Diving In Feet First

goosetown said:
Perfect. As a follow-up, allow me to ask this:

With which types of plants have you been having the most success as per these mixes you use?

So far, I've only worked with junipers, and I imagine I'll stay with them for a while because they're the ones I find most aesthetically pleasing. But if I ever want to branch out (sorry for the terrible unintentional pun) to working with something else, what do you find best responds to the mix? Or, if you're working mostly with junipers, is there a particular category that's done really well?

I'm not opposed to trying a different mix in the future at all. It's just that at the moment what I'm using works and I like the dark, earthy look of it. But who knows what I'll like in the future?
Click to expand...

we have many bonsai that all grown in similar looking mixes with different levels of aggregate ... some get more akadama than others, some get a good helping of pumice added in... some get both

as for species we grow:
Junipers >> Shimpaku (+ Kishu & Itoigawa), Rocky Mountain, San Jose, Sierra, Procumbens
Pines >> Japanese Black, Austrian Black, Mugho, Ponderosa, Shore Pine
Maples >> Trident, Japanese Maples, Amur, Paperbark
Other Deciduous >> Japanese Hornbeam, korean Hornbeam, Japanese Holly, Ume, Crab Apple, Regular Apple, Zelkova, Siberian Elm
Random >> Grape (Zinfandel) , Japanese Quince
Deciduous Conifers >> American Larch, Japanese Larch
Azaleas (end up in 100% Kanuma but start in this mix) >> Satsuki, Garden Azaleas (Hino Crimson mostly)

I think that's most of the varieties we grow in this mix ... its pretty universal ... :) anyways... when you are ready...
 
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Goosetown,
You don't make a lot of sense. It seems like you try to draw people out with your posts. You say you're a beginner (which I believe you, by the way) and then make comments that you know enough about soil not to need any advice there?
And in your other post (http://bonsainut.com/forums/showthread.php?8096-First-Attempt) you say you buy a tree on ebay for $30:

shimpjunip2.jpg

If you have so much experience that you don't need soil advice what are you doing buying a tree like this on ebay? Moss halfway up the trunk? Barber pole wire marks up the base? Dead tufts of foliage dispersed throughout???

I somehow think you're looking for the conflict. How was I not to refer you to the rock thread after seeing your tree and the way you phrased your questions?

Sorry but something about these conversations seems disingenuous.
 
Ang3lfir3 said:
we have many bonsai that all grown in similar looking mixes with different levels of aggregate ... some get more akadama than others, some get a good helping of pumice added in... some get both

as for species we grow:
Junipers >> Shimpaku (+ Kishu & Itoigawa), Rocky Mountain, San Jose, Sierra, Procumbens
Pines >> Japanese Black, Austrian Black, Mugho, Ponderosa, Shore Pine
Maples >> Trident, Japanese Maples, Amur, Paperbark
Other Deciduous >> Japanese Hornbeam, korean Hornbeam, Japanese Holly, Ume, Crab Apple, Regular Apple, Zelkova, Siberian Elm
Random >> Grape (Zinfandel) , Japanese Quince
Deciduous Conifers >> American Larch, Japanese Larch
Azaleas (end up in 100% Kanuma but start in this mix) >> Satsuki, Garden Azaleas (Hino Crimson mostly)

I think that's most of the varieties we grow in this mix ... its pretty universal ... :) anyways... when you are ready...
Click to expand...

I think if I ever were to spring for one, I'd try the crab apple. I've seen a couple of those that are absolutely lovely. Do you have any idea how well they're known to grow in Southern California?
 
goosetown said:
I like the dark, earthy look of it
Click to expand...

I've never used it, but weetree sells black lava rock, http://www.weetree.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=901. I have ordered the red as well as pumice from them. Of course, I imagine you should be able to find all this stuff locally, something I have a difficult time with.

I'd encourage you to at least try out a "soil-less" mix and see how it works for you and how you like it. Nothing to loose really. I whipped up a fresh batch this evening.

soilmix.jpg

For me it's taken much of the guess work out of watering and fertilizing.
 
iant said:
Goosetown,
You don't make a lot of sense. It seems like you try to draw people out with your posts. You say you're a beginner (which I believe you, by the way) and then make comments that you know enough about soil not to need any advice there?
And in your other post (http://bonsainut.com/forums/showthread.php?8096-First-Attempt) you say you buy a tree on ebay for $30:

View attachment 23886

If you have so much experience that you don't need soil advice what are you doing buying a tree like this on ebay? Moss halfway up the trunk? Barber pole wire marks up the base? Dead tufts of foliage dispersed throughout???

I somehow think you're looking for the conflict. How was I not to refer you to the rock thread after seeing your tree and the way you phrased your questions?

Sorry but something about these conversations seems disingenuous.
Click to expand...

I can't believe I'm having to go over this again. You've obviously ignored almost everything I've said or just simply not read it. I never said that I'm an expert in soils. I said that I'm AWARE of many various soils and their general pros and cons. All I've said since the beginning of this is that I've been having great results with my current soil and I see absolutely no reason to switch it considering I used it to plant two of the exact same species of tree that I currently own. Why this doesn't make sense to you is completely beyond me. It's almost impossibly simple to understand. I DON'T NEED ADVICE ON MY SOIL BECAUSE THE SOIL THAT I'M USING IS WORKING PERFECTLY WELL. Do the CAPS help? My God, I hope so.

As for the bonsai you copied and pasted...well, if you had time to copy and paste the picture, why didn't you have the time to read what I wrote, which would answer the exact questions that you asked me?

