The Figfather big box store soil mix recipe! List your soil mix and why you use it.

[Italian4u]

My soil mix and why I use it:

Peat - 30 to 50%
Perlite and/or pumice - 30 to 50%
Sand/rocks/charcoal/lava rocks/clay 10-20%

I use it because I've been told it's not good to have organic stuff under soil level. I am trying it out to see if what I have been told is true.

The best soil mixes are heavy on minerals. Allot of pumice, perlite, some peat moss, bio char, sand. Things like that. Pricy to make so I reserve it for trees that are going to stay with me for life. It’s super hard to root prune stuff like that however. That’s why I mainly use my big box mix. Organic stuff should stay on top so when you water pots the nutrients from it trickles down past the root ball on its way out the bottom of the pots with the roots uptaking all the nutrition that runs past.

 

[DELFIG]

The best soil mixes are heavy on minerals. Allot of pumice, perlite, some peat moss, bio char, sand. Things like that. Pricy to make so I reserve it for trees that are going to stay with me for life. It’s super hard to root prune stuff like that however. That’s why I mainly use my big box mix. Organic stuff should stay on top so when you water pots the nutrients from it trickles down past the root ball on its way out the bottom of the pots with the roots uptaking all the nutrition that runs past.

This contradicts you original soil mix where you are heavy on compost.....I agree compost should stay on top....

 

[387PETE]

People have asked and here it is my Figfather big box store soil recipe:

1- 25 quart bag of miracle gro moisture control potting mix
1- 1 cubic foot bag of miracle gro cactus, palm & citrus soil
2- 8 quart bags of miracle gro perlite
2- 40 pound bags of mushroom compost.

Do not use other types of compost it has to be mushroom compost. Using animal compost is not advised and can do more harm than good.

Step 1.) Mix the mushroom compost and the perlite together first.
Step 2.) Then add in the rest and mix well.

Perlite - aerates providing oxygen space to roots when you water.
Mushroom - compost feeds and helps with soil not drying out so fast in sunny summer days.
Moisture control potting mix - helps with over and under watering along with keeping things lite.
Cactus, palm & citrus soil - helps with drainage.

Adding an inch of crushed rocks to the bottom on the pot also helps allot. Nothing special the stuff they put down before the pour concrete over it is just fine. The courser it is the better. Rocks are minerals which plants love and also help with drainage. Please keep it no more than 1 inch. There is a fine line between too much being harmful to drainage and to little not doing anything. 1 inch give or take a 1/4 inch is plenty.

When adding a mulching layer for year one I tend to go for a bag of Cypress mulch over the pine bark mulch. Figs come from the Mediterranean and there is allot more fallen Cypress in that area of the world. My general thought process is that a fig in the wild is more likely to have a fallen Cypress tree mulch the ground around it than a pine tree. Maybe I’m over thinking it but at the store by me they are the same price so Cypress is the way I personally go. After year one I use the figs fallen leaves and unripe fruits as the mulching layer as it slowly builds over time year after year.

Be sure to have extra soil mixed up for the following couple years. As with all potting soil; year after year you will experience shrinkage and this is mainly to do with most potting mixes using peat moss or coco coir. Completely normal for root ball to compress and shrink a bit each season so adding a bit more soil each year to top it off if needed is helpful. Just remove the mulching layer and fill it in and top it off then add back the mulching layer. Shrinkage occurs the most between year 1-3. Keeping your root zone consistently moistened prevents the media from overly shrinking and becoming hydrophobic to water. If your root ball has dried out simply shower it with a little bit of eater, wait 5 minutes then come back and repeat. Doing that a few times will plump up your soil again to where it holds the water vs just having the water shed off it and with it take your top dressing / nutrition with it.

Also add a top dressing on top each year! Aside from regular liquid fertilization adding the top dressing at the beginning of each season to your pots is big. Just move your mulching layer away and add it in. Then just move your mulching layer back on top. Container grown figs need to be fed well or you may suffer growth, fruit, and vigor performance to decline season after season. I do not mix my top dressing into my soil. All my amendments to the soil mix lay on top so when you water they trickle down through the rootball vs being mixed in. I highly recommend top dressing only.

