How to properly test a new mix?

[LouNeo]

Sorry for yet another mix thread but I'm on mobile aND after searching I didn't really find what I was looking for.

I picked up a sample of mix today that I'd like to use orb use as a base to amend. Anyone have some tests to figure out if it is good as is? I know some of you go by weight with a lot f things, anyone analytical enough to have it nailed down how much mix, how much water, how much retention percent etc? Thoughts on the best ways to quickly analyze the mix without sticking a tree in it an waiting.

[WillsC]

Saturate a sample.......squeeze it in your hand hard........poke it........does it fall apart at a touch? Yes ok, no not ok. Does not mean it is ideal just that it probably won't kill the youngsters. There is a lot of variables. Is it intended for young cuttings? Rooting? Long term use in a larger pot? The soil needs to be changed a bit depending on what it will be used for. Take long term.....if it rots down too easily too fast it will get mucky which isn't good. Then you have to factor in will it get watered daily or does the soil have to have the ability to hold moisture for days until you can get back to check and rewater it? If it gets dry will it rewet easily? There are a lot of variables.

[LouNeo]

Right now I am looking for something to get me up and through 1 gallon pots without water issues cutting things. So young ones for sure and longevity isn't a huge care at the moment.

secondarily I need something to uppot from 1g to 3g for 1 to 2 years before gifting selling or uppoting to keep I think.

but for now I need something that is consistent and won't kill things

[WillsC]

Lou,

Wet is what kills. It has to drain. It is MUCH better to have a mix that drains great but dries out too fast to one that holds moisture too well. It is far simpler to set up an autowater system to water for you as it leads to more continuity and not that too wet then too dry then too wet then too dry roller coaster that does nothing but stress the plants. So I prefer a mix you can overwater and not have negative consequences. It also has the benefit of being lighter in weight and because I ship hundreds of plants a year it helps with the shipping costs. Take sand....a very good ingredient just too darn heavy. Then you have perlite but getting extra extra chunky perlite is not easy and is sure nice in the mix for aeration and shipping weight but the bigger the particle size the less you get in a bag and it is more expensive on top of that.

Cuttings and youngsters are a whole different ballgame because overwatering them just ONCE can be game over.......

[AscPete]

Lou,

Most Perennial potting mixes can be used for growing out fig trees larger than 1 gallon with established / hardened roots. Using the "Clumping" test as described by Wills is an easy way of gauging how well the mix will drain. Performing the clumping and a visual "percolation" test after the mix has settled and been watered over a period of several days has been my usual procedure for potting mixes and a moderately draining mix that doesn't get saturated easily works best, 5-1-1 is fast draining with Promix HP being moderate draining.

Cutting mixes for 1 gallon and smaller pots should be fast draining and well aerated, my best results were with the gritty mix that only used larger sifted particles and no peat moss, but almost any Potting mix can be used for cuttings as long as they are never over-watered. A simple way to keep from over watering cutting mixes is to first calculate the actual measured amount of water that will get your mix to a moist "watered" not overly wet state. For example measure out the amount of mix that is required to fill your cutting container, add water from a measuring cup to get it to the watered crumbly not clumping state, note that amount. In the early stages of cutting growth when the cuttings and mix needs to be watered add only that amount of water, for 5 cups of Seed starting mix 8 oz of water or nutrient solution is required. the amount of water required is dependent on the cutting mix that's used and has to be measured for each batch and type of cutting mix.

Good Luck.

[drew51]

One way to decrease moisture is to use 1 gallon root pouches which are cheap, durable, and fabric. Nothing dries as fast as fabric. The Greenhouse Megastore sells them online. Many users including one's here use them, like Fruitnut. I have been pushing root pouches for 3 years, I use the big ones, as it is said a 30 gallon root pouch is like having a 60 gallon plastic pot. The roots never circle, are air pruned etc. I don't use the 1 gallon, I have so many plastic ones I got free, although I think I'm going to switch next year.

[DBJohnson]

My experience last year was that the 1gal pots caused me more work than anything else. The plants grow out of them too fast. Going forward I plan to up pot from cups/treepots directly to 2g, 3g, or 5g buckets from now on with the size dependent on how vigorous the cutting has been.

As part of the new up potting plan, will put the pre-moistened medium in the bucket around the cup or treepot at the proper level before carefully removing the whole thing to leave the exact size hole for the new root ball. Pop the plant from the pot/cup and place in the hole and set in place with gentle pressure.

[Harborseal]

I agree with everything above but I'm more lazy than AscPete . Big chunks drain well and you need big chunks that will hold some water. I tried fabric bags with pro-mix but they dried out so fast that some cuttings died from being too dry. I mix pro-mix HP bio-myco with some 1/2 - 1" pine bark chunks and pre-wet it. That gives the roots a chance to settle in. I put the root ball 2/3rds of the way to the bottom. If the cutting is robust it can handle a small amount of water every few days as you see the top drying out. I give it about half the water it needs to drain out the bottom at first (I guess but using it for a few years helps). If it's struggling I spray the top with water from a hand held spray bottle as soon as the top most 1/4" of the soil starts to dry. That keeps the soil pores from collapsing and keeps the soil moist. As time goes on the roots get stronger and I just water with the gentle spray setting on the hose end sprayer. Some cuttings are ready for that in a week, some in 2-3 weeks. I judge by how fast the leaves are growing. I'll add dilute fertilizer to the watering once in April since I'm not watering it through. Once things move out in May I water and fertilize more.

[drew51]

My experience last year was that the 1gal pots caused me more work than anything else. The plants grow out of them too fast. Going forward I plan to up pot from cups/treepots directly to 2g, 3g, or 5g buckets from now on with the size dependent on how vigorous the cutting has been.

As part of the new up potting plan, will put the pre-moistened medium in the bucket around the cup or treepot at the proper level before carefully removing the whole thing to leave the exact size hole for the new root ball. Pop the plant from the pot/cup and place in the hole and set in place with gentle pressure.

For me too, I don't use them, but they work really well for plants you plan to sell, or giveaway. The pots ship well.
I usually use a 3 gallon or so, then go to 10 gallons. I leave them there a bit, 2-3 years, then up them again to 15. I probably will go to 20 and that will be it for most. Again for me, I use root pouches so a 20 gallon root pouch is like growing in a 40 gallon plastic pot, due to air pruning more roots are possible. My limit is 30 gallon. I can move those, not easily but can. Any bigger no, again though that's like a 60 gallon plastic pot, the fig tree will be huge in them.
It all depends on your goal. I can see only having maybe 5 trees and getting thousands of figs. So one of my goals is to find the five best figs for me. Tough as I have near 30 but will not be adding anymore.