I noticed that my semps in terra cotta pots drain and dry quicker then the ones in the plastic.
Bill promptly wisked me to the garden center and we loaded a cart with terra cotta pots.
He is an amazingly supportive guy!

So, most of my semps in containers are in their new terra cotta pots.
I also found grit for 1.09 for a five lb. bag. It's light gray/white in color unlike the
pretty purplish manna pro brand. Which happens to be $10. For a five lb. bag locally.
Hey, for that kind of savings I'll be happy to use the gray/white!
Here are some images.


Deep Fire with her new pot and marker.

Hey, what's going on with this NOID?

The nursery and bed for part day sun lovers.

Little ones potted up behind the nursery.

What's left of the new pots. None of the 4" left to photograph.

Almost everyone in new pots.




Looks like this NOID is going to flower.

Woolcott's Variety chicks growing quickly. I love this cultivar!

This group of Fuzzy Wuzzy includes a teeny tiny crest!

Terri it looks like your NOID is starting to form a crest. How fun is that.
You have sure been busy, and it all looks wonderful. I love the looks of the terra cotta.

Thanks, Lynn! I'm working on a small rock wall too. I have plans to increase my semps this summer!
I thought that looked like a crest too! How fun indeed!
That little NOID had a tag last fall, this spring when I broke down the rock garden,
a few were missing their tags. I could not remember their names.
I keep much better records now!
Two other semps were gnawed on by the chipmunks. They are making a comeback though.

They certainly are tough little plants. A little gnawing only sets them back for a bit.

Ah, crud!
After re-reading this post, I don't think I made my point. It sounds like I'm bragging or something. I'm not!
Many of my semps in plastic pots simply were not draining right. My mix was:
4 parts potting mix,
2 parts perlite and
1 part grit.
I even tried adding more perlite and some course sand. No good.
After noticing that the semps in clay pots were doing just fine, I thought that switching to the clay pots was the best course of action. Being a gardner for many decades, Bill thought we must act right away before we loose any plants.
I should have acted sooner.

I lost Canada Kate and a small rosette from Ysolde.
All seems well with the clay pots, so far.
Is it possible to add too much perlite or granite grit to the potting mix?

I have never had good luck with perlite. After time it seems to travel up to the surface of the potting mix. I think you would do better with equal parts potting mix, coarse sand and maybe some pumice or chicken grit. You get a lot of summer rain don't you?

Sometimes. It's the spring rain that we're still getting that's making me run my butt off trying to figure out what the best mix would be.
Last year everyone was in the high rock bed. The rain went right through.
I'm almost finished the small rock wall out back. I have high hopes for that space.

It sounds like you have things in control Terri.

I hope so!
I did find a good deal on grit. $6.50 for a 50lb. bag.
I plan on adding more grit to my mix from now on.
Thank you, Lynn. You are always there to lend a hand.

Keep up the good work. You have an analytical mind and are using it well.

Terri top dressing using the grit has helped me so much!! Over time as I re-do the grit, it gets deep (several inches) and the semps seem to like that! And it drains better! Good luck. Your terra cotta pots look great!

Funny Greg, every time I top dress a semp, I remember reading your post about that.
Exactly what I do now. Also adding a LOT of grit to my soil mix. Things are much better now.

Greg, I was wondering how adding grit as a top dressing helps drainage. I just planted several large planters with semps and sedum and am trying to figure out if I should top dress them. I'm afraid I won't be able to see the soil when it gets dry. Living in a humid climate, I'm struggling with the best mix and watering techniques, especially since things are just starting to root in. (I know I put waaaay too many semps in each pot.)

Wow, Judith those are really beautiful containers.
The purpose of the grit top dressing is to place a barrier between the underside of the leaves and the soil. This will help to keep the foliage from rotting.

@JKing - wow those are so pretty!! I think its a good thing to fill a pot to look good from the beginning, you can always remove a hen or 2 later as needed! The top dressing, in my opinion, makes the planting look more finished - like putting a frame on a painting.

Thanks for both your comments. Lynn, that makes good sense about keeping the leaves dryer with the grit. And Greg, thanks for saying that it's OK to put the plants close together and remove them if the pot gets too crowded. We are moving next summer, and I wanted to move as few pots as possible (fat chance!) so maybe the semps will behave until then.

Lovely container plantings, Judith!

Terra cotta's the best IMO. Here's my largest semp Raspberry Ice. Not my favorite semp but I've got high hopes for it to overflow that pot. That pot was marked $12.99 at my local Wilco, but when the cashier rang it up she said it was $3.29. I asked here to check and make sure and she said it was right. So I went back and got three more. A four-for-the-price-of-one sale I guess. Man... I shoulda bough a dozen of 'em.

That was sure a great deal Tim. What a score.