Vladimir, is your bark composted, containing a lot of fine dust? If so, you could certainly sift it, or sift a portion of it. Instead of omitting the peat portion, you could always just add 2 parts Perlite. The peat aids in "binding" the mix, which makes for more even wetting and drying in the long run.

Josh

Hi Josh. It is not composted and does not have a lot of fine dust. I tried just sifting it out through insect screen but that did not do the trick. I will sift it out and add 2 parts Perlite, as you suggest.

Hey.

How large are your containers? If they are quite large, that will factor in significantly.

8 - 10 days really isn't that bad this time of year, when temp's have cooled quite a bit.

Josh

I agree. That's not that bad.

I'm going about 7 days between waterings with my ficus. It's in an 18" terra cotta with the 5:1:1.

When I used MG in years past, i was going well over 2 weeks between waterings in a smaller pot that even had wicks.

Well, that makes me feel better. Most pots are 16 to 18 inches, a few are 22 inches.