Oh look, another soil thread...

I will ship to you if you really want this and can't find it. Composted pine bark. I have a local source of good product. I did a online search and could not find anybody that ships. Pm me if you want some.
 
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Or, you could buy a bag of the pine bark and compost it yourself. Start it now in a bag/barrel/box in the sun, water and turn it periodically, leave it out over winter and by spring you should be ready to go. Add a little superphosphate, or some other garden fertilizer, if you like.
 
jkl said:
Or, you could buy a bag of the pine bark and compost it yourself. Start it now in a bag/barrel/box in the sun, water and turn it periodically, leave it out over winter and by spring you should be ready to go. Add a little superphosphate, or some other garden fertilizer, if you like.
Click to expand...

Try this. Another option is to add turf/grass clippings to the mix and/or urea. I chuckle reading Colin Lewis' article. http://www.colinlewisbonsai.com/Reading/soils1.html

"Urea is also a good compost accelerator, but I'll leave it to your imagination as to how you apply that!" LOL

If you missed his message, PM me. ;)
 
Why use an organic at all in your mix? With my ficus, I go with the holy trinity, scoria (crushed lava rock ), some sort of pumice, and akadama. Sift the dust out and put it thru screens so you get a uniform size (don't mix big and small soil componenets together, or they sit to close to each other eliminating air spaces. Average size tree, use between 1/16th and 1/4'' particles . Use 1/4th to 1/2'' as a drainage layer. For shohin trees use 1/8th and 1/4'' soil particles in your mix).
Then, use a top coating of either shredded new zealand sphangnum moss or here is a top coating recipe I got from Ryan Niel. Use half dried out green moss like the kind that grows on the surface of our bonsai pots, and half new zealand sphangnum moss (must be new Zealand sphangnum moss, it's usualy sold as orchid moss. I get it at Loews). push it all thru a 1/4'' screen and then sift out the fines thru a 1/16'' screen. sprinkle liberaly on the top of your soil.
This will bump up the humidy, eliminating the use of organics in the actual soil mix, plus it will allow your trees roots to colonize the soil all the way to the surface where the best nutrition is and the most O2. It's like planting the tree in a larger pot.
I use this top coating on all my trees, and the soil temp's remain more stable and root friendly.
Ficus are tuff guys, and you should do well.
Thanks
 
Quite correct Elliot,

tests done down here, show the local ficus preferring a mostly stoney soil, but a small quantity of compost is still mixed in [ looks like the gravel has been stained.]
They were rotting in the 1/3 compost mix / 2/3 in organic.

With the addition of a moss covering, the roots of the ficus, dive through the moss, locking it to the surface of the soil.

However, I would be cautious with sphagnum moss, with all the discussion of what the stuff can do to you.
The local moss seems to be more than enough. I mean the moss that looks like a lawn, but down here it also grows upwards about an 1".

Our ficus are mostly at home on stone, concrete structures and can even grow in gutterings, down the spout and are willow leaf types [ Ficus p.] or smaller leaf versions of the Religiosa.
Good Afternoon
Anthony

* Now does that mean another soil change to stoney soils or fired clay soils plus moss coverings ?
Boggles the mind.
 
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elliott said:
Why use an organic at all in your mix? With my ficus, I go with the holy trinity, scoria (crushed lava rock ), some sort of pumice, and akadama. Sift the dust out and put it thru screens so you get a uniform size (don't mix big and small soil componenets together, or they sit to close to each other eliminating air spaces. Average size tree, use between 1/16th and 1/4'' particles . Use 1/4th to 1/2'' as a drainage layer. For shohin trees use 1/8th and 1/4'' soil particles in your mix).
Then, use a top coating of either shredded new zealand sphangnum moss or here is a top coating recipe I got from Ryan Niel. Use half dried out green moss like the kind that grows on the surface of our bonsai pots, and half new zealand sphangnum moss (must be new Zealand sphangnum moss, it's usualy sold as orchid moss. I get it at Loews). push it all thru a 1/4'' screen and then sift out the fines thru a 1/16'' screen. sprinkle liberaly on the top of your soil.
This will bump up the humidy, eliminating the use of organics in the actual soil mix, plus it will allow your trees roots to colonize the soil all the way to the surface where the best nutrition is and the most O2. It's like planting the tree in a larger pot.
I use this top coating on all my trees, and the soil temp's remain more stable and root friendly.
Ficus are tuff guys, and you should do well.
Thanks
Click to expand...

I don't mean to pick at you but I have come across this before: How can people recommend not using organics then turn around and suggest using Sphagnum Moss?
 
Vance Wood said:
I don't mean to pick at you but I have come across this before: How can people recommend not using organics then turn around and suggest using Sphagnum Moss?
Click to expand...

The sphagnum moss isn't in the soil mix, just sitting on top as a dressing allowing the top layer of soil to retain the moisture it would lose if uncovered.
 
I've used some sphagnum moss on top as dressing thinking that it will help hold moisture but it seems it worked as a wick and drying the substrate instead. Come watering time, the layer is too dry that it became water repellant. It works wonderfully when mixed in the soil for me though.

Maybe it is because our heat in TX is different? :confused:
 
Actually the only good top dressing is a composted Pine Bark residue. It will promote the formation of moss.
 
Sphagnum moss is often used as a top dressing... to help retain moisture at
the base of a trunk, as well as to help promote new roots. I have seen many
a Japanese video where they are going through the collection, and there it is
ploped at the base of an old trunk, I guess they didn't get the message that
they weren't suppose to use it !!!
:)
 
I just watched a Bjorne Video today that showed what the did at the nursery in japan when repotting. They made a slurry using water and chopped spag moss. Then poured over the top of the soil. It made a even layer on top.
 
jkd2572 said:
I just watched a Bjorne Video today that showed what the did at the nursery in japan when repotting. They made a slurry using water and chopped spag moss. Then poured over the top of the soil. It made a even layer on top.
Click to expand...

How about posting a link? Please
 
I have contacted Bjorne to get me the link. Sorry wood. I have over 200 blogs that load into a blog reader automatically. I get 30 to 40 bonsai articles a day. They delete as I read them. I will post when he responds.
 
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For those unfamiliar with a blog reader. I use the app. Feedly. A great place to start is the 180 blog list below. You can load automatically. Highly recommended wood. These are pros and amateur alike. It's where I see and learn the most about bonsai around the world. Some are not even written In English, but you get the gist in photos.
http://bonsaieejit.com/links/bonsai-bloggers/
 
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Vance Wood said:
Actually the only good top dressing is a composted Pine Bark residue. It will promote the formation of moss.
Click to expand...

For anyone reading this, please take it with a grain of salt when somebody tells you that "the only" good top coating is "blah blah blah". I'm sure there are dozens if not hundreds or more substances or mixtures out there that will work. it depends on a million different factors including what you want the top coating to do.
I would want formation of moss, but maybe someone in Oregon spends half there time scrubbing moss off there trees, pots, etc.
There is more than one way to skin a bonsai and don't trust anyone who claims to have the only answer.
 
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