Akadama and watering

jferrier

Mame
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I just got a white pine planted in akadama, and I've never used this stuff before. How well does it drain? Wondering if I need to water daily as I do with my other pines planted in a granite/organic mix or if it retains water well enough to water less frequently?
 

Bill S

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Depends, and not the diapers.
Depends on pot size, type of tree, weather, climate, type of akadama most likely as well.

Akadama is widely used in Japan as the soil of choice, or so we are told over and over.

Drainage if it hasn't collapsed is great, as it is roughly 1/8" gravel. It holds water well, but your local climate will dictate a lot, as well as the age of the tree, root mass, sun and wind exposure, etc..

as to wondering if it needs to be watered daily, only you and the tree can answer that question. You need to check it daily, at least for a while, to see how the soil is operating. Check to see when it gets to almost dried out before watering, you may need to adjust to it for timing.
 

rockm

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One of the collected California Junipers in the National Arboretum's collection almost died because the straight Akadama it was planted in didn't dry out after continuous drenching rains during the summer of 2008...Took three years to nurse it back to health after planting it in a more sensible pumice-based soil that drains extremely well.

A lot can, as pointed out, depend on local conditions, species and even the container the tree is in. The Cal. juniper's pot was pretty large and held a lot of soil.
 

jferrier

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Well mine is not that deep and mixed with some lava rock and some rough gravel and the akadama particles are about 1/4" and seem to be holding together right now. I've noticed when I squish one of the akadama pellets it seems to hold a little moisture inside though.
 
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