Good morning Ross, thanks for the information once more. As a previous viewer mentioned, we break out the notebook to soak up and document this valuable information from the master. I’m originally from the West Indies where everything grows in a tropical climate so gardening here in North Texas is a little different.. this is where your knowledge and passion for growing plants is priceless. You have motivated me to start growing figs over the past 18 months which is a new endeavor.. not too many fig growers in the West Indies.. Thanks again.
I agree. There's always something to new to learn. Especially when switching to a dramatically different climate as you have. Glad I could help with the figs. I personally can't imagine growing fruit in a temperate or sub-tropical zone without them.
Wow Ross, what an amazing amount of information. Just wanted to thank you. I am in North Florida and have a few citrus, and mango trees in pots. They are fruiting well, but don't always look as healthy as they should. You have helped me a lot. Now if I could just figure out an easier way to keep them warm, then pulling these huge pots into my garage every time it freezes.
I know a guy in North FL that uses an oak canopy to avoid frost. Additionally.. the next time it frosts, observe your landscape closely. Determine which areas have frost and which don't. I think you'll be surprised.
Man I never realized Calcium is so important for figs. Good to know, I'm a big believer in garden lime, but have been skimpy with my 40 figs. No more. Thanks again.
Got my rice hulls today! Though I've not had trouble in the past with my figs, I'm looking forward to some better figs. Also learned about carbonizing these hulls for biochar applications in other gardening applications, seems like a pretty great by-product. Thanks!
I am so glad I found this video of yours! Thank you so much for the insane amount of detailed information, Ross! With my growing number of plants that will need to be taken care of, this is exactly what I have been looking for! You are the best!!! :)
Thanks Ross, I just ordered a bag of rice hulls and I have been using fish emulsion for year and its good stuff for sure. Potting up some new fig varieties this week or next and I'll plug you on my channel when I get around to the video. Appreciate you, keep on with the great fig work!
Another interesting soil amendment i've been experimenting with is fullers earth, which is used in kitty litter. I get unscented, non-clumping special kitty cat litter for $5/50lb bag at Walmart. Fullers earth is clay that has been superheated to form solid particles. You maintain most of the CEC capacity of clay while avoiding the water-logging properties of normal clay. The kitty litter will act much like perlite for improving drainage, while giving the added benefit of holding onto positively charged nutrients. pH is mildly acidic to neutral. Variations of fullers earth are repackaged and sold as bonsai soils and aquarium substrates for aquatic plants. I've personally used kitty litter with great success for growing aquatic plants.
Ross, been following and watching your videos for quite a while. Basically I use ricehulls too in every container I have. We don't have pine bark here, while perlite is way too costly, a huge bag of rice hulls like yours costs probably only a US$1 over here (Indonesia). I use these not only as mulch, but also as 50% of my potting mix. Fyi, there is another version of rice hulls that is already burnt or called rice hulls charcoal. I believe this adds lots of carbon in the container as opposed to silicon.
Very easy. I use 25% of the plain rice hulls and the other 25% of the charcoal rice hulls. The other 50% consists of worm casting and compost (from different source of organic matters ie: cow manure, dried bamboo leaves, green compost etc). As you said, we need vitamin and minerals and so do plants. The more food combination we feed to the plants (or soil), the happier they'll become.
On a sidenote, rice hulls charcoals may also be used as mulch, though I don't, however since they are black in colour, I believe they absorb more heat from sunlight than the plain rice hulls. That's why I don't use the rice hulls charcoals as mulch.
Your garden looks amazing- I am moving from North to South Carolina. I have been trying to grow figs in pots. I have greenary but no fruit on my 4 year old green fig tree. I would love some cuttings from any of your figs. I have turkey, green, raspberry, kadota( most from friends) I’m looking for black mission figs. I grow other plants like asparagus and now I have a backyard of lots of perennial non fruit plants. I can’t take them all to my new home. I leave my figs out in the north from warm weather to October when it is time to bring them into my garage wrap them up and water once a month.. I would love to read how to grow fig and get fruit in the south. Having a cutting from you would be amazing!
Hello Ross, enjoyed the video as always. How do you feel about using inorganic/synthetic fertiliser on your edibles? I am wary of using anything synthetic on my fig trees.
No studies have shown that it harms us in any way after consuming (that is with few years of research). It DOES harm the soil over time through salt buildup. Very bad for the earth.
