Myths, Misconceptions, and Trivia

[Victorim]

You don't need to water your trees once they go dormant... Myth.

...Unless your trees are uncovered and that last time it didn't rain was 1995..

 

[Cadillactaste]

...Unless your trees are uncovered and that last time it didn't rain was 1995..

Wintering in a greenhouse. But I have seen ones tell others in FB groups they don't need watered in their sheds. Last winter there was one telling people that. Mind boggling.

 

[twisted trees]

When a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear it,it still makes a hell of a racket.

Myth

 

[music~maker]

Luckily, @Adair M is on a plane somewhere over Nebraska right now, so you're safe for the time being.

Lol! I wasn't actually trying to kick off another soil war thread with Adair, but he probably would be the one to respond now that I think about it. =)

I used to use a similar mix when I lived in the Boston area back in the day. The quartz/granite proved too heavy in my larger pots, so I got rid of it. Still have lots of trees growing out in Turface, too, but I've got lots in the imported stuff, as well.

Yeah, the granite definitely doesn't make things light - that is a bit of a downside in the larger pots. I kind of like the stability of a heavier mix though. Even in ridiculous storms, my pots don't seem to budge.

Since you have extensive experience growing things in both, what would you say are the biggest differences between turface-based mixes and things like akadama/pumice/lava (other than the weight)?

Have you actually seen a difference in growth rates, root systems, frequency of needing to re-pot, etc? Do you have particular use cases for each?

I have a lot more experience with the turface-based mix than other things, and I rarely (if ever) see anyone objectively compare the two from the point of view of "both work, here are the subtleties/advantages & disadvantages of each". Usually it's either "turface is bad, mmmKay?" or "Akadama is elitist and unnecessary", and rarely anything in between. I know that neither of those is absolutely true, and as someone who likes to know "why", and doesn't typically take things at face value that don't have satisfactory explanations, I find the polarity of the discussion more than a little bit frustrating and disappointing.

I suspect at some point, I'll just need to suck it up, order a big bag of pumice, akadama, kanuma and lava rock, experiment for a few seasons, then do a write-up on my experiences.

 

[Dav4]

Lol! I wasn't actually trying to kick off another soil war thread with Adair, but he probably would be the one to respond now that I think about it. =)



Yeah, the granite definitely doesn't make things light - that is a bit of a downside in the larger pots. I kind of like the stability of a heavier mix though. Even in ridiculous storms, my pots don't seem to budge.

Since you have extensive experience growing things in both, what would you say are the biggest differences between turface-based mixes and things like akadama/pumice/lava (other than the weight)?

Have you actually seen a difference in growth rates, root systems, frequency of needing to re-pot, etc? Do you have particular use cases for each?

I have a lot more experience with the turface-based mix than other things, and I rarely (if ever) see anyone objectively compare the two from the point of view of "both work, here are the subtleties/advantages & disadvantages of each". Usually it's either "turface is bad, mmmKay?" or "Akadama is elitist and unnecessary", and rarely anything in between. I know that neither of those is absolutely true, and as someone who likes to know "why", and doesn't typically take things at face value that don't have satisfactory explanations, I find the polarity of the discussion more than a little bit frustrating and disappointing.

I suspect at some point, I'll just need to suck it up, order a big bag of pumice, akadama, kanuma and lava rock, experiment for a few seasons, then do a write-up on my experiences.

I was successfully able to grow everything from rocky mountain junipers and Ponderosas to maples in turface based mixes for almost 15 years, both in MA and GA (though the ponderosa did go belly up down south and the soil may have been an issue). I do agree with many of the complaints surrounding turface's size and shape. It definitely tends to settle and compact and create a very wet bottom to the potted soil. I can't say that it ever adversely affected any of the trees planted in it, though. At this time, I still use loads of turface, but I prefer to mix it with soil conditioner and use it for growing out stock in grow boxes and nursery cans. Fwiw, I haven't been using akadama long enough to see any differences in growth rate or root health/quality, but I will say that the brand I have seems to hold up just fine to the many freeze/thaws we experience from Thanksgiving to St Patties day, and the maples planted in it this year do seem to have better looking leaves later in the season then those still in the turface.

 

[Victorim]

Still better than mud / potting soil.. and plenty of peeps still using that... Not me mind

 

[M. Frary]

Myth

Sasquatch says it's true.
Oh yeah.
Myth:
Sasquatch