Viewing post #3100817 by manitougigi

kenisaac said: Perlite floats to the top of the pot with watering and blows away- I don't use it. Even when cheap it doesn't do the job I need it to do.

In the Western US usually the options @Lucy68 mentioned are cheap- I use either expanded shale or her suggestion of pumice to add grit (improve drainage by adding water/oxygen pore space.) Both are locally sourced for me in Utah.

Organics breaks up heavy potting soil as well, like bark fines, coco coir or spaghnum peat moss to name just a few. This is my suggestion if you haven't tried adding more organic material to heavy soil.

No to gypsum, unless you have a test showing sodic soil -and perhaps advice from your local agricultural extension. It can mess with the soil mineral availability for your plants...

'Hydroponic suppliers' are great sources of soil ammendments online, but shipping will always be a factor.

The advice to buy local is correct- usually because a local source can be far cheaper than shipping across the country. Can a neighbor pick up something for you?

As suggested, big box home improvement stores, tractor supply, etc (and maybe your Walmart) often have online bags of soil ammendments with a free 'ship-to-store' option on big and bulky items.

Thank you. As I mentioned in my last post, I'll be doing some shopping at Home Depot. I haven't found coarse perlite floating to the top of my containers and blowing away to be a problem. I used coir and spagnum last year - as much as I could afford to buy, which wasn't enough.

Local ag store is too far away, and they never answer their phone, nor could I find the products suggested on their website, so they're not getting my business. I buy local when I can, when I can't, I buy online, which does not always mean more $$.