um, steve, why sift the perlite?

my best tasting dishes come out with indian garam masala mixed with different titers of other herbs. Any ideas for.special spices are welcome...

This is what I use and I have enough to last me for a while.
Fertilome UPM.

2nd choice would be Fafard 52 mix.
3rd choice would be Sunshine ( sungro ) LC1

Nothing else.

I quit adding perlite to the mix because I like to retain as much water in the soil during the hot Summer months as I can.
I can understand if you are adding perlite to the new rooted cuttings or young 1st year plants. But when the plants get older and larger the roots command/demand more water.

I like the Fertilome UPM because it stays moist longer and use less water. Hence, eliminating the wilting of the leaves.

Couple this with a proper feeding regimen ( 10-10-10 or 20-20-20 ) with a little lime and you should produce a healthy fig environment.

Hope this helps and good luck

The perlite usually has a lot of fines, depending on the brand.  I had a small bag of MG perlite that was just about all fines (just like powder and not many perlite "pellets").  I now buy larger bags of higher quality perlite but there are still a substantial amount of fines.  By adding larger particle perlite you are trying to make spaces between soil particles for air and drainage. If there are a lot of fines these air pockets fill in reducing drainage and air circulation.

Just Read Rafed's comment and by the power of editing my post in progress I'll clarify.  I started my cuttings in 60/40 perlite/potting soil.  When transplanted to 1 gallon pot I used the same ratio perlite to potting soil.  When I up potted to 3 gallon nursery pots I decreased the ratio of perlite to potting soil.  When I up pot from a 3 to 5 gallon bucket I decrease the perlite even more for the reason Rafed mentioned.  I don't want to be watering my figs every hour : )

If you want to make your head hurt learning about soil mechanics, read the attached.

Steve,

You're doing fine.
There are a million ways we can do this and we each swear by our technique.
It's a never ending process.

As long as it works. That's all that matters.

i get it steve, thanks. rafid, thanks too. if any of those were available locally, i'd check them out.  mike mentioned fertyloam too, but their site says it's not available in this area.

many people  have said today that it almost doesn't matter,  so i won't try to have it shipped  in, like i did pine fines at incredable cost.

sue

Agreed Rafed, just like the best way to start cuttings.

Call or visit your local ma and pa garden centers.
If they don't have it I'm sure they can get it. Shipping might be up there in dollar wise but if you order a large quantity and wait till the store places there next order then it may go down.

I am fortunate my uncle has a small garden center here in Detroit and he ordered a couple pallets.
I picked up on two trips a total 45 3cu.ft. bags.
I told him anything he does not sell by end of season I will pick it up myself.

I still have quite a few bags left.

If I ever buy a bigger house with a larger property I will see if they have it in Super Sacks.
Fafard has the 52 mix in Super Sacks.

But it all boils down to what will work for you.
We all have our mixes and ways of doing it. Through trial and error you will come on top.

Good luck

i'd like to say it's been great meeting you guys. this site is fun, fun, fun !!

Susie, this forum is wonderful and full of very knowladable people who share a common passion. like Rafed said tho, there are many ways to get the job done, you just have to try several of them and find what works best for you. alot of members refer to the baggie method for rooting cuttings. baggies dont work for me. i root right in the pot. but keep an open mind and try new things. we are always looking for the next best way wether it be easier or more effeciant. who knows you may come up with the next best method one day. ;-)

thanks dave. i'll try to keep an open mind. the problem is, said mind remans confused.

sue

Sue,

I'll expand on what Rafed said.  What is best for you and what is best for your tree are not the same thing.  Consequently, we make compromises on the myriad of factors that affect the growth of our trees. If all of us did what is absolutely best for our trees, all of us would live within a few geographical locations on the planet with our trees in the ground... But reality sets in and we have choices to make.  To make matters more complicated, all of our situations are different and require a different set of compromises (even compromises with the other trees we are growing).  Our job is to maximize those compromises.

You can grow figs in widely varying (as you've read) conditions, and they will grow well.  But if you follow what I do (or anybody else does), it might not be the optimal situation for you.  I made a move from Houston to Austin (about 150 miles) and it required a modification to the growing mix I use.  What is best for one is not necessarily what best for another.  If you find a system that works for you and maximize it, most of the time it will be better than following exactly what someone else in another part of the world is doing.  Start with what you know... your growing habits.  Find a few systems which you think will fit into your habits (don't forget systems you already use) and see which one works best.  Then you can tweak it to maximize your results.  One of my favorite examples of this (I have a couple) is sitting in on a tomato workshop put on by an "expert" at a master gardener plant sale in Houston.  Someone asked him which was the best tasting tomato.  His response was "any tomato which is perfectly ripe will taste better than one which is not."


p.s. If you ever find yourself on the south side of Philadelphia, there is a hydroponics shop in Bristol growing (at least they were 6 years ago) a fig tree in what looked to be Hydroton expanded clay balls (about 1/2-3/4" diameter) and connected to the hydroponic system on display.  It was a very healthy and productive looking tree.

to me, it all depends on how cheap it is. once the container start getting larger than 3 gal.. the cost start adding up very quickly. right now i use modified 5:1:1 on anything larger than 1 gal. on that i add fertilizer and lime. so far so good. but i'm not getting kind of growth like other members. but good enough to provide figs that i can enjoy. 

pete, will you tell me how you modify 5-1-1, and does it seem better than exact 5-1-1?

james, auston is drier and closer to my desert conditions [3 year drought], right? how did you change your mix?

