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stickstring

5-1-1, put mix into pot moist? How to pre-moisten?

Hello all, I will be mixing a batch of 5-1-1 tomorrow and had a quick question before I committed. I actually asked this in the citrus forum as well but haven't heard much as of yet, and normally I would wait for a response but being that I have the time tomorrow I was hoping to get this question answered quickly so I don't make a mistake.

Should I soak all ingredients prior to mixing together? Or should I mix all ingredients dry and then lightly mist and mix every few hours for a couple days until all ingredients are well moistened and mixed thoroughly?

The reason I am worried about this is everytime I "add" perlite to a mix or anything else, it ALWAYS seperates and all of the peat or "soil" sinks to the bottom. But I always pot up dry. Then water.

Thank you

Comments (6)

  • calistoga_al ca 15 usda 9
    9 years ago

    I always pot with a thoroughly moistened mix, usually soaked a day ahead to be sure all ingredients are ready to accept water when used. Al

  • the_yard_guy
    9 years ago

    I do the same thing as Al mentioned, soak the mix overnight before use. By doing this I have avoided hydrophobic soil mix problems.

  • stickstring ( Sonoma County, CA 9B)
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thank you to the both of you. Do you guys feel potting up dry could be the cause of the small particles seperating and migrating to the bottom?

    I live in sonoma county, ca. I will be making the 5-1-1, I know Al suggests 1 to 2 parts perlite. This mix will be for citrus. I wonder if I should stick with 1 part perlite or maybe move up to 1.5 parts perlite.... Thoughts? My backyard does not get very much sun, 6 hrs at most, so it's hard for me to get my pots to dry out. That is why I am trying the 5-1-1
    Thanks again,

  • the_yard_guy
    9 years ago

    I'm not a veteran of these groups like many others are, but personally I've not observed very much "soil separation" this year with my 5-1-1 mixes. Everything seems to stay fairly well mixed.

    The pine bark I used this season was already damp or borderline wet when I bought it, simply because the bags of bark were stored outdoors in a parking lot, subjected to rains and such. Because of this I think I was able to avoid the hydrophobic bark issues many others have discussed. When I make my soil mixes I always soak it overnight just to make sure everything is completely saturated. Then I drain the water and allow the mix to sit for about an hour, then start filling the container.

    Some important differences here are that you are in a much warmer area than I am, and you are growing fruit, whereas I grow pine, spruce, fir and maple trees. I'm guessing that my trees here in zone 6A don't need nearly as much water as your citrus trees need out in California.

    In general, the 5-1-1 mix holds quite a bit of water, especially near the bottom of the container. The top might feel dry to your fingers but the bottom can be quite wet. If in doubt, use a dowel to test moisture down there at the bottom.

    If you were in a very hot, arid desert with full sun all day I'd suggest going with more peat, but it sounds like the standard 5-1-1 might do the trick. if you monitor the moisture in the container every few days then you will know if future batches of your soil mix need more peat or not.

    Sorry I can't give you a definite yes/no answer but hope this info helps.

    TYG

  • DFish1
    9 years ago

    One thing I can say is don't try really wetting only part of a container full of 5:1:1 mix in the container. I did this and had the peat migrate to the bottom and completely blind off the window screen I had in the bottom of the container.

    When I did it again, I waited to water the container until everything was potted. I didn't wet the mix prior to potting, but the bark I used was damp to start with. So far I haven't seen any problems with blinding or hydrophobic issues in the eight large containers I have done.

  • tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
    9 years ago

    If your soil is already mixed and dry + hydrophobic, put about half of the volume of soil you need for a planting in a bucket. Stir in enough water to saturate the soil - so it's really soggy. Then, add an equal measure of the dry soil and mix well again. Let the soil rest for an hr or over-night & it will be evenly moist when you use it. If it's TOO moist, mix in a little more of the dry soil. The excess water in the wet soil diffuses into the dry soil, & eliminates any hydrophobic tendencies.

    Al