Synthetic fertilisers to a Longue d'Août tree in April gave a slightly bitter taste to the figs of this year (both the brebas and the main crop), I couldn't believe it. Of course I no longer use it.
im 1,66, and i have had bird nest soup, baked alaska. etc., being ex navy pac. the bird nest soup needs baning. its either illegal now or should be,. but never a fig. how crazy is that
Wonderful video, thank you! Do you have a 'recipe' use use for amounts of each item? Also, would you please provide an update about how the rice hulls are working out for you?
I go to the horse stable at the local police station ask the seargent for Seven buckets of manure. Mix it with sand(silicon) and leaf mold Put in black heavy-duty Trash bags. Add some Regular garden topsoil. Let set for a month. Then scoop it out Place around top of soil Of potted fruit trees.
There was a lot of good info, what I found interesting is that I should be using a liquid fertilizer along with the granular with potted trees. I just happened to add some of the Alaska Fish fertilizer this year because the apple tree looked like it needed something...It's good to find out that I did the right thing, but should do it more often...
Hi Ross, I bought some pine chip litter bedding as there seems to be no pine bark available at my local WalMart; will it do the same thing as an additive to the potting soil?
Osmocote is unreliable because it's release is based on moisture or moisture activated so if you have a wet environment, it will release a lot all at once. That is my personal experience and have seen it on some fruit trees and tropical trees board that others had the same experience.
Awesome info on the rice hulls. I've noticed some of the more premium potting mixes have rice hulls listed in their ingredients but to be able to use it as a mulch as well is fantastic. Going to order me a bag. Thank goodness they don't try to ream you on what is essentially chaff that's discarded when they process rice. Those rice farmers are probably giddy that they have a secondary market to sell to :p
Hey Ross have you heard if Gary's best top pot mix? It's mineral based. 1/3 peat 1/3 pumice 1/3 sand. He says plants don't like to be grown in wood products. They rot. So u have to keep them starved for water. And they suffer. I'm using pine bark and perlite for now. What do u think?
I use 4 kinds of rock dust and got damn my trees love it. It’s march and my trees in the greenhouse have taken off with growth already. I even have 4 that are producing brebas already. To get it to the roots I use a straw and I stick the straw all over filling it with the mixer. It’s a lot of work but I don’t care. The results are crazy.
Great informative video, I may have missed it but what ratio of each product do you use in your mix? I have a bag of pine bark mulch also a bag of compost. How much of each should be used when making a mix? Thnx
Hello: I had a sump pump installed in my basement and they took a lot of soil & rocks from the space. Can I use it as rock dust. It doesn't smell or anything but its really rocky soil and rocks. Need to get it hall away or try to use. I have 2 new pear trees and an apple, fig, lemon, olive in containers. Zone 6
how do you grow an avocado bro, im having hard time dealing with the avocado hass. ive made a lot of research but and apply so many stuff to it but nothing.... the leaves are turning brown and cracking one by one and some are falling off..
Hi my fig fruit been 3 years old but every year has a lot of fruit but the fig fruit is very dry and water a lot can u help me what I need to use to help my fig tree
I signed up for newsletter to amleo.com like you said. Was the free shipping for motor freight or standard shipping? AMLEO has a soiless mix called Berger BM7, which is used by Logees for their potting mix. The website says BM7 is made of: coarse peat moss; pine bark; horticultural perlite; Dolomitic limestone; Calcitic limestone; and a non-ionic wetting agent. Has a pH of 5.6 to 6.4.
Ross Raddi thanks Ross! I figured out you can't add more than 2 in order to get ground shipping. If you add 3, it'll be motor freight which they have to give you a price later. Thanks for the follow up bud.
Hi Ross, just subscribed to your channel. Great stuff! I do a lot of container gardening too. I've been doing a 50% mix of organic potting soil and 50% organic compost. I amend with worm castings and use Dr earth products for fertlizer. Every few weeks I water with a worm tea. Does that setup sound decent? I really like the idea of rice hulls. I didn't see a link to the company you mentioned, but maybe I missed it. Can you post that?
Shaxs I would have added something like Rice Hulls or Bark. By the way.. Free shipping on Rice Hulls from Amleo.com today. Promo code: 7A18P Happy 4th!
Good morning Ross, thanks for the information once more. As a previous viewer mentioned, we break out the notebook to soak up and document this valuable information from the master. I’m originally from the West Indies where everything grows in a tropical climate so gardening here in North Texas is a little different.. this is where your knowledge and passion for growing plants is priceless. You have motivated me to start growing figs over the past 18 months which is a new endeavor.. not too many fig growers in the West Indies.. Thanks again.
