What is a recipe for a long-lasting, fast draining container soil mix with good aeration?

Question

I'm interested in making my own container soil for some potted citrus and figs as well as something that'll work for other house plants. I've heard of Al's Gritty Mix. Does anyone have a mix that's worked well for them over a several year period?

Answer 1

Below is a good general purpose container soil mix formula I've heard mentioned on a few different gardening podcasts that I listen to:

• ⅓ sharp sand
• ⅓ screened high quality top soil/loam
• ⅓ high quality compost

Answer 2

Al's Gritty mix is:

For most kind of woody plants

The basic mix is 1:1:1, pine bark fines:Turface:crushed granite. It's perfect to grow that go 2-3 years between repots.

It's a little different for houseplants

(note that the 3 parts of all the primary ingredients still works out to a 1:1:1 ratio).

• 3 parts pine or fir bark fines
• 3 parts Turface MVP (or equal)
• 3 parts crushed granite (turkey or chicken grit - not crushed shellfish)
• 1 part vermiculite
• 1 part coarse silica sand
• 1 tbsp gypsum/gallon of soil (1/2 cup per cu ft) -- if you use gypsum instead of lime, add 1/8 tsp Epsom salts/gallon of water each time you fertilize

Some tips:

• If you want to increase water retention, use 4 parts Turface and 2 parts granite, To reduce water retention, use 4 parts granite & 2 parts Turface. If you vary the recipe to suit yourself, try to keep the organic component at 1/3 or less. No peat/coir is necessary or even desirable in this mix.

• Though there are a few exceptions, most plants will perform extremely well if you use a 3:1:2 ratio fertilizer (24-8-16, 12-4-8, 9-3-6, are all examples).

• Fertilizing frequently at lower doses works better.