New to Bonsai on Vancouver Island

Bubsamecium

Seedling
Messages
21
Reaction score
18
Location
Victoria, BC
USDA Zone
9a
Hi everyone,
I'm based in Victoria, BC, and have been rediscovering bonsai (after first dabbling with a ficus almost 2 decades ago). I've been trying to learn as much as I can, and wow, there's so much out there now, it's a bit overwhelming! I recently picked up a couple Japanese black pine 'yatsubusa' for a front yard project that I was thinking of developing as pre-bonsai in the ground (made another thread in the Pine section), but otherwise I'm a clean slate, just trying to get a lay of the land here on Vancouver Island and in BC.
@River's Edge I've really enjoyed learning from your posts, thank you for being so generous with your time and knowledge here on Bonsai Nut, and for projects like your JWP from seed.
There's a lot of equipment I'm having trouble finding locally; soils like akadama or kunuma (or what would be a good local substitute), fertilizers, and things like wire, cut paste, pots, etc. I have some full exposure to the sun facing south, but am fairly close to the water with some significant wind and salt. Victoria is mostly zone 8b but I appear to be in a 9a zone. I'm interested in finding material that might be closer to being ready to turn into bonsai than my pre-bonsai front yard project. Pines and satsuki azaleas were the first things that caught my interest, but I don't know what's available locally. I would really appreciate your thoughts!
 
Welcome.
I buy most of my materials and supplies online since I don't have a local source either. Also at the one east coast show I can get to each year.
 
Hi everyone,
I'm based in Victoria, BC, and have been rediscovering bonsai (after first dabbling with a ficus almost 2 decades ago). I've been trying to learn as much as I can, and wow, there's so much out there now, it's a bit overwhelming! I recently picked up a couple Japanese black pine 'yatsubusa' for a front yard project that I was thinking of developing as pre-bonsai in the ground (made another thread in the Pine section), but otherwise I'm a clean slate, just trying to get a lay of the land here on Vancouver Island and in BC.
@River's Edge I've really enjoyed learning from your posts, thank you for being so generous with your time and knowledge here on Bonsai Nut, and for projects like your JWP from seed.
There's a lot of equipment I'm having trouble finding locally; soils like akadama or kunuma (or what would be a good local substitute), fertilizers, and things like wire, cut paste, pots, etc. I have some full exposure to the sun facing south, but am fairly close to the water with some significant wind and salt. Victoria is mostly zone 8b but I appear to be in a 9a zone. I'm interested in finding material that might be closer to being ready to turn into bonsai than my pre-bonsai front yard project. Pines and satsuki azaleas were the first things that caught my interest, but I don't know what's available locally. I would really appreciate your thoughts!
If you send me your email address by PM I will give you some leads on the stuff you are looking for. Another source would be the Victoria Bonsai Society. They usually meet the third Monday of each month. The meeting location is at the Horticultural Centre of the Pacific. Check out there website and send them an inquiry if interested.
 
Not that I know of, seems it is the standardized across North America.

What zone is Vancouver really in? There's no way it's really 8b. I'm in 7b, and I'm hundreds of miles south of you on a peninsula just barely above sea level.
 
What zone is Vancouver really in? There's no way it's really 8b. I'm in 7b, and I'm hundreds of miles south of you on a peninsula just barely above sea level.
West coast is a little more temperate. I'm in Seattle just south of Vancouver and we're 9a / 9b
 
What zone is Vancouver really in? There's no way it's really 8b. I'm in 7b, and I'm hundreds of miles south of you on a peninsula just barely above sea level.
My location in Vancouver island is 8b really! It is easy to verify by checking the weather and the zone map if you care to research it, Check out Qualicum Beach, Vancouver island. Keep in mind that there are lots of micro climate areas in most areas of the world as well. Not to mention the huge variations from sea level to higher altitudes.
 
If you send me your email address by PM I will give you some leads on the stuff you are looking for. Another source would be the Victoria Bonsai Society. They usually meet the third Monday of each month. The meeting location is at the Horticultural Centre of the Pacific. Check out there website and send them an inquiry if interested.
Thanks Frank, would love to connect! I'm working my way up to to an old enough account to enable private messaging 😅 looking forward to chatting more.
 
What zone is Vancouver really in? There's no way it's really 8b. I'm in 7b, and I'm hundreds of miles south of you on a peninsula just barely above sea level.
I know, it's a bit of a surprise, but that's what it seems to be. Whether it's rain shadows, Coriolis effect, or the pineapple express, I'm not sure, but Vancouver Island is apparently a Mediterranean climate and the mildest part of Canada, despite being further north than Quebec City!
 
I know, it's a bit of a surprise, but that's what it seems to be. Whether it's rain shadows, Coriolis effect, or the pineapple express, I'm not sure, but Vancouver Island is apparently a Mediterranean climate and the mildest part of Canada, despite being further north than Quebec City!
and Quebec city is cold!!
 
Welcome, fellow Vancouver Islander! Like a lot of things, we are limited here on the island, without having to travel to the mainland or the states, but I can tell you where I get stuff.