I agree. There's always something to new to learn. Especially when switching to a dramatically different climate as you have. Glad I could help with the figs. I personally can't imagine growing fruit in a temperate or sub-tropical zone without them.
@@RossRaddi Just wondering what price the rice hull is at now?
Wow Ross, what an amazing amount of information. Just wanted to thank you. I am in North Florida and have a few citrus, and mango trees in pots. They are fruiting well, but don't always look as healthy as they should. You have helped me a lot. Now if I could just figure out an easier way to keep them warm, then pulling these huge pots into my garage every time it freezes.
I know a guy in North FL that uses an oak canopy to avoid frost.
Additionally.. the next time it frosts, observe your landscape closely. Determine which areas have frost and which don't. I think you'll be surprised.
Man I never realized Calcium is so important for figs. Good to know, I'm a big believer in garden lime, but have been skimpy with my 40 figs. No more. Thanks again.
Got my rice hulls today! Though I've not had trouble in the past with my figs, I'm looking forward to some better figs. Also learned about carbonizing these hulls for biochar applications in other gardening applications, seems like a pretty great by-product. Thanks!
I am so glad I found this video of yours! Thank you so much for the insane amount of detailed information, Ross! With my growing number of plants that will need to be taken care of, this is exactly what I have been looking for! You are the best!!! :)
Thank you.
Thanks Ross, I just ordered a bag of rice hulls and I have been using fish emulsion for year and its good stuff for sure. Potting up some new fig varieties this week or next and I'll plug you on my channel when I get around to the video. Appreciate you, keep on with the great fig work!
Thank you, Scott!
Awesome video, great editing and very very informative. Thank you.
Another interesting soil amendment i've been experimenting with is fullers earth, which is used in kitty litter. I get unscented, non-clumping special kitty cat litter for $5/50lb bag at Walmart. Fullers earth is clay that has been superheated to form solid particles. You maintain most of the CEC capacity of clay while avoiding the water-logging properties of normal clay. The kitty litter will act much like perlite for improving drainage, while giving the added benefit of holding onto positively charged nutrients. pH is mildly acidic to neutral.
Variations of fullers earth are repackaged and sold as bonsai soils and aquarium substrates for aquatic plants. I've personally used kitty litter with great success for growing aquatic plants.
What brand do you use?
Excellent video Ross thanks
Nice Video Ross,Going to try Tahitian Limes other citrus later,Thank you.
Good info. I have DE and use it for my animals but never heard of or thought of using it for plants. I may give it a try.
Ross, been following and watching your videos for quite a while. Basically I use ricehulls too in every container I have. We don't have pine bark here, while perlite is way too costly, a huge bag of rice hulls like yours costs probably only a US$1 over here (Indonesia). I use these not only as mulch, but also as 50% of my potting mix. Fyi, there is another version of rice hulls that is already burnt or called rice hulls charcoal. I believe this adds lots of carbon in the container as opposed to silicon.
Very interesting. Which one do you like more?
Very easy. I use 25% of the plain rice hulls and the other 25% of the charcoal rice hulls. The other 50% consists of worm casting and compost (from different source of organic matters ie: cow manure, dried bamboo leaves, green compost etc). As you said, we need vitamin and minerals and so do plants. The more food combination we feed to the plants (or soil), the happier they'll become.
On a sidenote, rice hulls charcoals may also be used as mulch, though I don't, however since they are black in colour, I believe they absorb more heat from sunlight than the plain rice hulls. That's why I don't use the rice hulls charcoals as mulch.
You may want to use them (rice hulls charcoal) as mulch in the winter though. I don't have winter here.
so let me see if i understand this right. you mix your potting mix and rice hulls together? not just hulls on top.
Hey Ross, have you considered listing the soil mix/fertilisers/equipment on your website?
Your garden looks amazing- I am moving from North to South Carolina. I have been trying to grow figs in pots. I have greenary but no fruit on my 4 year old green fig tree. I would love some cuttings from any of your figs. I have turkey, green, raspberry, kadota( most from friends) I’m looking for black mission figs. I grow other plants like asparagus and now I have a backyard of lots of perennial non fruit plants. I can’t take them all to my new home. I leave my figs out in the north from warm weather to October when it is time to bring them into my garage wrap them up and water once a month.. I would love to read how to grow fig and get fruit in the south. Having a cutting from you would be amazing!
Hello Ross, enjoyed the video as always. How do you feel about using inorganic/synthetic fertiliser on your edibles? I am wary of using anything synthetic on my fig trees.
