Recommend any alternatives to leaf mold for chrysanthemum bonsai?

[kekoa]

Hello! I'm new here! I have recently been reading a copy of "The Art of the Chrysanthemum" (Nakajima/Carl Young). It seems to be a thorough and informative book! They describe various soil mixtures for various purposes. The master soil recipe, described as the base for which all other mixtures are prepared, is called "Bonsai Basic Mixture" and the recipe is given as follows:

5 pts Leaf mold
3 parts light clay soil
1 part fish meal
2 parts rice bran

I searched old threads here and it seems that leaf mold is merely composted old leaves, which I definitely will have access to in Autumn/Winter but not presently. Are there any quality, commercially-available (Southern California) substitutes for leaf mold that might be easier for me to find any time of year? Have any chrysanthemum bonsai growers here used the soil recipes outlined in this book? I know it's quite old, so perhaps best practices have changed in the intervening years?

Curious to hear the thoughts of those more experienced than I!

 

[Shibui]

I have not grown container Chrysanthemums but bonsai soils have certainly changed a lot over time. Very few growers use either clay or compost in potting soils now.
Organic portion of modern bonsai soils is usually composted pine bark or fir bark but many growers now don't have any organic components in bonsai soils.

 

[Colorado]

I would just use straight akadama and use the remaining components for the vegetable garden.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Greetings and welcome Aboard Bonsai Nut!

To answer your question….Composted bark, peat moss (rough esp), coir would fit the bill.

Yet there are many other media that would do as good if not better and not stink as much! For example, You could take the 1/8 sifted particles from a Boon deciduous bonsai mix, toss in a 50% small bark, or even a premium topsoil and it would work fine.

If you are wedded to the fish smell, fertilize with fish emulsion, like Alaskan fish fertilizer

Good luck and Cheers
DSD sends

 

[kekoa]

I have not grown container Chrysanthemums but bonsai soils have certainly changed a lot over time. Very few growers use either clay or compost in potting soils now.
Organic portion of modern bonsai soils is usually composted pine bark or fir bark but many growers now don't have any organic components in bonsai soils.

Thanks for your reply. Regarding the clays... have these been largely replaced by the sieved rocks (akadama, etc.?) Did they form compacted soils when in use?

 

[kekoa]

Greetings and welcome Aboard Bonsai Nut!

To answer your question….Composted bark, peat moss (rough esp), coir would fit the bill.

Yet there are many other media that would do as good if not better and not stink as much! For example, You could take the 1/8 sifted particles from a Boon deciduous bonsai mix, toss in a 50% small bark, or even a premium topsoil and it would work fine.

Thanks for the warm welcome and suggesting to try another soil mixture!

 

[Shibui]

Thanks for your reply. Regarding the clays... have these been largely replaced by the sieved rocks (akadama, etc.?) Did they form compacted soils when in use?

As far as I can work out clay was a component when using porous pots like terracotta. Deeper pots allow more leeway for poor potting soils too and provided watering is matched to the soil type and pot plants will grow in these older style mixes.
John Innes in Britain developed the early commercial potting soils similar to the mix you've quoted in the 1930s when most pots were terracotta.
After plastic nursery pots were introduced growers discovered plants did not thrive in the same soils and UCLA developed soil less potting mixes based on sand and peat that allowed more air into the root zone.
The 'light clay soil' which I'd probably refer to as 'loam' was gradually phased out in favour of larger particles which allow more air to enter the root zone. Initially sand and bark particles were used but the organic components gradually break down so more recently bonsai growers have moved to components like pumice and lava which last longer term in pots and allow more leeway in watering without compromising root health.

Chrysanthemums don't usually stay in pots for many years and pots are likely to be deeper than traditional bonsai pots so organic components should not be a big problem for you.
Good quality, premium commercial potting soils are a great place to start. There's a lot of science behind potting soil - air filled porosity, water holding capacity, fertilizer, trace elements, etc, etc so using a quality commercial product takes the guesswork out of mixing your own and saves finding all the components individually.
Pick a reputable brand and type and then learn to grow your plants in that soil type.