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The parafilm works well to cover the scion and is designed for this purpose, no hole need be poked. I still use a nonstretch plastic tie to secure the scion base to the graft site. I use the parafilm to prevent moisture loss; alternatively a clear bag can be used with a bit of moistened...

An issue with organics mixed in to the soil mix is controlling the fertilization timing of our trees. For example, when controlling needle length on Jap Black pine, we usually do not fertilize for a month after decandling. If you have organics in your soil mix, you can't control this. The same...

The beauty of using a mix of akadama with other substrates such as lava and pumice is that if you are in a wetter climate, use less akadama, and water less often. Rapid break down does not seem to be an issue for the users of this particular mix in the colder states.

So a general insult to select enthusiast's teachers is fine. And I'm the troll. See ya.

So your reference to "World Famous Teacher whose students think he's God" was all innocence?

First, you started the name calling. I criticized plants. You criticized people. That sounds like a troll at best. You are asking me to prove what has already been demonstrated. If I show you pictures of my trees in my backyard, you'll just say it works for me in my microclimate. Instead...

My intent exactly - we've said our peace and not going to change minds at this point. I was trying to lighten it up for closure and move on. Vance won't let it go. We have different opinions of who the Troll is.

Dude, I'm like, high on life. But seriously man, do I really have to spell it out for you? Don't you get it? I don't really use that akadama cr@p in my bonsai soil! Are you kidding? The real deal is that if we keep importing akadama, eventually the whole country of Japan will be here right...

A crowd across the street is not necessarily a cult. They may actually be on to something.

Burn away or buy your own nectar.

This is exactly what I would do if akadama were to become unavailable - find a way to obtain it here. It is not magical because it comes from Japan - they just discovered this kind of soil works well for bonsai.

If you used more than 1/3 akadama in your mix with conifers, no wonder you had bad results! Also, you do need to actually do some rootwork from time to time. Most conifers in god's mix need to be repotted every 2-3 years.

You continue to contradict yourself in even short paragraphs. Are you a know it all or not?

WRONG! Why do you think so many akadama users get so fired up on this thread? Because many DO dispute its validity in spite of decades of success and puzzlingly seem to want to close the door to even trying it. And believe it or not, premium trees are scarce without the use of akadama. I...

"Leaves That Are Green" by Simon and Darthfunkel I was twenty-one years when I wrote this song. I'm twenty-two now but I won't be for long Time hurries on. And the leaves that are green turn to brown, And they wither with the wind, And the akadama crumbles in your hand. Once my heart...

So Vance, let me approach this from a different direction. Are you saying that you know so much about bonsai that you can assuredly say that there does not exist a soil mix that works better than all others? You're saying it is impossible to have a singularly superior mix for all climates...

They grow naturally in decomposed granite. That's why they are put into pumice right after collecting, to get them to extend new roots in search of water and nutrients. But once established we don't want just long extended roots in our pots, we want to take advantage of the limited volume in our...

If lava is poor for root development, Hawaii must be a barren wasteland.

Not bad, but not quite as dense. Do you get the ramification in your final design with this non akadama mix?

Picture please. I am not assured.

Have you heard of projection? Were you being kind referring to a world famous teacher as "god". Didn't sound very open minded and olive branch extending to me. Actually sounded quite insulting to somebody not even a part of this thread. I use equal parts akadama, lava and pumice which I...

Thank you wireme for posting a picture rather than making excuses. Your are right - those are surprisingly not bad roots for a bark chunk mix. I did a google image search for bonsai roots and picked the first three pics that appeared to me to have premium roots. As it turns out, all three...

Anger leads to the Dark Side.

Akadama may not be necessary for premium tree growth, but premium results without akadama is about as common as a winning lottery ticket. If you disagree, I would like to see pictures of "premium" roots grown without akadama and how it was done.

Found one that looks like its been around for quite awhile, with four different grades. Just shared it on my facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/darth.tanuki