Preparing for repotting season

mwar15

Omono
Messages
1,105
Reaction score
2,289
Location
Willamette Valley, Oregon
USDA Zone
8B
I finally found some time to head to the gravel yard a couple hours away and get a have a yard of lava cinders and a half of yard of pumice. I combine this with diatomaceous earth (Napa oil dry) and some potting soil/ compost/bark mulch and it works good for 100"+ of rain a year.

I still have to sift it but I figure for the price I couldn't beat it. I probably will sell some of it once I get it sifted.
UDo2xva.jpg
[/IMG]
UDo2xva.jpg

those are 18 gallon tubs
jGjr3Jn.jpg

yqEYOAO.jpg
 

michaelj

Chumono
Messages
950
Reaction score
1,157
Location
Orange County, CA
USDA Zone
10a
It's already time to get started where I am. I've been mixing tubs of potting soil and getting my pines and established junipers ready for fresh soil, and in most cases, a new pot. Time to renew the blisters on my shearing hand.
 

Woodland Spirit

Chumono
Messages
631
Reaction score
372
Location
Near Utah/Arizona border.
I can gather/sort my own cinders by the bucket.
How well does it work in soil?

My big challenge is high summer heat, alkaline water and less than 30% humidity.
 

justBonsai

Omono
Messages
1,442
Reaction score
2,595
Location
Arcadia, CA
Been sifting and preparing a lot of soil myself. I have about 8 gallons of lava, 6-8 gallons of pumice, and a bit of diatomaceous earth. I still need to buy some organic components--a local guy sells presifted bark for bonsai at 3 gallons for $8-9 or so. Plan to get 2 orders of those. I'm thinking for my deciduous trees that the bark will make up at least 25-30% of the soil. I had a lava, pumice, and diatomaceous earth mix that I used for a Japanese maple and the soil dried way to fast. When temps hit the 90s-100+ range I had to water twice a day.
 

Woodland Spirit

Chumono
Messages
631
Reaction score
372
Location
Near Utah/Arizona border.
Gold prospectors classifying pans work wonders for cinders and gravel.
In my part of the universe they are much better than anything you can find at nursery and far less money.
 

Adair M

Pinus Envy
Messages
14,402
Reaction score
34,873
Location
NEGeorgia
USDA Zone
7a
Variety is good....right? .....wrong?
Wrong.

You want an open mix with lots of air space. Having same size particles of a mostly round shape. Think of marbles in a glass. Lots of air between the marbles.

Small particles would fill that air space. Think of the glass full of marbles, now pour in some sand. The sand would settle into the air spaces between the marbles, right? Not good! Totally defeats the whole purpose of sifting the soil.
 

Giga

Masterpiece
Messages
3,813
Reaction score
4,722
Location
Virginia beach, VA
USDA Zone
7-8
Wrong.

You want an open mix with lots of air space. Having same size particles of a mostly round shape. Think of marbles in a glass. Lots of air between the marbles.

Small particles would fill that air space. Think of the glass full of marbles, now pour in some sand. The sand would settle into the air spaces between the marbles, right? Not good! Totally defeats the whole purpose of sifting the soil.

So the wrong is wrong?.........doesn't that make a right?


lol

Adair is right, I also sift the soil to 3 sizes for each component, large medium and small. Then use a mix according to where it's used in the pot,size of pot and tree going in thus pot.
 

Geo

Chumono
Messages
836
Reaction score
556
Location
Todos Santos,Baja Sur Elev56M 23.46N 110.24W
USDA Zone
11+

mwar15

Omono
Messages
1,105
Reaction score
2,289
Location
Willamette Valley, Oregon
USDA Zone
8B
@mwar15 So how are you going to break up that red lava. Lots of 1 inch rocks. I have the same problem.
I will sift it out. I use some of the larger rocks in the bottom of my pots. Most of this soil will be for training pots. Depends how much I have I might crush it down.
 

Tieball

Masterpiece
Messages
3,098
Reaction score
3,173
Location
Michigan. 6a
USDA Zone
6a
Wrong.

You want an open mix with lots of air space. Having same size particles of a mostly round shape. Think of marbles in a glass. Lots of air between the marbles.

Small particles would fill that air space. Think of the glass full of marbles, now pour in some sand. The sand would settle into the air spaces between the marbles, right? Not good! Totally defeats the whole purpose of sifting the soil.

Ahhhhhhh......Thanks. I get it. The marbles and sand....I understand how it fills and problems it can cause when done incorrect. So, a mix of say, lava rocks and Turface, would not be ideal because they are of a different size...the Turface representing the "sand" in your description. I've thought that having spaces would leave to much air room and create an environment where the roots reaching that space would just dry out. Now I know more. Thanks for the visual description.
 
Top Bottom