Hey everyone TONYSAC here i know this has probably been asked a thousand times but here's the thousand and 1 time. What is the best mix of ingredients you think I should use for potting rooted cuttings?? In the past with nearly 98% success I've used plain old potting soil not even miracle grow or anything good just cheapo stuff and keep in mind i don't want to have to buy 20 30 or 40 lb bags of these ingredients any help would be great ..PS I've also just stuck unrooted cuttings directly in the ground with again about 98% 

Instead of trying to establish the best, let's try something less lofty and shoot for what makes a good potting soil. First, it needs to have nothing in it poisonous to the plant, and it's helpful if the medium is in a reasonable pH range, though the media pH is less important than soil solution pH. The key, is that you should be able to water at will to the point where the entire soil mass is saturated and water flows freely from the bottom of the pot with no concern that the soil will remain soggy so long that root rot presents a potential issue. To get to this condition, you will have greater air porosity at container capacity on a container to container basis than you would with most commercially prepared soils or soils based on peat, coir, compost, and other fine particulates. The soil starts moving toward 'best' as aeration increases. Also included as a consideration is how long the spoil retains it's structural integrity. The soil should be structurally stable enough to ensure good aeration for the life of the planting.

You'll note I didn't mention anything about nutrition. Growing in containers is much closer to hydroponics than growing in the garden. We need to shoulder the responsibility for our plants' nutritional needs and remain focused on the soil's structure, of which the most important aspect is drainage/aeration.

If you're looking for a mix that might qualify as the best in the commercially prepared lineup, you might look to Fafard's Nursery mix. They also make a #3 and #51 mix that would be fairly well suited to growing trees in containers.

Al

tony,

al is the authority in soil science on this forum and the other. i would follow his suggestion.

for me what worked, and still working is 50/50 of seedling soil and perlite. it does retain some water. however, it gets rather hot down here in NC, and the soil mix  dries out in about a week. plants are doing well and not too worried about it.

i use this for rooting and in 1 gal pot. once they grow out of 1 gal pot, they get bare rooted and i use al's 5:1:1 mix. which is 5 part pine bark fine, 1 part s. peat moss, and 1 part perlite. all my older tresss are in that mix and they are doing very well. only difference from al's mix and what i'm using is, i use something called "Nature's Helper" or something like that. it has pine bark fine and compost i think.

pete

Thanks guys i appreciate the info  PS did any one ever try to grow anything in like fishtank gravel or small river rock mixed with potting soil ?? you think that would work 

Imagine a jar full of BBs or marbles. In your mind's eye, you can see all the valuable air spaces so important to root health between the particles. If you mix even 25% of a potting soil based on peat/coir/compost .... into the gravel or small stones, where does it go and what happens to all the air spaces? The air spaces fill with peat or other small particles, reducing aeration.

Now, think of small gravel about BB size or a little larger mixed with Turface, a baked clay granule that is very porous and holds water/nutrients well. The Turface is large enough that the water doesn't collect BETWEEN the particles, it's retained within the particles. Add a little pine or fir bark in a 1/8-1/4" size to the mix, and you get even MORE water retention and still get to keep all the air spaces between particles.

Choosing or making a soil is a mixture of two perspectives, and it's about compromises, about balance. What's best for the plant is lots of aeration and minimal perched water, but that requires more frequent watering than does growing in a heavy, water-retentive soil. While plants may live in soils, portions of which remain saturated for extended periods, they are limited because heavy soils compromise root function and set in motion the cyclic death and regeneration of fine roots as the soil alternates between being too wet and appropriately moist. This causes a loss of actual AND potential growth, and reduces vitality . Most of us, including myself, are willing to sacrifice some potential growth/vitality in exchange for the convenience of less frequent watering. While I have no stake in what direction you lean, I think knowing you have choices and some idea of what those choices mean in terms of your effort vs growth/vitality is helpful in making your decisions.

Al