cactus and patio mix

i found this mix by nature's way at wal-mart. one would think that any mix for cactus would be good for plumeria. i know that not all cactus mix are created equal. however, i thought that i would give this mix a try. it's also great for palm trees.

the ingredients are: bark mulch, lava sand, humus, peat moss, blood meal, bone meal, kelp meal, fish meal, dried poultry compost, cottonseed meal, alfalfa meal and calcium rock phosphate.

i am trying a batch straight and another batch with pumice mixed in.

has anyone ever used this mix?

dete

It looks like a good mix by the ingredients.
I use Scotts or Miracle Grow Potting soil and cut it by 1/3 to 2/3 with 'Chicken Grit'.
This is a crushed granite or marble that wont hold water.
I get mine at a feed store.
Turkey Grit is also useful.
Do a test with it.
Fill a pot and soak it and see how fast it drains.
If you want it to drain faster add some crushed stone (very small size)

I use Miracle Grow cactus mix but i am not sure I am please with it or not. I am just starting out with the plumeria addiction. So far can't get enough.

malestrom - i might look into the chicken grit to put in the bottom of the pot. i've been using pumice. i don't like that bottom layer of soggy soil that you get sometime.

swampguy - flee now while you're still sane! LOL of course, if you want to lose your mind then welcome. haha! i'm originally from houma, louisiana.

I am using Sunshine Mix #4, but I just bought 5 bales of Sunshine Mix #5 this time because it is fine peat and fine perlite, and it doesn't clump coming out of the bag like #4 does. I hate having to break up all those clumps with my hands every time I repot. I think #5 will stay a lot more moist than #4 does, and that may save me from having to water every day in the summer. I might be able to skip a day here and there. I also bought #1 to try out based on a recommendation of friend and fellow Dave's member Terry. You guys might want to test out the PH of the soil before you plant your plumeria in it. I would put it in a pot and wet it down well before testing it. You know that plumerias like slightly acidic soil so the PH should be around 6.1-6.5, I think.

If youre getting soggy soil then its the wrong mix.
It needs a non absorbant aggregate mixed in.
Line the pot with a permeable weed blocker cut to fit
Add 2 inches of crushed marble 3/4 inch
Put your mix on top of that.
Its win win all the way
I havent lost any to rot from a soggy soil.

dete-did they happen to say whether the mix also included lime to combat the low PH of the peat? Usually lime is included in peat mixes or else the PH would be too low. Straight peat has a PH of about 3 to 3.5. I am not familiar with your mix and it might be that the percentage of peat in the mix is very low-does it look like it?
I use the Sunshine # 1 mix and add extra perlite and I have never had any drainage problems. The PH is about 6.3.

Clare-if you want to test the PH, wet down the soil and wait a few days before testing so that the lime has some time to kick in and raise the PH. I hate those clumps too! I have found that there is always one end of the bag that is looser and that is the end of the bag that I start with. When I get to the more compressed peat at the bottom, I drop the bag on the four corners on the floor to break it up more. Have you thought about using a bark mix in with the Sunshine to keep some moisture in? Too lazy to go look at the back of the bag to see if the #5 has bark in it! lol
Had a great picture of Buddy that I wished I had my camera to take and send to you!

thanks for the tip. i soil ph is in the green.

malestrom - just the bottom is soggy. i guess it's because the wicking force of the soil becomes stronger than gravity as the water drains. having a layer of pumice or crushed marble would wick water from that bottom layer of soil and help with drainage.

Home Depot has a Supersoil Palm and Cactus potting mix which comes in 1 cubic foot bags and sells for between $4 and $5 a bag. It is made by a company called Rod McClellan from San Mateo, California. This is the first time I noticed it and I am trying it out on some of my plumerias. It does drain well, but I have not used it long enough to really tell if it is a better potting mix for my plumerias. I also want to try it as a rooting medium.

It doesn't say what is in the mix, but you can feel it and tell it will drain well. I know there is peat, sand, perlite and some type of ground bark. I believe this is more economical than the Nature's Way Cactus Mix from Walmart. I have only seen the smaller bags at Walmart.

hi josegabriele,

our wal-mart has the nature's way for under $5 in a 1-1/2 cubic foot bag.

Hi Terry! I'm so glad that you chimed in here and included that information. I opened my Sunshine Mix #1 yesterday, which I bought based on your recommendation, and I really like it! It feels softer to the touch than Sunshine Mix #4, and I am wondering if it has a higher percentage of finer peat like #5 has. None of their mixes have bark in them, but I bought 5 bales of #5 to try this time because it will retain more water because of the finer peat and finer perlite. To be on the safe side, I should probably add more Perlite to #5 when I use it. I'm not worried about my watering habits, but if we should get a lot of rain next winter, some root systems might be unhappy, but the pots will have big drainage holes so I think it will be okay. I think that I will buy five bales of #1 next time because I like it so much. I have to admit that the main motivating reason for buying #5 this time was because it doesn't have those darn clumps. It seems like I've spent hours breaking up those clumps. Sometimes, when the bag is half empty, I will step on it with my bare feet to break up those clumps, being careful not to break the bag. Sometimes, I pour half the bag into a big bin and climb in there and break it up with my feet as if I was making wine! I will test the ph of #5 when I use it next and compare it to #1. Thanks again for this info., and thanks for thinking of me when Buddy struck a pose;-)

