Suggest me soil recommendation for training pine bonsai

[M. Frary]

Then I might wonder, is that just glorified - Hydroponics.

That's basically what we're doing when we're using all inorganic soil. We're just moving water and fertilizer manually instead of mechanically.

 

[Anthony]

Much Thanks Gogeerah,

and I have memories of tomatoes sitting and going mushy,
wood that is normally insect repellant getting eaten by termites.
I think I will stick with the compost and Miracle gro combination
[ at 1/3 strength ]

Haven't seen aphids, fungus or other --------- ever!

Guess for us the Bonsai are children, and loved.
Not things.
Good Day
Anthony

* some are still fermented oil meal cake and fish emulsion.
Should retain the organic / microbes.

 

[Adair M]

I think that as we try to make our trees look as natural as possible we forget that many times trees look the way they do because of what they are grown in. I think most people who have payed attention to some of the debates I have stumbled into on this forum about native Junipers that have ended in no one being able to provide a reasonable answer that reflects the evidence of our eyes. That evidence being that the native Junipers seem to produce one kind of foliage in the woods and another in the bonsai pot. In the woods they appear to look a good deal like Shimpaku, under cultivation they appear open and uninteresting. I believe that there is a reason that goes beyond what many "Masters" are telling us. These same masters do not use any organics in their soil mixes and do not pinch the new growth on these Junipers. Personally I believe that this is the reason, not some esoteric result from the change in environment, altitude and water disallowing the development of a natural growth pattern. I do not know this for sure but if I live to be 100 years old and stay sane, and can still grow bonsai I hope to get some native Junipers like the Utah Juniper, may favorite, and prove it.

Vance:

Please do not lump all “Masters” together. There are great variances in the skill levels even of those who have attained the “Master” status.

About your observation of the native junipers foliage quality: one thing is the foliage quality varies from individual plant to individual plant. A lot. Some collected trees have great foliage, some have very coarse foliage. This is true not only with American native junipers, but it’s true in Japan, too.

The reason “Kishu” and “Itoigawa” varieties are popular is for their foliage quality. These are sports of “shimpaku” that produce prettier foliage than others.

Most of our native junipers used for bonsai are desert trees. They tend to live in areas of extremely low humidity, high elevations, full sunlight, with high UV exposure. We humans do not. We bring these trees back to where we live where the environment is much more hospitable for us. The tree will survive, but they don’t grow the same way as they did back in their native environment. So, it’s a mistake to blame this effect on “the Masters” when it’s just the tree’s reaction to a new environment.

Consider: bristlecone pines. We all know that up in the mountains, they grow very slowly, but can live for centuries, even thousands of years. But a seed from one of those old trees when grown in our back yard may only grow for a few decades before it succumbs to the attacks of insects, fungus, and microbes. Oh, sure, it grew at a much faster rate in the garden than it did on the mountain, but it couldn’t sustain itself.

As for the “pinch vs no pinch” controversy: there are still many “Masters” who are proponents of pinching. There are some who do not pinch. All I can say is evaluate each of these Masters individually. Look carefully at their trees. See which ones are healthy, and which are struggling. Compare the techniques used by those whose trees are thriving vs those that are not.

My personal experience with Utah juniper: I own a Utah. It was collected 20 years ago. Never trained. When collected, it had hardly any roots. It was kept in the Santa Rosa area for 20 years prior to my purchasing it. The native foliage is stringy, loose, and weak. Before I purchased it, it was in serious decline. I grafted Kishu foliage on it. 5 grafts, of which 4 have taken. And they are thriving. Kishu will thrive in my environment. And now, I’m in the process of removing the old Utah foliage.

If the Utah foliage was vigourous, I’d have kept it. But it wasn’t. So, I order to keep the trunk alive grafting was the best thing to do for the tree.

I’ll post a current picture tomorrow.