Chinese Quince

[Cadillactaste]

Has some great character. Love the patchy colorization.

These have amazing exfoliating bark.

@MichaelS...lovely direction you have taken it.

 

[my nellie]

Very, very nice Michael!
Thank you for the update.

... ... Repotted last week into a fine red clay/ sand/ humus mix about 2 to 3 mm with a little coarser on the bottom.
I topped it with old cow manure - hence the weeds

I have read your post in the other thread explaining why Akadama is better than other kind of soil (it breaks down).
I thought I would add the experience of one bonsai friend who has been cultivating collected olive trees.
Well, he made an experiment substituting a great part of the inorganic medium in his substrate mix with finer organic medium.
The results are obviously better growth of trees into the new substrate mix compared to the more inorganic one.

One question for you, if you please : Would there be a possibility of any pathogens into the manure?
The same person I mentioned above has given me some old chicken manure which I have already used on my trees (I remember my dear late father was preparing and using poultry manure in his vegetable garden...)
Thank you in advance!

 

[MichaelS]

Very, very nice Michael!
Thank you for the update.
I have read your post in the other thread explaining why Akadama is better than other kind of soil (it breaks down).
I thought I would add the experience of one bonsai friend who has been cultivating collected olive trees.
Well, he made an experiment substituting a great part of the inorganic medium in his substrate mix with finer organic medium.
The results are obviously better growth of trees into the new substrate mix compared to the more inorganic one.

One question for you, if you please : Would there be a possibility of any pathogens into the manure?
The same person I mentioned above has given me some old chicken manure which I have already used on my trees (I remember my dear late father was preparing and using poultry manure in his vegetable garden...)
Thank you in advance!

There is always a chance of pathogens in any organic (even inorganic) media but where there is vigorous decomposition going on (the manure has been aged moist for a few months) the likelihood is quite low.
As for the akadama breaking down, it doesn't happen THAT easily. It's more pressure from expanding roots rather than weathering so that can take a number of years. Most plants do well in organic media, even many cacti, the trouble is it keeps on decomposing until there is nothing but humus left and that's why we mix it with sand.

 

[my nellie]

@MichaelS Thank you very much, Sir!
I greatly appreciate your contribution to expand bonsai knowledge!

 

[Paulpash]

I've bought 2 seedlings and wired some early shape into it. How did you develop yours @MichaelS - from small plants, raw stock or semi trained material? Do you recommend ground growing or keep it in outsize containers? My 'tree' is about 2 matchstick widths thick and about 16 inches high but even now I can see it romping away - I have had to stake it to stop it bending too much when watering. Yours is a lovely example by the way - I'll be pleased if I can get somewhere close. My other quince is a japanese double red variety so I'm happy to have a go at extending my collection

 

[Clicio]

Repotted last week into a fine red clay/ sand/ humus mix about 2 to 3 mm with a little coarser on the bottom.
I topped it with old cow manure

Ah... Good to see something different from Pumice/Akadama/Lava!
Many use this more organic mix around here, and watch the watering more carefully. It works