No studies have shown that it harms us in any way after consuming (that is with few years of research). It DOES harm the soil over time through salt buildup. Very bad for the earth.
Synthetic fertilisers to a Longue d'Août tree in April gave a slightly bitter taste to the figs of this year (both the brebas and the main crop), I couldn't believe it. Of course I no longer use it.
Oh also picked up a few figs , from watching your videos. Sixty eight years old and have never tasted a fresh fig. I can't wait!
Most people haven't! Trying to get the word out.. too many don't know what they're missing!
im 1,66, and i have had bird nest soup, baked alaska. etc., being ex navy pac. the bird nest soup needs baning. its either illegal now or should be,. but never a fig. how crazy is that
Wonderful video, thank you! Do you have a 'recipe' use use for amounts of each item? Also, would you please provide an update about how the rice hulls are working out for you?
Great video but how do i get nutrients back into my tree and fruit containers that I planted last year
I go to the horse stable
at the local police station
ask the seargent for
Seven buckets of manure.
Mix it with sand(silicon)
and leaf mold
Put in black heavy-duty
Trash bags. Add some
Regular garden topsoil.
Let set for a month.
Then scoop it out
Place around top of soil
Of potted fruit trees.
Very informative...Thank you!
Thank you! Did any piece of information stand out?
There was a lot of good info, what I found interesting is that I should be using a liquid fertilizer along with the granular with potted trees. I just happened to add some of the Alaska Fish fertilizer this year because the apple tree looked like it needed something...It's good to find out that I did the right thing, but should do it more often...
LMAOOOO I was like "silicone? This is so interesting 🍿"
What’s the ingredients breakdown of the soil composition that you use in your containers?
*pulls out notepad and begins taking notes from the master*
Haha, thanks Lupo.
Same here. I had ro stop the video about 5 times to take notes.
Hi Ross, I bought some pine chip litter bedding as there seems to be no pine bark available at my local WalMart; will it do the same thing as an additive to the potting soil?
Awesome info! Thanks
You’ve become a real gardener when you make your own leaf mold - THE best soil amendment. Learn about it Ross...and own it.
I've created some in the past, but never in pots. I'll check that out.
try osmocote 15-9-12,8-9 month slow release works great
Osmocote is unreliable because it's release is based on moisture or moisture activated so if you have a wet environment, it will release a lot all at once. That is my personal experience and have seen it on some fruit trees and tropical trees board that others had the same experience.
Awesome info on the rice hulls. I've noticed some of the more premium potting mixes have rice hulls listed in their ingredients but to be able to use it as a mulch as well is fantastic. Going to order me a bag. Thank goodness they don't try to ream you on what is essentially chaff that's discarded when they process rice. Those rice farmers are probably giddy that they have a secondary market to sell to :p
Thank for sharing.
Do you have a store-front direct link to AM Leo to buy the Hulls?
Thanks.
Hey Ross have you heard if Gary's best top pot mix? It's mineral based. 1/3 peat 1/3 pumice 1/3 sand. He says plants don't like to be grown in wood products. They rot. So u have to keep them starved for water. And they suffer. I'm using pine bark and perlite for now. What do u think?
Please reply
I use 4 kinds of rock dust and got damn my trees love it. It’s march and my trees in the greenhouse have taken off with growth already. I even have 4 that are producing brebas already. To get it to the roots I use a straw and I stick the straw all over filling it with the mixer. It’s a lot of work but I don’t care. The results are crazy.
Rock dust?
Use Jobe’s organic fertilizer and beet pulp. You can get beet pulp easily.
So if you're using making your own soil what would the ratio be when using Wormcastings, rice hulls, soil conditioner, and compost?
Great informative video, I may have missed it but what ratio of each product do you use in your mix? I have a bag of pine bark mulch also a bag of compost. How much of each should be used when making a mix?
Thnx
50% of each man.
Hi Ross,
Just wondering about coarse sand? Is that any good in soil mix. So organic compost, sand amd bark?
Hello: I had a sump pump installed in my basement and they took a lot of soil & rocks from the space. Can I use it as rock dust. It doesn't smell or anything but its really rocky soil and rocks. Need to get it hall away or try to use. I have 2 new pear trees and an apple, fig, lemon, olive in containers. Zone 6
how do you grow an avocado bro, im having hard time dealing with the avocado hass.
ive made a lot of research but and apply so many stuff to it but nothing.... the leaves are turning brown and cracking one by one and some are falling off..
