All things roughly equal, I decided to test the condition of the roots of these two Chinese Quinces; both 3-year-old cuttings, dug in March ’15, and severely headed back; both above and below. They’re both in roughly the same volume of soil, but here’s the difference:
White pot has soil that is bark, lava, turface, 1:1:2
Blue pot has soil that is lava and akadama, 1:2
Here is the one planted in akadama.
And here is the one planted in turface:
Let’s see how they do:
In October ’15, here are how the two grew…side by side all year long, same exposure, same feeding schedule, and no pruning. The akadama tree grew a full foot taller:
The big reveal was last week. To be honest, both root systems looked similar.
Turface mix:
Akadama mix:
I’d say the akadama roots looked a bit healthier but I’m definitely biased.
I’m also biased…
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