Native Potting Mix

It is built from nutrient rich natural humus materials, composted and blended so the mix keeps its structure in a pot over the long term. Phosphorus is deliberately kept low, and that is the defining feature. It meets the Australian Standard for premium quality potting mixes, so drainage and air filled porosity are tested rather than assumed.

Australian natives, and particularly the phosphorus sensitive ones. That covers the Proteaceae, so Banksia, Grevillea, Hakea and Protea, along with Callistemon, Melaleuca, Correa, Westringia, kangaroo paw and native grasses. It will grow non natives well enough, though most exotics do better in a mix carrying a higher nutrient load than this one.

Yes, and that is exactly what it is built for. The low phosphorus content lets sensitive species grow without the leaf burn, blackened tips and sudden collapse that ordinary enriched mixes cause in Proteaceae. If you are potting Banksia, Grevillea, Hakea or Protea, use this rather than a premium or enriched blend.

Its nutrition comes from the composted humus materials it is made from rather than a heavy charge of added fertiliser, and that restraint is deliberate given what it grows. Natives run well on lean soils and do not want much. Once plants have been in the same pot for a season, top them up with a native specific fertiliser.

A 30L bag fills roughly two 300 millimetre pots, or one large tub, depending on how much root ball is going in. Work from the volume of the container rather than the size of the plant, and allow a little extra for settling after the first watering. Larger containers are worth measuring first.

Yes. Water thoroughly straight after potting, until water runs freely from the drainage holes. That settles the mix around the roots and drives out air pockets. Keep the moisture even for the first few weeks while roots move out into the fresh mix, then water according to the season and what the plant is telling you.

Keep the bag closed and out of direct sun. An open bag left in the weather dries out and loses its structure, and a wet bag left sealed in the heat turns sour. Store it off the ground under cover. If a part used bag has been sitting a while, tip it out and let it air before potting into it.