Most Fruit Trees Love This Soil, Especially Avocado Trees....
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- Опубликовано: 15 авг 2024
- Who knew that good soil could be so simple? Who knew that plants love to grow in the same soil they've been growing in for millions of years? In this video, I go hunting for the soil that most fruit trees love. Then I plant an avocado tree in that soil. Then I talk about how great the soil is.
#soil #avocadotree #fruittrees
0:00 - 1:03 - Hunting for Good Soil at the Big Box Store
1:04 - 1:24 - Most People Buy This Type of Soil
1:25 - 1:54 - The Bad Ingredients of Most Potting Soils
1:55 - 2:32 - What Happens To Plants in Bad Soil
2:33 - 3:04 - I Found It! In the Building Supply Section!
3:05 - 3:57 - What Makes DG So Special
3:58 - 4:09 - Inflation!
4:10 - 4:34 - Where to Find It
4:35 - 5:06 - It's Drought Friendly
5:07 - 6:02 - Avocado Trees Love It
6:03 - 6:50 - Planting an Avocado Tree in DG
6:51 - 7:55 - What Happens When You Water DG
7:56 - 8:54 - Why I Don't Add Fertilizers to the Container, Just Mulch
8:55 - 9:23 - Soil Makes A Big Difference in Tree Health
9:24 - 10:00 - More DG Videos Coming! 
Хобби
![Avocado Leaves Turning Brown - [How to stop them curling and falling off]](/img/1.gif)
Congratulations on being one of the few who understands what real soil is. So much ignorance and misinformation out there. Well done. Keep up the good work!
But that’s not “real soil” that’s just dirt.
@@drillsergeant623 It's the "dirt" that plants will succeed growing in. That's what's important.
@@LK-3000 They thrive in soil not dirt.
@@drillsergeant623Trees in nature would germinate and penetrate the “top soil” or humus layer and as they grow set their roots in the lower, least fertile layers of the soil substrate. Vegetables and other crops need to grow in humus or a fertile replication of it i.e. mulch/compost, not fruit trees.
Ah... I see you are another convert of Gary's! The top few inches where you put the compost and mulch is where... wait for it now... the feeder roots are! What a concept put the food where the feeder roots are!
Fascinating!
I'm so glad you're teaching everyone about soil. The soil industry is making so much money and causing plants to fail. Keep recording these soil videos. The more people who watch you and learn the more we all succeed in growing our plants and trees. Thank you.
Please people, do listen to this guy. He is 100% correct. Don't listen to the RUclips channels that has millions of subscribers. Those people don't always do the right thing.
Getting excited to try this stuff
There's no DG where I live, I just use the dirt from my property along with a mix of perlite and coconut fibers. My avocados love it.
Very true. Inorganic materials is the way to go for potting mixes. Peat moss is the only "organic" material I use in my mixes, cause it isn't gonna break down overtime. I'll usually do 30-50% peat moss with the remaining consisting of pumice/lava rock/perlite/fired diatomaceous earth. I then topdress with vermicompost and organic fertilizer with a thick layer of mulch. Combined with an olla irrigation system, my citrus trees don't suffer from watering issues and handle the summer heat in Arizona very well.
That’s a great system you’ve got going there 👍🏽🌴
I make my own "soil" using peat pumice, coarse sand and charcoal.
Real knowledge 😮
Great job talking about real soil! More people need to learn how to grow trees and plants in proper soil. 😁👏🏼
Thanks!
But it’s dirt.
I'm just a guy who spends an unhealthy amount of time thinking about plants😂 Love that!
we still have a lot to learn thanks Aj for that logical idea
Thanks!
dirt! yes that's the one i'm looking for! you're so right about that. thanks for aharing & stay awesome!
