Pre-mixed gritty.

11 years ago

last modified: 11 years ago

For a while now I've been looking around at different combinations of gritty mix to see which ingredients are easily available and also the most economical to purchase. I've noticed that if you're not able to locate some of the ingredients a nearby stores then it costs a decent amount to have them shipped, especially the cherry stone / whatever you use as the grit ingredient.

My next research had me looking for pre-mixed soils, but even with the popularity of gritty, they are hard to find. I'm curious if anyone has used http://www.bonsaijack.com or if anyone could take a look and offer feedback. I know this question of pre-mixed gritty comes up a lot and I'd like to have a decent answer for when others ask... and so I know where to get it as well.

Here's what I've gathered from the site so far. Prices seem to be pretty good considering all the work is done for you and there appears to be free shipping. He apparently has a few different mixes including a succulent mix (I'm currently eyeing the bonsai 221 mix myself because of my humidity and rainfall). He also seems to carry the ingredients if you prefer to mix your own, or use his "make your own" feature.

Anyways this turned out to be a longer post that I expected but would really appreciate feedback for future reference. Thank you :)

Featured Answer

bernardyjh

11 years ago

Couple of pointers I would love to add after one season of growing with GM (unmodified and straight from the vendor, but sifted) from repotme. I have a few observations:

1) Not all plants and succulents adapt well to the standard 1-1-1 gritty mix, even if you get the "perfect" size and components.

2) Turface is the most water retentive component in terms of water/moisture absorption and retention. Meaning to say, it soaks really quickly and dries the slowest, as they have small microscopic pores holding moisture even when it looks dry.

3) Sometimes smaller sized turface benefit certain plants more than bigger sized turface. My jade plant is perpetually "wrinkly" and dry looking, despite trying to establish it by watering more frequently. After repotting it with more smaller sized turface, it seems to be doing better with fuller looking leaves. Plants vary from individual to species. I know for a fact that some Crassulas and Echeverias have very fine root hairs, and if they fail to establish onto the coarse mix, they will take a really long time to establish roots.

4) Adding additional components always helps! Especially so for perlite, as it keeps more airflow in the soil.

HKguy -- If you plant to use the GM for your Photos, you need to read more about the 5-1-1 mix, which is 5 parts bark, 1 part turface and 1 part gravel/grit. 1-1-1 is only created for plants that needs roots to be dried really quickly - aka cacti and succulents.

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Comments (13)

hellkitchenguy Manuel
11 years ago
RepotMe also has a pre mixed gritty mix. I bought it two weeks ago, but haven't got time to do the final Sifting. You might want to check them out
Nicholas C. thanked hellkitchenguy Manuel
Nicholas C.
Original Author
11 years ago
Thank you, I'll look into that as well
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hellkitchenguy Manuel
11 years ago
Thank you, also, for making me aware of that bonsai site. I'm looking at their mixes right now
and_now_its_en2
11 years ago
I got gritty mix from repotme over the summer. The turface chips were much smaller than the granite and bark, so it's way more water retentive than I anticipated. But they emailed me and said they got a new turface dealer or something with chunkier pieces...

Hellkitchenguy could you upload a photo with a size reference so I can see the new turface? Thanks!
Nicholas C. thanked and_now_its_en2
Nicholas C.
Original Author
11 years ago
Does repotme have a particle size listed or is everything just fine / chunky? I think bonsaijack lists theirs as 1/8" - 1/4" supposedly they sift and wash before they mix. I thought someone had purchased bonsai's and would love to see a side by side comparison photo if anyone has one. Or if we could maybe have someone with the "new" repot me post a photo of theirs with a coin for reference?
hellkitchenguy Manuel
11 years ago
I will definitely post a picture, later this afternoon
breathnez
11 years ago
I have ordered and used components from bonsai jack. The pine bark is advertised to be 1/4", and I found to it be very uniform in size. I also ordered the pumice, same size and advertised to be rinsed. Again, very uniform in size and it looks to have been well rinsed. Those two together are my mix in equal measures. I'm happy with BJ. If I had a large collection it might end up being cost-prohibitive.

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Nicholas C. thanked breathnez
hellkitchenguy Manuel
11 years ago
Nicholas C. thanked hellkitchenguy Manuel
hellkitchenguy Manuel
11 years ago
Nicholas C. thanked hellkitchenguy Manuel
hellkitchenguy Manuel
11 years ago
Those are the pictures of the gritty mix I bought from RepotMe.
and_now_its_en2
11 years ago
Hm that looks pretty much the same as mine. What do you think of that turface size?
hellkitchenguy Manuel
11 years ago
To be honest, I've been so busy that I put it away, and haven't really looked at it.

You seem to think that it's more water retentive. I'm wondering if it would be good for my pothos. I know pothos shouldn't be over watered, but it doesn't need to dry out as much as cacti and succulents. I'd appreciate opinions on that