Hi Macca
Don't give up on finding Turface in NZ.
It was eventually found here in Australia - it is used on golf courses. Talk to some golf courses or companies that provide them with landscape materials.

Regarding your proposed pumice/perlite/bark mix - I think it will hold too much water. Replace the perlite with grit if you can get it or the scoria you have on hand.

Ok thanks Alan.

I've tried some of those channels but will keep looking.

That's interesting about replacing perlite with scoria becuase I thought that turface would hold more than perlite so if anything the pumice/perlite/bark mix would hold less than the traditional gritty. Shows I'm still learning!

Cheers

Macca

I live in Southern California, mild most of the time, windy here on the coast. I figure everyone adjust according to what works for them, trial and error. I grow citrus, herbs, plumeria, fuchsia, natives, ferns, really anything I buy that's goes into a container, I put in equal parts bark, turface and pumice. I water twice a week unless we are having hot dry winds, or more often for first year plantings. My house plants are bark, turface, perlite, but as I re pot I'm going to change to pumice. This works for me and my situation.

Hey Jerry. Thanks for your comments.

I guess my key question is, in the absence of turface should I stick with 1-1-1 relationship?

The way I understand what I've read the following applies to the gritty mix and my ingredients.

- you need 1/3 bark (max organic material)

- turface holds more water than perlite or pumice

- perlite or pumice holds more water than granite

So on this logic (if its correct) then maybe the 1-1-1 with my ingredients (copying Greenmans moro mix) is the most similar to the true gritty in the absence of Turface due to perlite and pumice in combination having similar water retention to turface and granite combined?

Or have I got this wrong and due to not having turface then the perlite/pumice relationship should be different from 1/1.

Very interested to hear comments from those with much more knowledge on the above.

Cheers

Macca

Whatever your final mix is, aim for it to be 60-75% air when dry and equal parts air, water, and solids when saturated and drained off. It's not the specific ingredients in the gritty mix that make it work, it's what those ingredients do for air and moisture retention.

Hello!

Macca, I think my Moro mix has a larger fraction of screened bark - 4 or 5 parts bark, I'd guess. Sorry for the confusion. Probably about 2 parts of Scoria (which holds less moisture than Turface or Pumice). And at least 1 part coarse Perlite. Let me run out back and snap a quick pic....

Josh

I'm back....
here's a pic of my gritty 5-1-1 - screened bark, no fine bark dust. At first, this made for a very fast-draining mix - but now that it has aged, the mix holds moisture better. During the Winter, indoors, I water about once a week - during the Summer, outdoors, I water twice a week.

Hey Josh.

Thanks. The picture is very helpful.

I didn't realize your mix was a gritty 5-1-1 as opposed to a different ingredients 1-1-1.

I've got some trees in the traditional 5-1-1 and was hoping to try something as close as possible to the true gritty without the the turface which is unavailable here.

I understand from one of Al's posts that to have a true gritty you need max 1/3 bark or there is too much organic material and therefore not as long term or durable.

I'm gonna try a mix of

1/3 bark
1/3 perlite
1/3 pumice

plus gypsum

And see how that goes.

Whilst it might not be as good as the true gritty I'm sure it will be considerably better than an off the shelf mix and more durable than the 5-1-1.

Im putting a variegated calamondin in the mix.

I'll let you all know how it goes.

Cheers

Macca

4mm clay balls. That's a little bigger than 1/8". That actually sounds pretty close to turface. I think those would work really well. I've never seen them that small. The ones I see are usually more like 15mm which is too big for this purpose.