Oh, and if I should use 100% rainwater, from my readings it has a PH of 5.6. Wouldn't that be acidic enough to use in a neutral growing media?

There is a long thread on this topic in the house plants forum. See the link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: 100 percent turface?

Ya know, I've read that thread a few times before, but in all of that, I don't seem to find any clear answer. I see a whole lot of scientific talk, but no definitive answer. I know that if you use all turface, calcined clay, that it hold a LOT of moisture, which isn't always beneficial to house plants or potted trees, but I am wondering about how it would work with veggies. In my experience, plants that grows very fast, like veggies, annuals, and bulbs, use a lot more water then house plants or tropicals, which grow slower. That equates to the need for more moisture, so I was thinking that maybe using all turface would work a bit better on these types of plants. I suppose I could always do an experiment and just give it a shot.

Joe

I've grown veggies in 50:50 bark:turface in SWCs with decent results. Growing some now in 50:50 in regular tubs.

I've reused the same turface now for several years. I just dump the old mix in a wheelbarrow and overfill it with water. The bark floats up and out (you can mix it to speed this up), leaving just the turface at the bottom.

You are a genius! It never dawned on my to seperate the bark that way. My concern with the gritty mix is that I don't wanna waste the turface and grit, just because the bark is worn out. Excellent! Now I know I can reuse my gritty mix ingredients.

Joe