That's a pretty big question and I don't have enough info to answer. Tell me more about the tree.
Well done
Where do you buy the rice hulls Ross? Thanks!
Have you ever added biochar into yu containers?
Awesome video!! Just wondering if growing peppers in pure compose soil, is it okay?
Yup.
Where did you order the rice haul from?
Hi my fig fruit been 3 years old but every year has a lot of fruit but the fig fruit is very dry and water a lot can u help me what I need to use to help my fig tree
Thx
Hey Ross, what do you think of mycorrhizae as an amendment?
Fantastic stuff. Underrated in pots.
Make sure it's active though.
Help me with planting a bald cypress tree please
I signed up for newsletter to amleo.com like you said. Was the free shipping for motor freight or standard shipping?
AMLEO has a soiless mix called Berger BM7, which is used by Logees for their potting mix.
The website says BM7 is made of: coarse peat moss; pine bark; horticultural perlite; Dolomitic limestone; Calcitic limestone; and a non-ionic wetting agent. Has a pH of 5.6 to 6.4.
It's free shipping if you get the right promo code. Not worth it without.
Peat moss and perlite I stay away from.
Free shipping on Rice Hulls from Amleo.com today. Promo code: 7A18P
Happy 4th!Free shipping on Rice Hulls from Amleo.com today. Promo code: 7A18P
Happy 4th!
Ross Raddi thanks Ross! I figured out you can't add more than 2 in order to get ground shipping. If you add 3, it'll be motor freight which they have to give you a price later. Thanks for the follow up bud.
Could I use a coco coir, compost, vermiculite, vegan fertilizer, worm castings mix for calamondin citrus tree?
Thank you
great info ! I grow in pots too so those rice hulls sound much better than bark.
Can you send me the website that you use ?
thanks
Amleo.com
Ross would you recommend using azomite and ironite together and at what dilution?
Hard to go too heavy on the micros. 1/4 cup of each for 5 gallons of soil.
I bought the Alaska Fish fertilizer and used it on my plants in pots on the patio. That night Raccoons came and dug up my plants. Not Happy!
Ohhhh man. I'm very sorry to hear that.
Cool
Let’s see your garden. Or do you only do pots?
See my other videos, Joe. There's plenty on the garden this year. Most of what I have in containers is for zone pushing.
What about worm tea like Vermistera instead of Alaska fish fertilizer for the liquid fertilizer?
For sure. It's just not widely available to most. Trying to give people some easy alternatives.
What type of soil mix would you recommend for Airlayering?
Something with high moisture holding capacity.
What's the difference between the regular fertilizer and spikes .I'm new to this and purchase a lemon tree
Not much, but with all fertilizers there are varying degrees of strength and duration.
Perhaps fertilize 10 , 20 of your MVPS organically.
Do u have pear in container?
I did. Years ago.
AM Lenord? Is that where you get the hulls from?
Amleo.com
Hi Ross, just subscribed to your channel. Great stuff! I do a lot of container gardening too. I've been doing a 50% mix of organic potting soil and 50% organic compost. I amend with worm castings and use Dr earth products for fertlizer. Every few weeks I water with a worm tea. Does that setup sound decent?
I really like the idea of rice hulls. I didn't see a link to the company you mentioned, but maybe I missed it. Can you post that?
Amleo.com
Sounds like a heavy mix shaxs, but if it's working don't change it!
It seems to be working okay. What would you change though if you had a recommendation?
Shaxs I would have added something like Rice Hulls or Bark.
By the way.. Free shipping on Rice Hulls from Amleo.com today. Promo code: 7A18P
Happy 4th!
Ross Raddi thanks for the heads up! Happy 4th as well!
Any problems with fig mosaic virus with all those figs?
Not yet. There IS one variety in the 1000s that exist that actually has it quite bad.
Do you have any fruit trees in abundance to show ?
those rice hulls are now $70 each from that company...
Just add some sand it fix almost everything with the root problems (no black sands the lighter the color the better)
What zone are you in?
7A.
Ross Raddi thanks I was just watching other videos and you mentioned it. Great channel
Thank you. I'm very jealous of your lychee tree. I grew one in containers last year. The thing did great, but didn't survive in the GH this winter.
Mari's Vegetable Garden, that Twilight zone. Amh
Are you selling plants?
In a week or two on FigBid. See the description of my latest videos.
You need some chickens bro
What about styrofoam in the bottom of your pot for better drainage? Anyone?
That works. Mostly wasted space imo.
He’s hot 😍🥵