining mix, you will need to water them almost everyday especially during high summer. Nothing else on my plant bench needs that much water so I couldn't even use the water runoff for other pants, thus adding waste into the equation.

I have tried the 5:1:1 mix to see if this will be better but I really don't have the patience to keep up with the amount of water such young seedlings need so I ultimately moved mine back to 50 percent soil and 50 percent perlite. They gain girth faster this way as well.

Adult plants, on the other hand, are dramatically easier to care for in gritty mix and 5:1:1. As are most succulents, potted trees and fake plants.

Pagan

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Comments (10)

addicted2plants Southern IL USA
11 years ago
Hi Gareth, no apologies needed. Questions are always welcomed. I am only recently experimenting with gritty mix. I have read on this Adenium board that younger seedlings may not respond well so it is a good thing that you are waiting until they are of adequate size. Please chime in here Pagan!

The chicken feed will work. I have not read anything about seashells but I can't imagine it hurting anything.

The Turface is actually 100% Diatomaceous Earth which can be purchased in multiple forms besides Turface, such as Cat Litter, Motor Oil Absorber (NAPA Floor Dry). You can purchase it at your local auto parts store, just make sure you are able to identify the ingredients as Diatomaceous Earth. And of course it needs to be sifted to keep consistent granule sizes in your mix and remove the dust particles.

Today I actually put together my first several batches and it is quite a bit of work! Best of luck.

Tracy
Gareth Judge thanked addicted2plants Southern IL USA
Gareth Judge
Original Author
11 years ago
Hi Tracy

Thankyou for your reply I don't think we can buy turface in the UK. But we have cat litters here that are made of diatomaceous earth. I think they come from Denmark.

So the turface can be substituted for a cat litter.

Turface gets mentioned a lot in YouTube bonsai videos also is turface a brand name.

Regards Gareth
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addicted2plants Southern IL USA
11 years ago
Yes you are correct, Turface is a brand name that gets used interchangeably quite often. I also mentioned the NAPA, which is also a brand name. My bag came from a store named O'Reilly's Auto Parts. It was referred to as Oil Absorber.

If you have access to the cat litter then perhaps that is your best option. I am sampling different combinations at the moment to see what works best for me.

Cheers, Tracy
Gareth Judge thanked addicted2plants Southern IL USA
rcharles_gw (Canada)
11 years ago
Turface is MVP Calcined Clay. It does work quite well, although you definitely want to screen and get out the small particles.

An acquaintance has introduced me to Diatomite (Floor Dry - Lordco or NAPA). This is a form of Diatomaceous Earth (Fossilized diatoms)

Trying Diatomite as it is lighter in weight than Turface.

I use Chicken Grit (sometimes sold as Cherry Stone or Granite Grit)

Turface or now Diatomite and Coconut Husk Chunks or Bark.
Gareth Judge thanked rcharles_gw (Canada)
addicted2plants Southern IL USA
11 years ago
Thanks for the correction Rick.

Pagan you mentioned the 5:1:1 ratio, which ingredient is represented by the 5?

Tracy
User
11 years ago
The bark part, Tracy. I use it on plants like philodendron, dorstenia, plumeria, adult adeniums (i.e. over 3 years old), O. decaryii, Ficus microcarpa and sedum as well as jade. I do have one adult adenium in 1:1:1 gritty mix.
Pagan
addicted2plants Southern IL USA
11 years ago
Thanks Pagan I have one follow up question. My hands are sliced and diced after mixing up batches of gritty mix. Has anyone had problems with the sharpness of the grit damaging the roots of their transplanted plants?
Tracy
User
11 years ago
Yikes. Don't do it with your bare hands next time! I use one of those fork things to mix them together.

We likely nick a root or two when transplanting so the normal practice is to put them in the shade and leave them alone overnight so they scar over a bit. Then water them the following day.

Pagan
addicted2plants Southern IL USA
11 years ago
Gareth, thanks for starting this topic, the thread has been quite useful.

Pagan - yes the gritty mix / hand grinder lesson is one that only has to be learnt a single time! In retrospect it is obvious but I was so focused on the sifting and the dusty mess that I was making that I forgot to use common sense.

Thanks for the advice about aftercare. I only subjected one of my Adenium seedlings to the new mix. I am leaving the experimenting for some of my less coveted succulents.

Tracy