Here's my dilemma: I need to find something to fill the role of turface that comes in quantities smaller than 40-50 pound bags. I realize that this is the opposite of what most ppl are looking for(!), but I'm in a wheelchair about 95% of the time, and, since I live alone, I have to plan pretty carefully when I bring home something I can't lift. Also, I'm really only growing houseplants right now (may change come spring--I've got a brand new balcony--yay!), so cost is not quite such a huge deal as it is for you container folks. All the same, I'd like to keep it as cheap as I can--just small bags. Any ideas?
Thanks!

Anne

Will that work, Anne?

You could also substitute NAPA Floor-Dry (I think their part # is #8822), but increase the granite fraction a little and decrease the floor-dry a little.

5 granite
4 bark
3 floor-dry
gypsum

is where I would start

Al

Thanks for the quick help. This is such a great forum. I was here years ago, and then kind of forgot about it, but I haven't come across anywhere this human and helpful on the web in a long time :-)

Thanks!
Anne

Al

Welcome back, and congrats on your balcony! You have a lot of fun to look forward too..

Goodluck!

Mike..:-)

ReptiBark reptile bedding, which is 100% fir bark, ready to use right out of the bag. Available at most pet stores. I buy mine at Meijer's in the pet section, and the bags are 4.4 dry quarts.

Manna Pro Poultry Grit, which is granite chips. I buy mine in small bags from Rural King, a large farm oriented store. The bags are 5 lbs.

And perlite, which is available pretty much anywhere plant supplies are sold. I buy the small bag, which is 8 dry quarts.

Those are my main three ingredients, all available in small quantities. I, too, only need to mix small batches at a time for my indoor plants.

I'm still searching for turface in small quantities, but the 3-ingredient medium works ok without it... I just keep a close eye on watering. I think your medium will largely depend on what you can locate locally, like mine does.

I hope this helps... added to what everyone else is saying! :-)

I'm going out hunting for ingredients this weekend--should be good!!

I don't know how close these dealers are to you, but they're all in central IL. (Send me a note with where you live & I'll find it for you. Sorry - I forgot) ;o)

Jerechase - your thinking is correct. Perlite holds water on its surface, but has no internal porosity, so it's closer to granite than Turface. Jodi's just found something that works well for her; and remember, though she grows lots of different plant material, she favors bulbs, which do best in a soil that has less water retention than the soils most other plants like. I suspect that even if she had Turface at her disposal, she would not use the 1:1:1 blend, opting for more granite and less Turface, but we won't know until she tries & reports. ;o)

Al

Al

Al

What Al says is correct... I mainly grow tender bulbs, and they do not like to sit in moisture for long periods of time. I would like to add a bit of turface to my mix, but it's not really necessary because I grow indoors. I also have the time available to water whenever a plant should require it... I check my plants daily.

So far, the three ingredients I'm using are working out good. I would like to test a few pots, using some turface for water retention... but other than that, I'm finding that my bulbs are loving the more aerated medium!

I like having complete control over the moisture and fertilizer... my only problem now seems to be growing space! I'm out of room! :-)

Thank you so much, Al, for the mention of turface dealers... Bloomington is not far, and Peoria is on the way north to see my kids... so, next time I'm out and about, I'll check it out! I go to Champaign more often than Bloomington, but they're about the same distance from me. Thanks! :-)

Al

Eventually, I'd like to have a bit of everything on hand - Turface, Napa #8822, Granite grit, et cetera - to make functional and attractive container mixes.

Josh

Anyway... I'm surprised at the amount of moisture retained without the use of turface in my mix. The top couple of inches can be fairly dry, but the area around the roots will still be quite damp. While I do have to water more often than if I were to use a more moisture retentive, organic medium, it's not nearly as often as I originally thought it would be. I'm quite happy with the results so far... the real test will be what the roots look like at re-potting time.

And... so far, so good on that issue... I recently re-potted a couple of small bulbs in 4" pots... they were planted in a pre-mixed bonsai medium, which was quite gritty, but with smaller particles than Al's Mix. The roots looked healthy and numerous, and the used medium fell away with very little effort, making re-potting much easier.

Get yourself a package of wooden shish-ka-bob skewers from the grocery store... they're usually sold in packages of about 100 for a couple of dollars. Insert the pointed end of one into the medium at an angle, so the point is somewhere close to the root ball... and leave it there.

To test for moisture, just pull out the skewer and press it your cheek. If it feels damp and cool, the medium is still moist... hold off on watering. But if the skewer comes out dry, it's time to water.

Just leave a skewer in each pot, and pull them out to test for moisture every once in a while.

I use my fingers to check for moisture most of the time... but the skewers work great. I've also got a moisture tester, but after a few false readings, I abandoned using it... I trust my finger and the skewer method much more!

Josh

If I'm not entirely sure whether I should water or not, I wait another day... just to be certain. But the skewer trick is definitely an integral part of my indoor gardening!