Sorry, but something about your questions seems completely inept.
 
evolve said:
I've never used it, but weetree sells black lava rock, http://www.weetree.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=901. I have ordered the red as well as pumice from them. Of course, I imagine you should be able to find all this stuff locally, something I have a difficult time with.

I'd encourage you to at least try out a "soil-less" mix and see how it works for you and how you like it. Nothing to loose really. I whipped up a fresh batch this evening.

View attachment 23887

For me it's taken much of the guess work out of watering and fertilizing.
Click to expand...

I'm certainly not opposed to trying out an inorganic mix at some point. As I said before, who knows what my preferences will be in the future? As for the watering and fertilizing, I can absolutely see the soil-less mix makes those things a hell of a lot easier. I guess I can point to two things that render these less of an issue for me: the more or less "constant" environment of Southern California (I rarely have to adjust too much how much I water/fertilize) and the fact that I LIKE doing both of these things. It gets me outside, gets me moving, breaks up my day (I work from home).

Of course, now that I've said that, I could see the advantages of a soil-less mix if I ever had to leave home for an extended period or take my tree elsewhere. Something to consider in the future for sure.
 
Ang3lfir3 said:
while you are not making any friends fast... what people have been trying to explain to you is that bonsai soil for the most part looks more like this:
IMAG0148.jpg


than what you have planted these in ... now I am not telling you to use what I use.... use whatever makes you happy... what I am suggesting here .... is that WE (my wife Vic and I) have had GREAT SUCCESS using a soil mix such as this (we amend with a few other aggregates like pumice and kanuma as needed) .... many other individuals have also had great success with a soil mix such as this ... including but not limited to.... almost all of the professional bonsai artists in America today (well maybe the world) .... don't take our word for it ...

hope that is helpful to you .... next time you repot you might want to consider it.... that is if you think it might be helpful to your trees to have strong healthy vibrant root systems....
Click to expand...

I hope this does not sidetrack the fighting too much...
Angel, That mix you posted looks like red lava and akadama (am I right?) Would I need to add something like pine bark to a mix like that to help it retain a little more moisture for the long and overly hot Miami summer days, or does the akadama do it well enough?
I have a pair of Bougainvilleas in a similar mix, but they enjoy a bit of a drought between watering, and I have a few junipers that will be needing a repoting soon.
 
Danilo said:
I hope this does not sidetrack the fighting too much...
Angel, That mix you posted looks like red lava and akadama (am I right?) Would I need to add something like pine bark to a mix like that to help it retain a little more moisture for the long and overly hot Miami summer days, or does the akadama do it well enough?
I have a pair of Bougainvilleas in a similar mix, but they enjoy a bit of a drought between watering, and I have a few junipers that will be needing a repoting soon.
Click to expand...

you are correct that is lava and akadama .... fir bark is better if you can get it... but composed pine bark is good too.... it would help retain more moisture .... as for how much if any you might want in Miami I have no idea ... we threw a little in the mix for the bougie a few years ago... but like you said i keep it on the dry side to get it blooming .... try a small amount at first... your increased humidity reduces the amount of transportation that occurs .... also deeper pots stay cooler and retain moisture longer etc...
 
goosetown said:
I think if I ever were to spring for one, I'd try the crab apple. I've seen a couple of those that are absolutely lovely. Do you have any idea how well they're known to grow in Southern California?
Click to expand...

I've seen some nice ones in No. Ca.... can't say anything about So Cal tho as I am not sure...
 
From what I've read crabs don't grow very well in SoCal. I used to live down there and considered it back then. There's not enough chill hours. Even if you get them to flower by putting them in a fridge for 1000 hours/winter they don't stay as healthy as they do in places with more of a winter.
 
goosetown said:
What the hell is it with people from Virginia on this board?
Click to expand...

Hey - wait a minute - I'm from Virginia! :p

I'm still trying to read through this thread and figure out where things started turning ugly, but let me say thank you to Ang3lfir3 and linaboo both for trying to be friendly to our newcomer goosetown and allow cooler heads to prevail...

... and now that I see we've actually gotten up to page 8 in the most recent posting to this thread, it looks like things are calming down a bit.. that's good... hmm.. let me go back to reading from the beginning..
 
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One more from Virginia! We have quite the presence on bnut it seems. It was not my intent to "incite the riot" and I apologize, goose, if I fueled your dislike for the good people of this board. The intent was to help further the discussion. I'm glad there was at least some sort of lesson learned by all today.
 
goosetown said:
As for the watering and fertilizing, I can absolutely see the soil-less mix makes those things a hell of a lot easier. I guess I can point to two things that render these less of an issue for me: the more or less "constant" environment of Southern California (I rarely have to adjust too much how much I water/fertilize) and the fact that I LIKE doing both of these things. It gets me outside, gets me moving, breaks up my day (I work from home).
Click to expand...

The good news is that you'll get to water and fertilize more often. :) If, however, you find you're having to water too often you can always add more moisture retentive components to your mix. I think someone already covered this though, I can't keep track anymore.
 
Ang3lfir3 said:
you are correct that is lava and akadama .... fir bark is better if you can get it... but composed pine bark is good too.... it would help retain more moisture .... as for how much if any you might want in Miami I have no idea ... we threw a little in the mix for the bougie a few years ago... but like you said i keep it on the dry side to get it blooming .... try a small amount at first... your increased humidity reduces the amount of transportation that occurs .... also deeper pots stay cooler and retain moisture longer etc...
Click to expand...

I actually meant adding some pine bark (or fir bark) to the mix for a couple of junipers (chinensis). The bougies will stay as they are.
 
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