Very fortunate here in southeast GA, Walmart sells a “soil conditioner” that, with a little sifting, is just about perfect.
First time using Al’s mix last year. Definitely a learning experience. To cut a long story short, I ended up buying an auomatic watering device hooked up to 5 gallon bucket to feed my PawPaw trees growing in Root Trappers. I was way over my head on this one lol. I’m glad they are still alive, i did the scratch test after overwintering them in my basement. I shoud of planted them in the ground which I plan to do soon. Bought mine from Agways.
I find Al’s mix way to dry for my needs. I use a 3-1-1 mix, like most commercial products use.I don’t use perlite either ( I use DE instead), and I add compost too. In England all commercial bagged potting mixes have compost. It is now being added to ours too, all the bagged organic mixes have compost. It is essential to prevent root rot in my opinion. Besides adding food, and bacteria. Containers can have low bacterial counts, and so adding more is always a good idea. Bacteria in containers is essential if you ask me.
You can ask these 6 month old figs what they think of compost
This one is 2nd leaf. So most above are now 2nd leaf this year. I’m going to be swimming in figs this year. Well at least fill a swimming pool with them!
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You probably know that commercial mixes usually contain a wetting agent. One nice thing about compost is that it it works like a sponge in the mix. I used to use a wetting agent, but I now rely on partially composted wood and compost.
Al’s GM is for citrus that is potted.
Yes I agree, but the OP is commenting about 5-1-1 See first post, subject should be 5-1-1 not GM.
I use a similar mix for cacti, a mineral mix, as it used to be called before Al came along.
Far too much pine bark for my mix. Pro potting mixes use 30% aged pine bark. I buy it loose by the truckload at various supply places. Ground screened ,called pine fines. It actually is pieces 1/8 to over 1/2 inch. Very light stuff, far to light to use over 50%
Depends on what you are mixing it with. I can purchase 3/8 sieve pine bark for about $15/yard from https://www.simsbark.com/ Mixed with 15% chicken manure, it makes a passably good mix for growing trees.
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Use a maximum of 15% chicken manure.
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Add 10% hardwood sawdust (hardwood breaks down faster than pine)
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Add 70% pine bark
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Add 4% sand and 1% gray wood ash
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Use micronutrients and fertilizers
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Add supplements such as rice hulls, peat moss, and perlite to lighten up the mix if needed for specific plants
Are you using a dry chicken manure product? A 5/3/5 or thereabouts? Does your mix heat up much once you wet it down? Perhaps the water soluble N content in the manure just isn’t that high… Do you premix and moisten and let sit for a few days to mellow? Or start potting right away?
Sounds like a good rich mix, I bet the pine bark breaks down pretty well after a year or two
I get chicken manure from my chicken barn. It is normally dusty dry. N content of dry chicken manure is usually around 5%. I have put plants directly in the mix, but it works better if placed in containers, watered, and let age for a month or so.
The Lowes stores around here… have lots of different types of bark mulch.
I get the Natural Brown Pine Bark for use in my landscaping. It has no color added… is simply pine bark.
It comes in the regular size which are fine for landscaping… or mulching a food forest bed.
But it also comes in a mini nugget size which is much finer chips of Natural Brown Pine Bark Mini Nuggets.
2 CF bag 3.58
3 CF bag 5.28
I use the mini nuggets in my strawberry beds.
TNHunter
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Menards sells a fairly fine pine bark mulch called “soil conditioner” that Ive been adding to all my container mixes for the last few years. I think its around $3 / 2cf bag typically, so pretty cheap. Its hard to find on their website or I would throw a link up.