you folks were so kind and welcoming, i thought i'd bug you again.

i'm just learning about figs and their care. i want to use the best  potting mix, so i went through a zillion posts, both here and at GW.

here's what i learned:

5-1-1 is best for figs
pure compost is best for figs
bagged mix with perlite is best for figs
gritty mix is best for figs.

all these opinions are held by smart, knowledgable people.

sigh. what's a poor gal to do?

so i thought i'd ask what works best for you personally? i'd especially like to hear from anyone who has tried more than 1 mix, if you have time.

thanks,
susie

Hi Susie, you will get a truck load of answers to that question and you will still have to make up your mind what works best for you. I have tried ProMix with added large perlite. I
have tried cococoir and I am now using Fertilome Ultimate Potting Mix without adding anything at all to it. I got that at the recommendation of a  senior forum member. It works.

Something that is porous and light so it drains fast but not too fast. Peat moss mixed with organic matter to hold water seems to work for me. Of course I add perlite to the mix along with bonemeal, bloodmeal, worm castings,etc. 

The next mix I want to try is Nulife Organic Potting soil which is sold at the garden stores here. 

thanks newn and fig boy. i haven't seen those products around, but i can look.

locally,  most available is  miracle gro, which i use for tomatoes [with perlite] and i've been making 5-1-1 for my house plants.

You want find Fertilome at Big Box stores only small independents carry it.

the fertiloam site says no dealers within 25 miles of my zip code, which is huge.

Sorry Susie, I have to get a nursery owner friend to order for me or I wouldn't have it.

Fertilome was my favorite when I can find it. 

Soil is a finance thing
These tree can grow in a rock so they can grow on everythin .
All depend how much you want to pamper th3se babies

Me i use loam 2ith compost and some peat and it works fine
For 100 tree i sp3nd 20 bucks for peat and compost and the rest i pickup from a building supply store

Cheap and does the jub

thanks eli n fig boy. i have on hand perlite,  pine bark, peat moss, and mg. how about a combo of those?

I like to feel the mixture i make after i water it. I am not scientific just as i dont like making food 2ith recipes
With figs you have lots of room for mistakes

Don't swet the small stuff!!.They are all good special with smaller plants.When your tree's are getting big then a good draining mix with a good amount of small bark/turfice combo is excellent. Fertilizing is more important, over fertilizing is not nessesary.

In many parts of the world, figs grow in some of the worst soil conditions imaginable, and grow well.  There are no soil additives, no mixes, no perlite, just dirt if lucky.  For the most part, the people would not understand the question of what type soil mixture is best.  In spite of all that, they thrive in the most horrendous soil conditions and for some reason I can't get it right, LOL.  I have recently gone to throwing topsoil in a pot a throwing a tree in it and water it every once in a while.  The one's I have done that to look no worse for the ordeal, I simply do not understand this evil tree that we so love!

I wonder what I'm doing sometimes.

I think when you grow your trees in pots, the roots have but one place to get nutrients, and that is within that pot. 

Here, and other places in the world, in-ground figs are grown in terrible soil.  We do have rocky alkaline soil here, and figs love to get their roots between and under the rocks.  There are lots of minerals in the rocks, and they seem to find what they need.  They do NOT like acid soil.  They like alkaline, well drained, so whatever your mix, make sure to throw in some lime or gypsum.

Miracle grow does wonders to some pretty bad soil. 

Suzi

thanks guys, but i won't pretend i'm not still confused. suzi, are you refering to mg granular fertilizer? the 1 i was told not to use in favor of a 9-3-6 blend?

Elin and I are soul mates, sort of!  We both cook without recipes.  We FEEL the dirt and decide on a whim what it needs.  Miracle Grow is an easy fix.  I'm referring to the liquid concentrate that you mix with water and pour on.  Not the granular.

The beauty of this forum is it's so confusing!  You will get a thousand opposing answers to your question, but at least you get answers.  I say, put them all in a hat, toss them around, and pick one.  Use that!

Figs are tough!  They can not combat fungus gnats or gophers, and you might lose amazing figs to birds, but other than that, they want to live!

Good luck to you!

