What's the general consensus on the best soil mix for figs?

B

Beabchasingizz

Well-known member
I've been switching over to a mineral mix for my pots and beds. It's similar to Gary's top pot. My recipe is eyeballed but it's usually the following.
1/3 peat or coco
1/3 sand
1/3 perlite or pumice
Some zeolite(only because I have a ton from artificial turf installation) or granular hummus
Some azomite
.5-1 cup of Dr Earth/espoma for organic fertilizer and microbes
About 1 inch of compost
Osomocote plus
1-2 inches of Mulch
 
I've come up with a potting blend that works very well for me. I'm almost 100 percent potted growing on a timed fertigation system. One thing I think is really important is that you use a consistent soil across all your pots in regard to how it holds water throughout the day. So you're not waterlogging some while starving others.
Peat -1 portion
Pine Fines-1
Commercial made Leaf Compost-2
Perlite-1
Rabbit manure- 1/2 portion
rotting hardwood mulch 1/2

Minerals- Feed lime, calcite clay, Azomite, Gypsum conditioner
 
ktrain said:
After so many large pots doing nice custom mixes gets real expensive.
Anymore I just do 1/2 bag Vigoro potting mix to 1 bag soil conditioner and some course perlite, then add Mega Iron V.

It has worked out pretty well.
Also my chickens help with fertilizer. :)
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50/50 Sand and Peat for a mineral mix is pretty cheap but it can get heavy.
 
DCallahan said:
I've come up with a potting blend that works very well for me. I'm almost 100 percent potted growing on a timed fertigation system. One thing I think is really important is that you use a consistent soil across all your pots in regard to how it holds water throughout the day. So you're not waterlogging some while starving others.
Peat -1 portion
Pine Fines-1
Commercial made Leaf Compost-2
Perlite-1
Rabbit manure- 1/2 portion
rotting hardwood mulch 1/2

Minerals- Feed lime, calcite clay, Azomite, Gypsum conditioner
Click to expand...
I agree with your last point. My backyard has a mix of all different types of soil mixes. The moisture level all over the place for me.

What fertigation system are you using? Is it cheap/easy to setup?
 
Sterile Base: 9 parts sunshine #4, 4 parts sand, 3 parts peat, 2 parts pumice, 2 parts perlite

Add admendments as needed.

I also use this mix for my dragonfruit.
 

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LTCG said:
Sterile Base: 9 parts sunshine #4, 4 parts sand, 3 parts peat, 2 parts pumice, 2 parts perlite

Add admendments as needed.

I also use this mix for my dragonfruit.
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Very similar to my mix. I used to make it complicated like Gary's top pot or all those dragon fruit growers but since then I've simplified it.
 
Beabchasingizz said:
Very similar to my mix. I used to make it complicated like Gary's top pot or all those dragon fruit growers but since then I've simplified it.
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I'll continue to use premium soil for my premium figs/DF. A few times I've taken the shortcut and just dumped in 50/50 mix or Fox Farm but ended up regretting it before long. I've even lost a few expensive DF cuttings to root rot as we just get too much rain for a mix that doesnt drain well. With a sterile base mix, I can add what I want to add when I want to add it.
 
DCallahan said:
I've come up with a potting blend that works very well for me. I'm almost 100 percent potted growing on a timed fertigation system. One thing I think is really important is that you use a consistent soil across all your pots in regard to how it holds water throughout the day. So you're not waterlogging some while starving others.
Peat -1 portion
Pine Fines-1
Commercial made Leaf Compost-2
Perlite-1
Rabbit manure- 1/2 portion
rotting hardwood mulch 1/2

Minerals- Feed lime, calcite clay, Azomite, Gypsum conditioner
Click to expand...
Not to deviate from the OP's subj but I would like your input on your fertigation system....I'll tag you in another post.
 
LTCG said:
I'll continue to use premium soil for my premium figs/DF. A few times I've taken the shortcut and just dumped in 50/50 mix or Fox Farm but ended up regretting it before long. I've even lost a few expensive DF cuttings to root rot as we just get too much rain for a mix that doesnt drain well. With a sterile base mix, I can add what I want to add when I want to add it.
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I haven't lost any DF cuttings to root rot and I use a mineral mix. I have 1x 25 gal pot with 4 varieties, I used 20% peat and a ton of sand, with pumice and that thing weighs a ton. I haven't seen the soil level drop in 2 years. I still have 15+ varieties in 5 gal pots that I need to up-pot to 25 gal. I desperately need to borrow my FIL's truck to buy sand/dg and maybe pumice.

Cost wise, I would say Fox farms ocean forest is more premium than our mineral mixes. If I buy in bulk, I can get 1 cu yard pumice for 125 (5$ /cu ft), DG is 5252/ for cu yd ($2 cu ft), peat is usually 20-25 for 4 cu ft. It probably comes out to 4-5dollars per cu feet of 'permanent mix'. Isn't fox forms like 20 dollars for 1.5 cu ft?

Lately I've been buying bagged sand and perlite from home depot. That with peat probably cost about 7-10 dollars a cu ft and it should last forever. Whereas fox forms soil level drops significally every year.
 
Beabchasingizz said:
I haven't lost any DF cuttings to root rot and I use a mineral mix. I have 1x 25 gal pot with 4 varieties, I used 20% peat and a ton of sand, with pumice and that thing weighs a ton. I haven't seen the soil level drop in 2 years. I still have 15+ varieties in 5 gal pots that I need to up-pot to 25 gal. I desperately need to borrow my FIL's truck to buy sand/dg and maybe pumice.

Cost wise, I would say Fox farms ocean forest is more premium than our mineral mixes. If I buy in bulk, I can get 1 cu yard pumice for 125 (5$ /cu ft), DG is 5252/ for cu yd ($2 cu ft), peat is usually 20-25 for 4 cu ft. It probably comes out to 4-5dollars per cu feet of 'permanent mix'. Isn't fox forms like 20 dollars for 1.5 cu ft?

Lately I've been buying bagged sand and perlite from home depot. That with peat probably cost about 7-10 dollars a cu ft and it should last forever. Whereas fox forms soil level drops significally every year.
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A lot drier in SD than Tampa though...I think that has a lot to do with it.
 
LTCG said:
A lot drier in SD than Tampa though...I think that has a lot to do with it.
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That's true, although I water my pots everyday for 10 minutes on drip because my bed tend to dry out and they are on the same zone. I'm pretty bad at adjusting water levels but when I check my DF pots, the soil is always saturated and they seem do well. I should really go around and check the moisture level and adjust the 1/4 in line valves. I think not having compost mixed into the soil helps with the root rot. I haven't had any issues so I just leave it. Water is like $.005 a gallon here.
 
DCallahan said:
I know a place that they pay to dump crab shells by the dumptruck load. Business opportunity??
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Sounds like it! I once tried to make my own chicken bone meal (leftover bones from boiled chicken for dog food) and crab shell meal. I would first cook it in the bbq to dry it out then try to crush it. It was more work than I wanted to do. :LOL: I ended up just burying it whole under my trees. Extra slow release phosphorus.
 
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