I did the same with my avocado tree :) it’s been in water for three years without soil and growing strong
At it’s fourth year I put her in DG it’s growing happy and strong now :)
That’s awesome 🥑
@@AJTheGraftMan I actually didn’t buy it , the construction 🦺 worker next to where I used to live left a big pile of it on the side of the street so I just go take one ☝️ bag for my avocado 🥑, I did not realize that avocado 🥑 did love sandy soil that much , I didn’t even know the name of it was DG 😆
But thank you 🙏 😊 thank to the educator like you so I did the right thing for my avocado 🥑 back in the days so my avocado 🥑 still alive :) truly thankful 🥹
@@ameisherry thank you. You made my day :)
@@AJTheGraftMan I grow a lot zone 9 plants , my mango growing bag now soil is so low lol because all decomposed, I was surprised that how come my avocado bag soil never gets lower then I realized oh yeah ! I listen to growers like you back in the days so the soil is DG so it never gets lower and I never need to fill it up which is amazing 😍😍😍 I should be the one say thank you !!! 🙂🙂🙂
I was considering using DG for cutting propagation versus the standard sand. That might be a another good video.
good idea for a video, but I think sand would work better for cuttings
Friends don't let friends plant their trees in shredded bark! I plant in DG, sand or loamy sand and use Kellogg "soil" as organic mulch topper.
Lol yes indeed. That “soil” makes a great mulch
DG is the native soil a lot of places around L.A., my yard included. We're up on a ridge. Down in the valleys, you are more likely to have a soil more like clay. The one problem with DG is that it can get REALLY compacted and form something kinda like concrete.
That’s interesting. Do you grow plants in the compacted DG? How do they do?
@@AJTheGraftMan trees grow fabulously as long as there is a mulch layer. For growing in pots, it's fine as long as it stays moist, but if it dries out it can solidify into a 3 gallon brick and then you might have problem with even distribution of water through the pot when you start watering again. I haven't been real systematic about observations, but a ball of DG can definitely get so hard I can't break it with my hands. In my garden beds or pots I usually mix with some organic matter.
I have observed these same issues and as long as the mulch is on top of DG it’s good if not there things can get VERY hard
@@jonathanbessone1124 if you mix with organic matter vs mulching, does that defeat the purpose of avoiding potential root rot? asking for my plant friends
There is no DG granite available where I live as no granite in the local geology. However, various grades of crushed basalt are very abundant and cheap, as is quartz-derived beach sand. Is it an Ok idea to substitute DG with these materials? Granite is 70-77% silica anyway so is basically future sand once it gets washed into a river.
By the way, thank you for such informative videos. Keep it up bro! 👊🏻
Excellent video I think this might be your best
Wow thanks! Much appreciated..
This has been so enlightening. Thanks again! I will definitely make a trip out there soon.
Thank you for making the video!!!!! Very helpful!!!! Always enjoy your videos
Thanks!!
I water my pots as much as I like. I use sandy loam, clay loan, straight sand, and sand mixed with a small amount of peat moss.
Perfect, I got to try and find something similar in Greece. Thumbs up, Great video!
Thanks 👍🏽🥑
Wow, did not know. Thanks for the info
Thank you
Yesss AJ .. nice big store..good soil i information!! Blessings yah man !!
😉👍👍💚💚💚💚💚
Thanks! Blessings to you too my friend 🌱🪴👍🏼👍🏼
Stuff is great, as is lava rock sand/lava rocks or even planted aquarium substrates(which u can find on sale). Avocado does love nitrogen though!
I've been using Cactus and Soil mix from HD for all my plants lately. I only use potting soils on ferns and other plants that need much humus.
That’s very interesting. I’ll give DCG a try
I have been using this myself. I love it but it is sooo heavy. You probably know this is much cheaper at a rock yard. Never used around my avo trees 🤔. Thank you!
Yes it’s very heavy. I’ll mention that in the next video
Do you use seedlings for grafting purpose?
Sometimes
I have a 20" tall avocado in house now that i want to repot. Does DG inhibit growth or will new roots be able to grow through the DG?
Thank you ❤
👍🏽🥑
D.G. It used to be Dirt Cheap or Cheap Dirt, but now with Biden’s Build Back Betta we’re paying about Triple the Price, Oh Well, Thanks AJ , I got a bag the other day on your advice!!