Suzi

i often cook without recipies too, but i like to start with a solid recipe and improvise from there.

if soil isn't important, then i suppose i can fake it, but then it would seem the fertilizer would be critical? 9-3-6? 10 -10-10?

and,  how  alkaline? do i add more than the normal amount of lime?

it still seems to me that there must be a certain  potting mix that will get a fig so happy it grows to full potential, even if they aren't picky.

I simply make my own potting mix. here we go.

one 5 gal bucket sifted compost

one 5 gal bucket sifted (decayed wood chips)

one 5 gal bucket perlite

Now my compost has in it. pine needles, straw, grass clippings (mainly clover) rabbit poo, cow poo, horse poo, leaves, and tipacal yard waste. i hot heep and turn every three days. get finesd product in about a month that way.

wood chips. i catch the tree trimmers and have em dump a load. the first year they are green so i use them as mulch the rest of the pile i dig sections out and add compost to grow melions. after a year i sift that through 1/4 inch screen.

when im in a pinch i just use miracle grow potting mix 2 cu foot and add an 8 quart bag of perlite.

thats works for me.

thanks dave. i have a large bag of wood chips too big to use in 5-1-1. due to drought, i can't compost  normally. i wonder if i could compost them anerobically? could i just add water and seal the plastic bag and just leave it for a year?

susieqz,
The answer is that there is no consensus, because fig trees will grow almost anywhere.

IMO the best potting mix should be based on your location, available material and application. I currently use a 5-1-1-1 mix (the last part is an oil absorbent fullers earth), because the ingredients are easily available, but I have tried many different mix variations with good results. I've used washed pea gravel (from Home depot) to replace the Perlite with good results, it just makes a heavier mix.
I've made a 1-1-1 mix, Coarse sand - Peat - Pea gravel, and topped it with compost, with very good results.
I always add 1 cup of Dolemite Limestone per 5 gallon of mix, Because I have been using that ratio for container grown vegetables for years with good results. Also figs are high in calcium, so container fig plants need a source available to them.

You have to decide whose advice you are going to follow and how you will be modifying the recipe for your conditions (possibly through trial and error).

<edit> From trials, I've found that a mix with a minimum of 50% pine bark mulch (sifted thru 1/2 inch hardware cloth) works every time. It can be as simple as 50% pine bark mulch and 50% Peat based potting mix (most peat based potting mixes usually have 15% Perlite).

thanks pete.

have you used the 5-1-1 long enough to compare it with the others? some of them sound too heavy for me to use.

i cup od lime is lots more than i've been using. i'll fool around with that, if it works for veggies.

sue

Sue,
You're welcome.
This is my 2nd year with the 5-1-1 mix. I have recently re potted some of the 5 gallon containers and refreshed the mix with 30% pine bark and peat. The mix holds up quite well. I have posted my recipe and results in several topics. If you are interested in how and why I use a lot of Limestone do a google search for the "Mittlieder Method of gardening" it will explain it in more detail. I have modified that method for my conditions by only using the "pre-plant mix" and fertilizing with Espoma, an organic fertilizer. I have been making my own peat based potting mixes for more than 10 years, following and modifying the Cornell Peat Lite recipes.

Good Luck.

<edit>  For containers the 5-1-1-1 is the lightest and easiest to make. The 1-1-1 mix with a 2 inch topping of Rabbit compost was better, but heavier, and good compost isn't readily available everywhere, so I wouldn't recommend it ( I raise my own rabbits).

Attached pictures are before and after before 4/30/13 and after 7/5/13. The same plant, in the same container, in the same 5-1-1-1 mix, approximately 10 weeks... almost 3 feet and 1/2 inch caliper of healthy growth (even with torrential rains and overcast days in June).

thanks again pete. i'll check those sites.

but, you haven't said if 5-1-1 was better than the others you tried?

Sue,

For my 3 gallon nursey pots (my largest so far, I just started last Nov) I use 70/30/40 Black humus / coir / sifted coarse perlite.  For my doubles I was lazy and tried Miracle Grow Moisture Control potting soil.  I add a little 10-10-10, pellitized dolomitic limestone and worm castings and supplement with MG liq fertilizer (10-10-10).  Both seem to work well for me here in Houston although I suggest amending the MG MC with 1-2 parts of perlite.  It drains OK but I think it should drain a little better.

thanks steve.  amending mg with perlite seems to be a consensus. that's good to know