i dont doubt that, but its not everything. they have super old and “unique” plants in their collection there. afaik they sell propagation of those specific plants. having a stable long term mix thats also light and ships well just adds to its pro column imo.
Logees is on my “do not buy from” list.
I think they answered Petey’s question by copying a Google AI response.
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It’s possible of course. Sometimes I hear directly from Byron, whom I talk to sometimes when I visit.
I do agree with some of your critique from this and other threads. I tend to go for the experience, to talk to their staff, and pick up one or two things that look healthy in store, particularly if propagated.
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I believe you may be thinking of vermiculite. Perlite to my understanding does not break down and it is not in any way related to clay.
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@DownlakeGarden
Aztec Perlite does not sell vermiculite.
@Richard That certainly could be I don’t know their company or business but what I do know is perlite is not clay based and as @Chills mentioned is volcanic in origin and is rapidly heated to cause expansion. Perlite also does not break down with time in the soil. Vermiculite is clay based and will eventually break down.
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I dont have anything to add about Gary’s top pot soil, but I second @steveb4. I have been making my own with a mix of perlite, coco coir, and compost. I add a granular fertilizer to the mix when potting. I have had good results doing this and it is much less expensive.
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I’m with both of you as well except I use peat moss vs coco coir simply due to access and availability. Coco coir is much more costly in bulk vs peat moss around here (although needing to add lime for pH may offset that differences so shop locally to determine).
Making your own is certainly the way to go and lets you tailor it to the tree or plant you are growing, like the addition of sand (which I’ve not personally used).
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@Richard is there any specific kind of sand you look for?
I would imagine you may want to be careful with big box store generic stuff as, at least in my area, it can contain large amounts of salt.
Some more insight from Gary. When I asked about sourcing materials closer to me:
In our original experiments 100% All Purpose Sand was the ideal container soil. In a container sand does everything quite well. Holds enough moisture and has adequate airflow/drainage. The only disadvantage is the weight.
Loam is a general term meaning that the soil has significant amounts of the 3 components…sand, silt, and clay. It doesn’t say how much of each.
“Sandy loam” can work in larger containers. “sandy loam” usually means low clay content (below 20%) and high sand content…but it can vary.
You can add perlite to loam to lighten it.
Sand is simple and does work great,
When I asked him about assessing the composition of loam sold by the yard near me:
The quickest, and fairly accurate method, to determine the composition of loam, is the jar test.
Use a large “mayonaise” jar. Clean it and take off the wrapper.
Fill half to 2/3 with the loam. Add water to the neck. Add a few drops of soap.
Close and shake for a minute or more to break up the clods.
Set the jar down and wait.
You will see the sand settle first on the bottom within 20 seconds or so.
The silt will take several minutes and forms a layer on top of the sand.
The clay will take many hours to form a layer on top of the silt. Clay looks like cream…the particles are too small to see individually.
The thickness of the layers is roughly the makeup of the loam.
Any organic matter usually floats.
A good sandy loam will be 50-70% sand.
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Picking up on the sand discussion, does anyone wash the sand (however you would do that…) before using it? I had leftover “play sand” and used that for some containers including those with melons and things worked out well. Given how inexpensive sand is, I plan to use more of it next year, but I think coarse would be better? And wash?
Oh interesting! You found they grew fine in plain sand? How did you think about eg nutrients?
Sorry, I wasn’t clear- I used it in my coir and compost mix instead of perlite. I added nutrients. Elderberries particularly loved the sandy soil.
Thanks!