Success with Laaz's mix? (MG garden soil and Turface)

[travillion]

Hello all,

I'm looking for a new mix for my container citrus. I've previously tried the 5-1-1 mix but am discouraged/frustrated with sourcing the pine bark fines. I see Laaz introduced an alternative in another post, consisting of 1:1 MG (or Vigaro) Garden Soil and Turface MVP. I'm just looking for other reactions to this mix before I take the plunge. Has anyone used it, and if so, for how long? My containers will be outside year round in Phoenix, AZ. Summers are long, hot, and dry (triple digit heat for 3 straight months, little reprieve at night). Winters are mild. I can hook up to a drip system so frequency of watering is not an issue for me.

Thanks!

[millet]

I am growing a Ginger Lime in 50% Turface MVP and 50% regular potting soil. It has not been long enough to really evaluate it, however, so far so good. It shows a lot of promise... Laaz has had good success with it.

[citradia]

I repotted all of my citrus this summer in the 50:50 mix with Miracle Grow Garden Soil and Turface, and my trees put on a lot of growth and my Saint Teresa lemon tree bloomed for the first time in the three years I had it and set fruit. I mixed Osmacote with the mix as well. The mix is light weight and drains well. I water several times a week but I am in western NC which is more humid and cooler climate than Arizona l believe. You just have to experiment on your own for watering needs. I can attest to the fact that regular store-bought potting soil does turn into thick mud after a year or so in the pot. Citrus don’t like to grow in dense mud.

[travillion]

I made up my first batch of 50/50 MG GS and Turface MVP. My tree has only been in it for a few days so it's still too early to know anything. I really liked it at first because when wet, the mix felt very loamy and I thought my citrus roots would love it. But it gets very hard when it dries out, and I don't think my roots will like that. So I'm definitely going to have to experiment with watering. The Meyer that I planted in the mix is very sensitive to overwatering. Even in hot, dry Phoenix and a fast-draining 5-1-1 mix, I've lost many leaves that way.

[millet]

t is not the amount of water that directly causes problems, it is the lack of root zone oxygen that does the damage.  Fast draining mediums are difficult to over water.

[travillion]

Feb 9, 2022 11:52:03 GMT -5 millet said:

t is not the amount of water that directly causes problems, it is the lack of root zone oxygen that does the damage.  Fast draining mediums are difficult to over water.

I'm doing something wrong with my mixes. I've been doing this for only a couple of years, mostly with 5-1-1, and I've lost many leaves to overwatering. I think I'm in a fast mix, and this gives me confidence, and then bam, there's yellow leaf drop, taking out a third of my leaves. In the past I've blamed it on uncertainty about my materials in the 5-1-1 (e.g., too much wood with the bark, is it the right size? I can't find aged or composted bark, etc.). I hope this mix works better for me because it is much easier for me to source and make. It seems fast draining, but then so did my 5-1-1 and I couldn't escape YLD at least once per season.