Thanks. There are other places that sell it for cheaper. I’ll do a video about that soon
So a few questions and thanks for the video this was def informative..… my parents brought me a baby avocado tree along with lemon, lime and orange tree. She planted the citrus in a pot together but I’d like to separate them. I’d like to also like to repot the avocado tree. However, I’m not sure what soil they used to plant it to begin with. My first question is can I use the same soil for the citrus and avocado trees? My second question since a different soil was used to begin with, will I still be able to use DG? Or should I use the same soil they used? I am so new to this. I don’t know much about plants or how to even take care of them but these have been flourishing here and I’ve brought them back to life since they weren’t growing with them. Now I think m I have a green thumb and trying to keep up with my babies! 😂
Thanks! The answer to your first 2 questions is yes, use DG. And the answer to your last question is no. I’ve done a few videos on my channel where I replant things step by step. Check those videos out! Good luck, and thanks for your nice comment 🙂
Nice tip 👍🏼
Thanks
Hey AJ I have watch all your videos on grafting and I like all of them and like to know if you have any videos on grafting a Guava tree? and wen you think is the best time to graft a guava tree? Thanks AJ for all the hard work you do for all us the like grafting, keep up the good work 👍
Hi Pete. Thanks for watching my videos. I’ve only grafted guavas once and they all failed. I don’t have a video on it. Apparently it’s one of the more difficult trees to graft, but I imagine the best time to do it is spring or late summer
Always enjoy your videos. I built a pitching mound out of DG for my son a number of years ago. Every time we did a bullpen session on the DG mound, we first had to wet it down to soften it. If we didn't wet it down, it was like standing on concrete. With this in mind, I would think that a tree pot of DG would need to be kept moist to keep the DG from setting up so hard. Do you ever add another inorganic component to your soil to reduce the DG from setting up ?
Thanks. I believe there are two types of DG. One is called Stabilized DG which gets hard like concrete if it dries after watering. The other is just Regular DG that stays crumbly when dry. The DG at big box stores is usually the regular stuff
I had no idea. Thanks for the info!
@@neurocognitiveI have non stabilized dg on front for landscaping, it does get hard when it's dried. If it's mixed with native soil or sand or peat moss, it doesn't get as hard as the dg is separate from each other.
I've been looking into mineral soils. Plaster sand is cheaper (1000lb for 32 dollars or 50lb for 6 dollars at home Depot). I got a bunch of free sand from offer up, it was native sand, it was too fine and holds water really well. So I've been trying to cut regular sand with the fine sand to retain safety better. I've been following Gary's soil recipe somewhat. I use sand, perlite, pumice, dg (leftovers), peat moss, humic acid (biochar replacement). I found a ton of lava rock on offer up but haven't found a way to crush it yet. I only scratch in the compost.
@@geeyoupee Hi geeyoupee - My learning curve has grown in the 9 months since I asked my question to the GraftMan. If I mix it myself, I use a combination of peat moss, DG or sand, biochar, perlite, and pumice. I had used a fine grain sand, but it was too fine, and did not hold water as well as I wanted it to. So I switched to a coarser grain or the DG. I use it for avocados and for my fig trees. I also found pumice in bulk, but it was a 1000 lb minimum purchase requirement, so I passed on that. I also did not want mounds of various soil materials on my driveway. Thanks for sharing
@@neurocognitive that's odd. I got free fine sand from offer up and it holds water really well. I put this on top of my beds and it never dries out, it always looks wet. I think it's pulling up the moisture from the soil. My fine sand feels really smooth when it's wet. Where did you get yours from?
Where did you find 1000lb of pumice? What's the price on that? I buy pumice by the bag and it's 16 dollars for 1cu feet which is about to 40 lbs. I can get perlite for 7.50 ct ft (4 cu ft for 30) so I've been using it heavily over pumice.
Ola Aj meu irmão! Fantástica e proveitosa informação como sempre. DG é o ingrediente mais abundante no solo normal fora na natureza, pelo menos em Portugal. A nossa terra é 75% areia. You can water in the morning and the soil will be dry in the afternoon. Avocados love it because it does not rot.