I've been using the red bags of Super Soil and mixing some DG and pearlite in it.
I did see jumbo bags of Natur's Way soil at our Home Depot yesterday but I don't know what it costs. I need to check because I hate to run out of soil and SS is sometimes hard for me to get at our HD
Mickey

I been testing a 50lb bail of BCuzz soil mix which is new to the market and the hydro guys needed someone to test it so i said what the heck give it to me..
Well..
This stuff is like something that goes in your attic it's so light and fluffy...
Since i am beta testing it i don't know what's in it but it's not dirt thats for sure..
I have determine it has a wetting agent of some kind in it too because 2.5 weeks ago i added water and it is still kinda wet inside of it..
Even wet this stuff feels light and i have to say it is some strange mix of something lol..
Well i got brave and threw in 120 grafted thai plants in it and now all 120 are growing leaves..
This mix or whatever it is a very very very high poristy mix...
This stuff does not bond together at all but rather comes apart in your hand which the plumies like alot because of airflow thruout..
Anyways lol this doesn't help anyone sorry but, i just had to share whats new and what my results are..
:)

maybe a pic of it in your hand will help.

...sure no problemo but it's dark out since it is 2:30am but i will take a pic for you tomm and post here!
:)

I took this pic for a thai seller to let them know how the plumies were doing..
All these plumies are being grown in the soil i mention and you may see parts of it in the pic lol..
The black containers seen in this pic are 1-3 gallon grow bags to save money and space..
:)
http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/7383/200704092082uz5.jpg

This message was edited Apr 14, 2007 12:59 AM

that's funny! a buddy and i are using 2-gal ziploc bags for starting loads of bismarkia palm seedings. it makes transplanting them a cinch.

That sounds neat, Robert, but the picture of the Thai plumies didn't show up. Can you re-post it?

sorry don't know what happen!
link is in post..

robert! absolutely sick. i love it! LOL so much dedication. happy growing!

Those look so beautiful.. all standing tall waiting to become beautiful trees.

Tammie

Awesome!

Love the grow bags bro.
I also love the 'birds mouth' grafts
I do them too
They take quite well.
Those Thai plumies look really healthy man
Keep up the good work ;)

Thanks all but these are not mine remember even tho i have most of these..
These will go on ebay from the seller/sellers..

I agree with all lopaka-they look great! I wondered about watering when I saw the bags filled halfway. If you roll the bags down to about an inch above the soil line, then I think that you will have an easier job of watering. We used to use those bags when we had a nursery in Hawaii-brings back memories!!

Awe, Robert, I am glad you enjoyed them. When I read that sweet homegrown tangerines were one of your favorite things, I just had to send them to you as a "thank you" for the cuttings you sent me.

Edited to add: that is an impressive display of flowers you have there! Wow!

This message was edited Apr 15, 2007 11:52 AM

Sorry for the delay friends the infamous northeastern storm blew thru..

Here is the soil i was talking about..
http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/4499/200704152192io3.jpg
http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/2140/200704152193ue1.jpg
http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/5854/200704152196bm8.jpg
http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/4994/200704152198qo3.jpg

Lost 35 inflos today.. mothernature give it,mothernature take it...
:(

Even lost the rigid Aztec Gold:
http://img355.imageshack.us/img355/6761/200704152183em4.jpg
http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/1029/200704152199wu8.jpg

Nice radar image NOT!!!!!
http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/1748/wunidsmaphx0.gif


I leave you with big blooms from the AG:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/230/461195534_8475477d35_o.jpg

This message was edited Apr 16, 2007 3:19 AM

So sorry Robert. :(

That is some wicked weather you had. so sorry for the loss... hope the plants decide to make it up to you.

Thank you for the pictures. The potting mix looks nice.
Can't wait to hear how it does.

Tammie

That soil looks great, Robert. Thanks for posting those pics. I too am sorry for your inflo loss man. I have a feeling though that, even with your loss, you will see more inflo's than most of us this summer!

Robert,
I'm sorry to hear that you lost all those inflos. I was upset because I lost only 2 off my Puu Alii.
Mickey
freezing again in Arizona

Your soil looks great, not just for plumies but for any other plants that need good drainage. I have two pink plumies from seed that are planted in cactus potting soil. It was recommed by the person that sent me the seeds a few years ago. They are in gallon pots and have not grown much. They have never bloomed. I think I will look for different potting mix for them and transplant them. Thanks to this forum, I'm learning alot about plumeria.

Imadigger, here are my seedlings that are three years old. They are in five-gallon containers that are sunk (too close to each other) in the ground. They tend not to dry out as quickly when they are sunken in the ground. The more room that the roots have, the bigger your seedlings will grow. They will also need a lot of fertilizer to encourage that first bloom. Cactus mix typically does not have the nutrients that plumerias need, but some people like to mix it in with good potting soil to improve drainage. If yours are a few years old and still in one-gallon containers, then their growth has been stunted, but repotting can remedy that.

WOW! Claire. Beautiful plants. This weekend I'm transplanting into 3 gallon pots and a good potting soil. With our spring and summer weather here in Central Fl, they should start to grow again. Thanks for your help.
Eileen

Clare where are the plumies in your pic??
I can't see the trees thru the green forest!
;=)

Eileen, go for five-gallon! Trust me. They will be better off for it.

LOL, Robert! Here are some more! It's so crowded here that you can't see anything!

insane! LOL

LOL, Dete. I'm definitely starting to feel that way.

haha! my plumeria sit at home all alone. i don't see them that much. one would think that means i don't need any more. okay, i just want one more. LOL

Dete,
And whidh plumie do you want?
Mickey