James,

Well said.

While we are in a deep drought cycle, we still have better than 40% humidity during the day and 60% at nights.  I was using a modified gritty mix in Houston.  For Austin, I replaced the Turface with a compost based potting mix.  It's still a bit early (and I've been traveling since early June) to tell how well it is going, but I think some adjustments will need to be made next year.  My niece sent me some pictures of my potted trees and they seem to still be green. It is a bit more than I was expecting. :)

sooo, the drier the air, the more water retentiveness? very low humidity here.

Susie,

Try gravel and landscaping supply companies for pine bark, if you have any in your area. I am able to get what's called "Supreme Bark" for $5 per garbage can full (30-50 gallons) and it is the perfect size; I still run it through a 1/4" screen when I am making my potting mix but only 1-2% doesn't pass. I do think it is helpful to let your mix sit for at least a week before planting, a month is even better; it think it does as Dave had mentioned and somewhat composts the bark and lets pH balance out. At any rate, if you make your own mix try plan ahead a bit and have your soil premixed and moistened.

Susie,
What materials do you have available or on hand? For example: If you have coarse sand and gravel, you already have half of the ingredients, if you're not planning on moving the containers a lot.
What are your conditions, and plans for these containers? How many and how large?

pete, i have on hand MG, perlite, fir bark fines and peat moss, lime and various fertilizrs.

i only have 1  chicago in a 3 gallon pot that i want to repot or up pot to 5 gallon soon. i'm hoping to get another

soon, but with temperatures over 100 i'm leary of mail delivery. i got my pretty chicago in janurary and really enjoy it as a houseplant. when the sandstorms moderate, if ever, i'll set it out. the tree surprised me with 4 figs last month, which didn't taste like much, but were great fun.

You could mix up a batch of 5-1-1 and test it for yourself. 5 gallons Pine bark fines, 1 gallon Peat, 1 gallon Perlite. 1/2 cup lime stone and 1 cup balanced fertilizer. You can water it and spend a week or two testing it (you could plant a vegetable plant or flowers in the pot). If it drains too fast initially you can increase the Peat Moss. I have decrease the pine bark fines to 50% in the mix without changing the beneficial characteristics (quick draining).

thanks pete. i'm currently testing 5-1-1 on a variety of house plants and small trees with mixed results. i'm worried about such a fast drainging mix outdoors, enen tho i understand  5-1-1 was developed for outdoor plants.

a few years ago, i wouldn't have worried so much, but this place has turned into a howling desert. not just no rain, but super strong winds that pick up the sand that's no longer held down by plants.

sue

Susie,
You're Welcome.
The reason I added the Oil Absorbent product was because the mix drained too quickly. The recommended products were Turface, Oil Dry and NAPA Floor Dry. I settled on the product from Tractor supply because of availability and it did not breakdown in tests like the Oil Dry.

As a note most of the recommended commercial potting mixes are usually 85% peat moss, 15% perlite, Dolemite Limestone, Wetting agent and fertilizer (if included). The Pro-Mix HP (High Porosity) is 65-75% Peat. Fafard 52 is 60% Pine bark and 30% peat.
Note the attached manufacturer data sheets, Fafard does not publish their ingredient ratios.

For comparison:
Fertilome UPM: 85% - 15% (peat - perlite).
Pro-Mix BX:       85% - 15% (peat - perlite).
Pro-Mix HP:      75% - 25% (peat - perlite).
Fafard52:         60% - 30% - 10% (pinebark - peat - perlite)
5-1-1:              71.4% - 14.3% - 14.3% (pine bark - peat - perlite).
5-1-1-1:           62.5% - 12.5% - 12.5% - -12.5% (pine bark - peat - perlite - Oil Absorbent)

yow! a jump from 85% to 15%  peat seems extreme. but so many people think 5-1-1 is great .


hey calvin. i wish i got your post earlier. i started using my test 5-1-1 the day after i made it.

te cost of pine bark was super high. i got 2 cubic feet for $26, but paid $28 for shipping too. this is the reall outlands. no big box stores within 90 miles. this stuff better work.

i got this stuff for my jasmines, but it would be a plus if it worked for figs. due to cost, i can only use it on high value plants, but i figure my fig is one.