Meu Irmão! Obrigado! Portugal tem terra boa para plantas
I'm just a guy that likes gardening just like you. I'm no scientist either. I respectfully disagree about what you said that the soil at the box store is no good.. I've grown many different type of plants in it without any problems.. I do agree that it's not good for fruit trees.. every time I tried it on fruit trees within 3-5 months my fruit trees would decline really bad... by the way I hit the like and subscribe
The box store soil works fine for some plants I agree, but like you said fruit trees seem to have a hard time with them. Thanks for subscribing 👍🏽🌴
Hi....i have more than 50 avocado plants in small plastic pots bigger pots and plastic bags that i grow from my own seed. Watching this video and the comments on soil. My plants that grow exceptially well and is likely 4 times bigger over 2 to 3 years is the plants that is in well drained soil. Avo loves it. I further notice the plants that is in pots or bags with a catching pan at the bottom......as you water the excess water will drain through and filled the pan. The roots system right at the bottom will absorb the water in the pan as needed......this prevent over watering and a mussy soil.......these plants are my best growers.... no deceases etc......if it makes sense please comment.....but just try it as an experiment.....cheers ...... another hint i fill all my pots bags etc at the bottom with a layer of crush stone then the soil on top to help with the drainage
Hi AJ, 100% agree. Wish I had this video 6 years ago. I’ve killed too many Avo trees using all that ground up shit in the hole. Just like you said - organic stuff on top and mineral based soil in the hole and mound and of course in all potting activity. I use Sandy loam I get in large quantities from my local rockery and it’s awesome just like DG. Now it’s funny - “I’m just a guy who spends an unhealthy amount of time with plants” - if it’s unhealthy to do that then I have chronic avocado disease watching and planting syndrome. I’m
At about 50 trees at my place in ground and another large amount in pots of different stages of development and then about another 20 in ground at my moms place in Vista. Currently Im putting a series of about 10 Reed seedlings in as a privacy screen to block out a neighbor and as an experiment to see if I can get a good new variety - if not trees can always be grafted over.
Thanks Pat. Wow you’ve got a lot of trees. That’s just wonderful. Let me know how your Reed seedling trees do, and if you get any good fruit from them
@@AJTheGraftMan it’s an addiction. Not quite sure yet what I’ll do when the trees are all producing. Right now 8 trees are producing well and we can barely keep up. I know since you do your own grafts you don’t need to buy trees but wanted to just mention Maddock ranch bc it seems they are using almost 100% DG and the trees I’ve gotten from them are super healthy and growing fast. I have a Nabal and Fuerte from them planted only last April from grow sleeves and trees about 3ft tall and right how each tree is over 8 ft tall and heavily leafed out.
@@SVmathfarmer I’ve been to Maddock Ranch. It’s a great nursery. I used to go down there and stop by a few nurseries, like Atkins, Maddock and Exotica. Maddock’s trees are amazing.
Using other well-draining soils rich in manure and decomposed leaves can also be beneficial for avocado trees. These soils provide essential nutrients, improve soil structure, and promote microbial activity, all of which support healthy root development and overall growth of avocado trees. However, it's essential to ensure that the soil pH is suitable for avocado trees.
What’s up AJ… damn never thought DG was good planting dirt lol… can I use DG to add to my existing planting bed and mix in??
Yes it seems to work fine in planting beds mixed in. I would add a layer of mulch on top of the mixed in soil. That helps greatly
I’m in and gonna try this recipe. I’ve been mixing my own soils for a while but use some soil mixes as part of the base.
I’m in PNW and we get the rain. Would you recommend sand vs DG since I feel the peat will hold all the moisture I need? Does DG add anything sand doesn’t?
Sand could be fine in your area
Please come to Miami, FL & do a video here.
I can’t find Decomposed Granite anywhere!
I’m assuming it’s not found naturally in Florida, and it’s expensive to ship / move it there because it’s so heavy. Your climate is humid and rainy, so I would use construction sand (sand with no salt in it) mixed with some peat moss and perlite
I'm about to transplant my avocado tree to DG just like you did there. My question is, how often should I water it? Everyday? Or whenever the soil starts to dry?
You can water everyday if you’d like, but it’s not necessary. If the leaves start to look sad and droop, then it’s time to water
im confused. U put DG at the bottom and around the roots and then u keep saying adding soil. The soils u r adding to the top looks like DG. So is that plant completely covered to the top with DG or its DG and native soil?
I’ve always had problems with growing avocado seedlings in pots they always rot on me
Try some DG and let me know how it goes
Do you have a youtube vid for how to transfer from the DG 1G potted Avo to the back yard garden? SoCal garden with clay soil here. I have been doing everything wrong (too much compost mixed in to soil when planting trees). Curious to see what you advise for amending the soil (how much DG or other inorganics) and if a mound is needed when in clay... Thanks for the info.