Mushroom compost has animal manure in it most often cow manure

 

[Italian4u]

Mushroom compost has animal manure in it most often cow manure

Some do but I called up a few companies and the stuff I use they confirmed no animal products in it. They have more composts grown other broken down vegetation in it but sadly sometimes they go heavy on the finely chopped up wood chips more than anything. If you are lucky and live close to a mushroom growing facility sometimes they will give their steamed and spend mushroom cakes for free that you just take home and compost yourself.

 

[Italian4u]

This contradicts you original soil mix where you are heavy on compost.....I agree compost should stay on top....

I have two soil mixes. Both work great but doe two different things. My big box store one is lower cost and easy to make and keeps trees healthy for the short term while you are trailing trees out. Then when you find your forever fig that stays with you it is better to move to a minerals based soil mixes which is more top tier. Think of it like booze. You hit your regular and then your top shelf. Compost does a good job holding onto the water but at a cost of decreasing the soils ability to breathe and allow oxygen to get to the root zone.

 

[hilltopfig]

I swear my mushroom compost in all my gardening. We love the stuff.

 

[paupau]

My local big box stores only have composted cow manure, no mushroom compost.

That being said ive not had any issues using black kow in the rest of my garden. Is your comment about it not being good specific to fig trees? Or what's the issue

 

[paupau]

“Adding an inch of crushed rocks to the bottom on the pot also helps allot. Nothing special the stuff they put down before the pour concrete over it is just fine. The courser it is the better. Rocks are minerals which plants love and also help with drainage.”

I keep seeing people mention that this will actually hurt your roots by raising the water table higher up the soil and allow for more water retention. How do the rocks work better for you than if you don’t have them?

You are correct. Mixing the rocks into the mix instead of making a layer at the bottom is better.

 

[paupau]

I’m not adding stone for drainage. My pots do not have any drainage problems as I grown in air prune pots and fabric grow bags. I add the crushed rock for minerals. If you are having drainage problems off are you do not have enough drain holes in the bottoms of the pots. 9/10 times all you have to do is drill more holes and you are set.

I think it may be more effective if you put the layer on top instead of the bottom.

1. If you use limestone gravel it will absorb and then slowly release water along with minerals (especially calcium which figs love).
2. It acts as a mulch for weed suppression and soil compaction from rain.

 

[DavidNC]

100% Happy Frog, because my figs grow like weeds in it and set figs.. I4U, you mentioned no animal compost, what about worm compost from kitchen scraps and pulverized eggshells? I mix a few handfuls in a watering can and water it in. Aside from some FMV running its course, I'm getting massive growth, but that's just a short-term observation.

 

[Poplee]

Hi @DavidNC , I'm also in NC 8A. I have been thinking of checking on granite dust from a local quarry. That's what we have here and it seems like drainage and minerals would be improved in pots. Although I'm sure weight will increase.

 

[DavidNC]

Hi @DavidNC , I'm also in NC 8A. I have been thinking of checking on granite dust from a local quarry. That's what we have here and it seems like drainage and minerals would be improved in pots. Although I'm sure weight will increase.

I don't *think* I'm having a drainage problem. I'm employing pot-in-pot with a mulch barrier between, and pot crowding/ shared canopy shading to keep the root zones cool and conserve moisture. Even so, I have to drench many of my pots every day when it gets 90+ and sunny, going from back-straining heavy to light enough to lift with one hand in no more than 2 days.
For minerals, I'll mix in some Azomite, basically volcanic rock dust. I also use worm compost and Jack's liquid feed with chelated minerals. I recently switched from all-purpose to Jack's Tropical, as it has mega potassium and low phosphate.
It's not all perfect, though. I'm seeing some preliminary symptoms of calcium deficiency, especially on my fastest growers. I have to determine if it's an actual lack of calcium, or a root zone issue.