5.1.1...?

I thought

I thought maybe I'd try that. Do you have to repot yearly with 511? I was thinking I had read that somewhere.

I repot every two years in the 5:1:1 If the plants don’t outgrow the pots before then.

Most I repot yearly just due to growth.

Going to repot my 7’ Ficus Benjamina in June. It’s been in the same 5:1:1 mix for two years and I’m curious to see how it looks deep in the 18” pot.

Every 2-3 years is about right for 5-1-1. I've been toying with the idea of making a lighter GM with pumice or lava instead of granite. AFAIK, as long as the particle size is equal and Ph is neutral, It should not matter what the "grit" is composed of.

I'd say once every 3 to 4 depending on the size of the pot and how fast the roots have filled it. The mix itself usually holds it's structure if no repot is due to what I said above.

Which do you think would be better for a fiddle leaf, dragon tree and elephants foot palm, the gritty or 511?

The gritty for even longer term durability and the 5.1.1 if you like a lighter soil but do not mind re potting earlier in time.

I suppose since these plants are in large pots lighter would be better so maybe I'll try the 511. I sure wish you could just buy the stuff pre-made somewhere, it would be so much easier. Where do you get the screens at to screen the stuff and what size screens do I need? Hope you don't mind all of the stupid questions I have.

I go to mine online. Just google soll seaves or screens and you will come up with lots of suppliers )

Screening shouldn't be necessary when making the 511 as long as you have a suitably sized pine bark available.

What size should the materials in the 511 mix be?

The pine bark should be "dust to 3/8 inch" pieces.

Thank you all for the advice!

Debbie, if you are an avid grower, it's always good to have them on hand just in case..Actually I know some that use bug screens, hard cloth and even spaghetti strainers! That is if you want less smaller particles faster draining mixes or should decide to use the gritty one)

I don't know what I want! lol I just want my plants to do their best. So many choices.......What's the difference between 311 and 511? Isn't it the same ingredients? All this soil stuff is confusing. Too many choices and I want the best but not sure what that is with all of the options. I repotted a bunch of succulents in a gritty mix from Bonsai Jack last fall. They seem to be doing ok this winter and I'm anxious to see how they do over the summer in the mix.

5-1-1 is 71% PBF, 14% peat, 14% pearlite (each part is 1/7th of the mix, or 14.285%)

3-1-1 is 60% PBF, 20% peat, 20% pearlite (each part is 1/5th of the mix, or 20%)

Same ingredients, different ratios. Either would work, but I'd probably go 5-1-1 myself.

You don't have to repot as often if they are indoors. The freeze/thaw cycles are the top factor in how fast a soil will break down, no F/T cycles means less repotting. I do 2-3 years outdoors, 5 or 6 indoors unless it needs root trimmed and repotted, which they usually do.

Thank you! So If I use the PBF bag labeled as soil conditioner I wouldn't have to screen anything because it would be the appropriate size to use in the 511 mix?

oops sorry mblan13 I read this reply before the other one where I see you said the soil conditioner does not get screened. Thanks so much for the info! Do you also use lime in the mix and CRF? I have been using dyna grow 9 3 6 on my succulents in the Bonsai Jack gritty mix. Should I continue using that in the 511 instead of adding a CRF or would it be better to go ahead and add a CRF? Sorry for all the questions.

I do not add lime to soil conditioner or composted PBF but I do add lime to un-composted. Look at the bag and see if you can see if it is pH adjusted (most soil conditioners are) If it does not say check the bag for an e-mail or phone # for questions.

I don't advise adding CRF until you pot up your plants. If the soil is a bit moist, all the CRF could melt before you plant. That could cause over-fertilization, and subsequently, nitrogen burn on the roots and kill your plants.

No problem on all the queries Debbie, Glad to help.

If you are using Osmocote as your CRF, it can be added at potting time without concern as it is activated by temperatures, not moisture. And even those CRF's that are moisture controlled, adding them to a moist soil mix will not immediately "melt" them....they are coated with varying thicknesses of the protective covering so that they dissolve and release over an extended period. Otherwise, the very first watering would release all the nutes all at once!!

I always include CRF's at the time I mix and pot up and I have never encountered a situation with them that caused burning.

What I was implying was if you added CRF that was to release over 3 months and didn't use the soil for 3 months or more. you potentially could have a problem.

Isn't the Ponytail Palm (Beaucarnea recurvata) a succulent? I've got mine in gritty mix, but I'm not 100% confident that's necessarily best.

I've also got my smaller one in gritty but gonna put the big one in 511 this Spring.

Remember, repotting is best done around the longest days of the year. Think summer solstice. Mid/late June.

Early spring is not yet the very best time.

I will definitely try holding out until June but it's gonna kill me.....I have no patience. I'm ready to get my inside jungle put outside in the sunshine and see what this gritty mix and 511 does for them this summer. I'm really hoping these soil mixes will prove to be worth all of the rave reviews.

mblan: "I do not add lime to soil conditioner or composted PBF but I do add lime to un-composted."

Could you expand on this? I'm a little confused. Are you saying you don't add lime to your 5:1:1 if using composted PBF? Also how do we tell the difference between composted and uncomposted PBF?

Sorry for my ignorance.

Uncomposted is "Pine Bark Mulch" that has no fines and is about 4.5pH. Partially composted PBF, generally sold as Soil Conditioner, has fines in it and is usually adjusted to a more neutral pH of 7. It will usually say on the bag, if it doesn't specify, call or email the company and ask.

The purpose of the dolemite lime is to raise the pH from an acidic 4.5 to a more neutral 7, and add calcium and magnesium.

The soil conditioner I currently use to make 5-1-1 is pH adjusted to 7, and I use a fertilizer that contains calcium and magnesium. Therefore lime is not necessary.

Thanks. I am using the SC shown below. That's all the info on the bag. The back is blank. No idea what the ph is. I've been adding .5 cup of dolomite for every 7-8 gals. of mix.

At any rate. I've never been able to grow plants as well as I have been with 5:1:1. Phenomenal growth.

Just curious though. How would I be able to determine the ph of my SC?

Throw a scoop of soil in a container full of DISTILLED water. Let it soak a few hours, preferably overnight. Test water with a pH pen, litmus paper or aquarium test kit.

Or call-text-email the manufacturer if you can find any contact info on the bag.

These last few comments were very helpful to me - thank you! I have been using straight pine bark (no peat) in my 511 for a while now because the pine bark I have access to is already quite broken down - lots of fine material. I couldn't understand why I was seeing interveinal chlorosis, but I tested my pine bark and found that it is up around a pH of 6. I'll definitely reduce the amount of lime - or eliminate it (as a lower pH - I think 5.6 to 6.2 - is supposed to be better for container growing).