Soils - Bucketfields has granite grit (#2 Cherrystone), and sometimes pumice in larger bags. GardenWorks in Nanaimo has bigger bags of pumice (meant for orchids) and there is one in Oak Bay, so check that out. Hillside Stone and Garden in Duncan has bulk crushed black lava rock (needs to be sifted). Good luck finding Akadama unless you travel to Vancouver. Frank probably has a better lead on that.

Wire - Frank sells packs of copper. I get aluminum from this Amazon shop:
=https://www.amazon.ca/stores/GrowABonsaiTree/page/60BDF94D-F230-41D8-9535-360E112590A2?ref_=ast_bln

Decent pots (or any pots) are another hard to find item. Peninsula Flowers Nursery in Saanich usually has an ok selection, and maybe Urban Oasis Bonsai, but I have not been there in quite a while, but otherwise there is no one place on the island that specializes in pots. You have to scrounge through all the nurseries. I have ordered pots from these Canadian potters online:

https://waynemalleau.com/

https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/AtelieralacarteTM

Honestly, part of the fun in this hobby is seeking out sources for these needed items (at least that is what we must tell ourselves, lol). I do have family in California, so I stock up on needed essentials when I go down to visit (ferts, systemic insect control, fungicides, things we can’t get here, things that cost a fortune to mail order in Canada but have free shipping down there, etc., etc. the usual).

I also want to say that if you get an opportunity to take one of Franks workshops in Qualicum, the trip would be well worth your while. He is an excellent teacher, plus a great source of pre-bonsai material.
Good luck on your journey!
 
Hi everyone,
I'm based in Victoria, BC, and have been rediscovering bonsai (after first dabbling with a ficus almost 2 decades ago). I've been trying to learn as much as I can, and wow, there's so much out there now, it's a bit overwhelming! I recently picked up a couple Japanese black pine 'yatsubusa' for a front yard project that I was thinking of developing as pre-bonsai in the ground (made another thread in the Pine section), but otherwise I'm a clean slate, just trying to get a lay of the land here on Vancouver Island and in BC.
@River's Edge I've really enjoyed learning from your posts, thank you for being so generous with your time and knowledge here on Bonsai Nut, and for projects like your JWP from seed.
There's a lot of equipment I'm having trouble finding locally; soils like akadama or kunuma (or what would be a good local substitute), fertilizers, and things like wire, cut paste, pots, etc. I have some full exposure to the sun facing south, but am fairly close to the water with some significant wind and salt. Victoria is mostly zone 8b but I appear to be in a 9a zone. I'm interested in finding material that might be closer to being ready to turn into bonsai than my pre-bonsai front yard project. Pines and satsuki azaleas were the first things that caught my interest, but I don't know what's available locally. I would really appreciate your thoughts!
Your are super lucky, you have Frank just north of you!@River's Edge I used to live in Comox before beginning Bonsai, the island has excellent climate for Bonsai.
 
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Thanks @cishepard and @The Warm Canuck! It's very encouraging to see there's this level of community and knowledge here on the island. @River's Edge was kind enough to give me the lay of the land and some advice, I'm definitely interested in making a trip up to Qualicum! Thanks so much for those suggestions, those look great! I do occasionally go to Vancouver, I'll try to do some sleuthing for what materials I can find on the mainland too.

If it helps anyone else, I picked up 1/4-3/8 pumice from Borden Mercantile in Victoria, 1 cu ft for ~$20. They also have lots of individual fertilizer ingredients like bone meal, blood meal, etc.
 
If you do come to Vancouver for Bonsai, get in touch with the BC Bonsai Society www.bcbonsaisociety.org to get updates. They usually have a big annual sale sometimes in the spring. Lots of pre bonsai, cuttings, pots and other bonsai materials.
 
If it helps anyone else, I picked up 1/4-3/8 pumice from Borden Mercantile in Victoria, 1 cu ft for ~$20. They also have lots of individual fertilizer ingredients like bone meal, blood meal, etc.
Oh so envious of you on the west coast. Lava and pumice are pricey here.
 
Oh so envious of you on the west coast. Lava and pumice are pricey here.

That's why I use perlite for anything that isn't ready for display in a bonsai pot (which is pretty much everything I have). A layer of NAPA Part No. 8822 over the top keeps the grains of perlite from blowing away and adds enough weight to keep the tree stable. I add a very small amount of coconut husk to the mix in a proportion commensurate with a species' water needs, usually about a one to five ratio for broadleaf deciduous trees. It's dirt cheap (pun intended), and it works well enough for anything still in training, since trees in training are growing their roots out of the pot, into the ground, anyway.
 
That's why I use perlite for anything that isn't ready for display in a bonsai pot (which is pretty much everything I have). A layer of NAPA Part No. 8822 over the top keeps the grains of perlite from blowing away and adds enough weight to keep the tree stable. I add a very small amount of coconut husk to the mix in a proportion commensurate with a species' water needs, usually about a one to five ratio for broadleaf deciduous trees. It's dirt cheap (pun intended), and it works well enough for anything still in training, since trees in training are growing their roots out of the pot, into the ground, anyway.
I also started using Perlite for my pre-bonsai this year. I used 50/50 perlite/pro-mix HP. I top with a layer of pea gravel to keep the perlite from blowing away. However, my maples have been staying way too wet. Based on your ratio I can see why, I'll have to adjust next spring.
 
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