I am sure Al will be along before too long, he has used CHCs and not been too impressed as I recall, however in general plants seem to grow poorly in them according to studies. Even peat moss seems to produce healthier plants.

Dunno if it is because they need to be fertilized differently or what, but I have looked at CHCs casually and pretty much written them off.

Glad I read this before I placed my order. Do you know of an online company that sells Pine bark fines. I can't seem to find them locally.

I am planting mango trees, and will be keeping them in the same container for a long time. Would the 1/3 bark fines, 1/3 turface, and 1/3 crushed granite be the best choice? Is the below pic the same as pine bark fines? I found this labeled as pine mulch and was wondering if it would work? It looks to be a good size, but I am not sure if it is thick enough (if the thickness even matters.)Any tips on places to look for the crushed granite or an acceptable substitute? I can't seem to find it anywhere.
{{gwi:36264}}

Al, would the pine bark in the above pic be ok to use? I am not quite clear on what is considered a "fine"?

In your 1/3,1/3,1/3 mix what is the purpose of the crushed granite?

I think I have everything I need now. I think I am just going to order a bale of uncomposted fir bark online. I want this mix to pretty much last indefinitely so I assume the uncomposted fir bark will be better than what is pictured above?
I'm in a horse country in Ocala fl so the grani-grit was an easy find once I found out it could be bought at a feed store.

The bark in the mix looks quite coarse for the 5:1:1 mix where it would be the primary component. It's closer to suitable in the gritty (equal parts) mix where it would be a component, secondary to other parts of roughly equal size, but still much larger than I would use myself. It also has a large portion of its volume in sapwood (>20%, by the look of it). The ideal bark for the 5:1:1 mix would be in size dust to 3/8, with the bulk of the particles in the 1/16-3/16 size range. For the gritty (equal parts) mix, the ideal bark would have little dust & the bulk of the particles should be in the 1/8 - 5/16 size range. I know that's being pretty picky, but as long as we're talking 'ideal' here .....

In the equal parts mix, the granite and Turface are used to control the water holding ability of the soil. Increase Turface & decrease granite = a more water-retentive soil. Decreasing Turface and increasing granite = a less water-retentive soil.

Al

Al, would the pine bark in the above pic be ok to use? I am not quite clear on what is considered a "fine"?

Hard to say without a size reference in the pic. Think half the size of a dime or smaller for most purposes. The purpose of granite in a mix is drainage. Granite doesn't hold any water. Bark holds quite a bit, more as it starts to decompose. Turface also holds a lot of water. I will probably have to repot my new citrus trees that are in 1 part bark fines, 1 part Turface as the mix continues to hold water too long even though summer temps have arrived.

Yea, I kind of figured that would not work. I'll just break down and order a bale of fine fir bark from an orchid supply company. When switching trees from the nursery pot to your 1/3,1/3,1/3 mix do you remove all of the nursery soil from the roots?

You need to consider timing when you do a repot (as opposed to potting up). You can't just bare-root a plant in full leaf & expect it to react favorably. That treatment, for instance, would kill a high % of woody deciduous material. You don't mention where you live (important info), but it may be prudent to simply pot-up now and nurse your mangos through until late winter & repot then, before the main push in spring.

Al

I am in FL so I may be better off waiting until winter. I think when the mango's arrive I will just pot them up with the mix I have been using (Jungle growth potting mix, the pine bark pictured above and perilite) and go with your mix in the winter. My other mango's and lychee's have been growing very well in the above mix. I am just looking for something a little more stable.