Sorry about the misspelling..lol. Trying to type while chasing a 3 yr old...

Fievel,

For the trees I grow in containers, mostly species versions of red or sugar maples and various conifers, I use a soil mix of 3 parts pine bark to 1 part perlite, along with lime and a controlled-release fertilizer. This works very well for me in my location (upper Midwest, z5b-6a) and typically I only need to water once every 3 or 4 days during summer.

If your plants need more moisture you could try this basic 3:1 mix and add just a bit more pine bark or peat. As an alternative, you could try using 3 parts pine bark to 1 part screened diatomaceous earth (DE). This would hold more moisture in the root zone than the bark/perlite mix.

Just a couple of ideas for you to consider.

TYG

Ok thanks for the advice, I wonder if I added the chicken grit I already have to that or the 5-1-1 if that would help the roots and help with over watering as well.

You'll be surprised at how much water the gritty mix holds. I use it without to much difficulty in Los Angeles and I can guarantee it's hotter and less humid here than KY.

If you're amending the 5:1:1 use the less expensive or Perlite and grit on a per volume basis. You'll never get all the gritty mix CAN offer if you include fine particles in the mix, so if you're not going to screen it for size, I'd just skip it and use some variation of the 5:1:1 mix.

Al