Potting soil mix and fast growth?

[JohnC]

Hi everyone, I've been lurking here for a while now and have a question about potting soil.

I have two T. Fortunei I bought this spring, one from Canadian Tire (big box store) and another from a reputable nursery.
They both came in 1 gallon pots with what I like to call nursery mix (ultra fast drainage) potting soil in them, basically all chunkies of wood and other big matter designed I think to allow daily watering without drowning them.

Ultimately I want to grow these outdoors (someone just down the road has a 20 foot palm in front of their house growing outside) however I think they're too small to expose to next winter so I'm keeping them in pots and hoping to grow them up as large as possible for spring next year to plant outside.

My goal is to have them grow as quickly as possible while they are in pots.

What would be a more appropriate potting mixture, they will be outside over the summer but inside over the winter and for the forseeable future since we seem to be getting a second winter here?
Also what if anything can I do to bulk them up in size as quickly as possible?

Cheers!

- John

[Wes North Van]

I have them grow from seed at my place and they are fine. They should do fine in your yard also. They are no guarantees but my guess is they would survive the winters outside there planted in the ground.

[JohnC]

Hi Wes, it's a little colder here, officially zone 7b and these guys are only about a foot tall in 1 gallon pots, wouldn't that be pushing it a bit?
I thought giving them an extra year to get bigger might be safer.

[Wes North Van]

I didn't think your area was a zone 7b. I really thought you were more like Nanaimo.
If you keep it in the pots they are not as hardy unless you bring them inside or in a greenhouse. I would maybe for the first while keep them in an unheated greenhouse and only add heat during your very coldest nights.
They do grow faster in the ground though and you could add protection during the odd cold night you do get.

[JohnC]

Thanks Wes, I intend to keep them inside until this crazy cold weather changes (it's literally snowing as I type this), then put them outside for the summer and back in when it gets frosty in the fall.
My question though was about potting soil and encouraging fast, healthy growth.

[Dean W.]

I've used Miracle Gro potting soil with some of my palms. However, I tend to not like it because nowadays it comes with fertilizer already added. I'm not sure about your Trachies, though.

Good luck and welcome,
Dean