Not yet. Will do
Would this be good for mango seedlings as well?
Yes
Bro, i'm obssessed with avocados... but as i said in the other video... here in Panama, central america soils are heavy clay... so i have to do a mount. That's being said.. i don't know if i can find DG... so i have available construction sand...i guess i can do some biochar to add to the mix and some peatmoss.... what can i use to create the perfect soil besides DG... ??
I think soil is my problem. I planted 20 trees in the ground on a mound. They all died. I am in zone 10a in South Africa. We only had two days with frost in the mornings. It must be the soil yeah?
I’m sorry to hear that. Could be any number of things. But yes, soil plays a major role in an avocado tree’s health. Bad soil can kill trees. Good soil makes trees tough and strong
is this good technique for other fruit trees too (citrus, apples, etc)
That is mentioned in the video…
Can I mix decomposed granite with potting soil for houseplants?
Yes. Just remember, decomposed granite is heavy, so it will make your houseplant containers heavier. But that shouldn’t be a problem for you, because I know you lift weights 🏋️♀️
Thanks! 😂
so i have a 1 gal grafted oro negro coming..when its time to step it up to a 7gal what soil mix would you recommend..peat moss and DG or peat moss and sand? and what fertilizer?
I’ll do a video about this soon
I like this. Thinking maybe adding some sand will add a different mineral profile as well while maintaining great drainage.
Thanks. I’ve had mixed results with sand. Sometimes it drains a little too well
So instead of dg I can use dirt from my back yard
Live u veidos an u bro
I can’t find this in any of my big box stores or nurseries an when I ask they have no idea what I’m talking about 😂again I’m in Maui Hawaii.. we have lots of cinder but some people say cinder is sharp an some tree/roots don’t like it!! What’s your take on that??
It can be tough to find in some areas. You might find it at building supply yards or rockeries. I’m not sure about cinder. I’ve never used it
I’ve been trying to find an affordable soil option for my avocado.
But I live in hawaii and can’t Get DG. Sand is expensive unless you go to the beach but then it’s got salt.
Any suggestions.
Mahalo
Hawaii’s native soils are pretty good for avocados, I believe.
Hey brother love your channel do you think I could use dg for an above ground transplanting of a big tree? Just wondering... thanks for everything you do!
Thanks for your support. What is an above ground transplanting? Does it mean you’re digging up a tree from the ground and planting it somewhere else?
@@AJTheGraftMan Sorry I meant to say it's an avocado tree in a big pot that I'm going to plant above the ground bordered with stones. Was wondering if I filled that with just D.G. if that would work? Hope that is clear enough...😅
@@shannonrice917 I see. Yes DG would do fine in that case
@@AJTheGraftMan Thanks btw your videos have have some grade a content but I really have to define my search terms to find what I'm looking for, just thought I'd let you know.
@@shannonrice917 thanks I appreciate the feedback, but I’m not sure what I can do to make my videos more known
hi , can you write here what is the best soil for young avocado pls?
It’s mentioned in the video 🙂🥑
What store did you find this DG
Can you mix the DG with regular backyard dirt?
Yes should be fine
Neeed your help… my tree has root rot I think, the limbs are turning brown/black and drying out … am I going to lose the tree or is there anything I can do to save it???
Google ‘garden phos’
It might be able to help your tree. Good luck
@@AJTheGraftMan thank you brother!!
What about palm,cactus soil mix?
I don’t use it. I believe it has wood chips or bark fines in it
@AJTheGraftMan Thanks. Do you think I could grow a little cado tree in a big fabric grow bag such as 50 gallons? My soil is clay.
What is the ph of dg
Not sure
But you just talking about baby avocado trees. How about transplanting an avocado tree from 24 inch box to the ground___??? Would you use DG for just big and majestic tree __???
I’ve done videos about planting avocado trees in the ground. Check them out on my channel! Thanks!
So basically your saying you grow you plants in hydroponics?
?
@@AJTheGraftMan without compost and cationic exchange, it's not a living soil. the medium is inert.... Similar to growing in rockwool....
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I live in south Florida and i can’t find the decomposed granite at our Home Depot or lowes, is there something else you would recommend if dg is not sold in our area?
Not sure. South Florida folks usually use paver sand or any sand that has no salt in it