Faster Prep for Gritty Mix?

briana_2006

9 years ago

Hello All -

I am curious about an idea for a faster preparation time for gritty mix or gritty mix variants

I am making a variant: 2 parts gran i grit to 1 part turface. Usually when making this mix or the true 1-1-1 gritty mix I measure out each component separately and do the sifting then combine.

Since it is winter and going outside to sift is not as much of an option due to temperature outside I wonder if I can combine the ingredients first - i.e. in my variant case the 2:1 granite:turface and put them into the pot and rinse the dust out under a sprayer in the sink in my garage?

Even when sifting the components separately and combining and doing a final watering after placing a plant I notice dust still washes out for a few seconds when watering using the sprayer.

So, either I am not removing all the dust by individual sifting or more dust is created by natural abrasion when I try to carefully combine and transfer the ingredients to the pot (I try to transfer very carefully so as not to create more dust from the particles sliding past one another during transfer).

Would doing it my "quicker way" compromise the benefits of the mix? It will definitely make preparation much faster which would be great as I have multiple pots to prepare for plants and for rooting cuttings.

Thanks!

Brian

Featured Answer

rina_Ontario,Canada 5a

9 years ago

I do same as Kevin; use kitchen sieve too and do not measure when mixing anymore. In summer, I use a large sieve that I made (approx. 1.5x2'), and usually just hose perlite and grit on it - it gets all the small particles & dust out. I do it on the grass, and all the washed out 'stuff' just disappears...amendments for the grass, lol.

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Comments (6)

ewwmayo
9 years ago
Skipping the bark really isn't a compromise for making gritty mix, it's just a different variation. I figure you got that already. =)

You can sift before or after, personally I don't see much difference. Often if I'm reusing gritty mix, I sift the already-mixed used components again to get of any dust or fine organic bits.

If you don't get all the dust out in the first watering, it'll eventually go away. A little dust is a non-issue. Only if you have a LOT does it start caking up and causing problems.
tropicofcancer (6b SW-PA)
9 years ago
If you want fairly accurate proportions then it is better to sift first. In my case, grit hardly changes in volume after sifting but it has some dust. Turface varies quite a bit. Sometimes a good 20% or more will be screened out especially when you are using stuff from the bottom of the bag. Bark can be all over the place in terms of usable portions - but then you are not using that.

Sifting is much more efficient and easier when the components are dry. Turface dust can become airborne but if you do it carefully in smaller amounts it should not be a problem. Perlite on the other hand can throw a cloud of dust.
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ewwmayo
9 years ago
Ah, you're so right about the bottom of the Turface bag. Forgot about that.

Personally, I sift up 15 gallon pails at a time during the fall in case I need some for winter repotting. One pail for grit and another for Turface.

My pumice comes already pretty clean with minimal dust. My perlite is sifted in the summer into a small tub with a flap lid.

I also keep a 15 gallon pail of pre-mixed gritty. However, I still tweak the mix further for each plant in a tub outside in the winter so I don't make my loft so dusty. Even in -15C it's manageable because it is very fast to add in a little more grit, Turface, or pumice.
briana_2006
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks everyone. I find both the grit and turface to be dusty but it appears the grit dust is finer. If I put essentially 2 "solo plastic cups" of grit into my sieve sifter (~ 12 inch diameter) and place a plastic bowl over the top of it while I shake it I find I have to keep the bowl in place for a while otherwise if I remove it then I get a cloud of fine dust. I can try even smaller amounts but there isn't all that much in the solo cups. It just seems if I decrease it further it will take a very long time to complete the task (and it already takes a while), Perhaps I just have to live with rinsing out the pots this winter with the sprayer on the sink until spring and then perhaps use a leaf blower to blow the dust out of material in a strainer if it seems the "rinsed out mix" is not working well enough. As ewwmayo says small amounts of dust should rinse out over time.

Ewwmayo - do you use a sifter of the type shown on the forums previously by Al T. and then transfer the material to the 15 gallon pail?

Thanks again everyone!

Brian
ewwmayo
9 years ago
Brian - I use a kitchen sieve that is rectangular and has extra support on the bottom for the mesh. It is around the size of 11x17".

When I sieve I use a respirator.

For getting rid of dust on grit, the easiest for me is to spray it down in the original nylon sack with the garden hose.