I have about a dozen tree seedlings, about 1' tall now. I'd like to grow them in 1 gallon pots and then decide on what to do with them. I may plant some and give away some to friends.

They are native ornamental small trees. They are easy with soil.

I know the best media is various kinds of potting mix, or soil-less mix. But is there a cheaper way to get the media? Of course the cheap one is regular soil. I can mix the soil with some light materials.

I think I'm going to start more seedlings from seeds. I do not want to plant them in ground since it is a pain to dig them up and I lose a lot of the roots. But I'll need to keep my cost down....