Soil Advice

Ohmy222

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I hate to start this thread but hopefully we can keep it productive. For the last couple of years I switched a lot of my trees to DE due to the expense of akadama. I have not had any real issues with it but would like to experiment still with my soil mix. The main concern is I feel my hornbeams, a stewartia, and my mumes havent flourished so I mainly want to switch them out. The hornbeams I have about 6 and none seem happy. I also seemingly have found pumice (and perlite for smaller items) to my favorite ingredient the more I use it.

Questions:
What species do you feel don’t like akadama?

What species do you feel do respond to it?
Specifically hornbeams?

Do you think substituting more pumice for lava would help?

For anyone that has used both DE and Akadama what trees do you feel like it vs. don’t like it?

I am not looking for a DE vs Akadama show down just trying to tailor to what is best for the trees. Oddly enough my maples seem fine with DE.

As for my trees I have a majority deciduous and flowering trees. Very few conifers. Too many to name but if it is deciduous, has flowers, or has berries then I probably have one.
 

sorce

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I don't think you've allowed enough time to have them flourish.
Not that you can't gather enough info before that point to make a decision....but ....

So Much matters.

Akadama, DE, source, size, watering habits, fert,etcetcetc.

Sorce
 

Ohmy222

Shohin
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I don't think you've allowed enough time to have them flourish.
Not that you can't gather enough info before that point to make a decision....but ....

So Much matters.

Akadama, DE, source, size, watering habits, fert,etcetcetc.

Sorce

Two seasons (some 3) seems ok time to try something new. DE is napa 8822. Akadama is small and medium depending on size. Water and fertilize a lot during growing season. Hottest part of summer I water 2-3 times a day (auto water). Unlike many I water everything at the same time and use pumice and lava to accommodate that schedule. Conifers or those that don’t need water get a lot of pumice/lava. My base mix is 1/3 DE or akadama prior, 1/3 pumice, 1/3 lava. Fertilizer is dynagro liquid.
 

sorce

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They say they sing in the third year...isn't that how it goes? Maybe one more year?

Or try watering the S out of them.
Behaves a little different.

I appreciate you providing the information, but what I mean is, everyone else will have to provide all that information too, in order for you to make sense of the answers to your questions.

It usually turns out, finding the answer for yourself with close observation of your own plants is faster than executing the myriad of methods provided as solutions.

The problem is, all the different advice/methods alone is usually enough in itself to be a useless and difficult task.

Useless because the other information isn't provided, made even more difficult when you throw in the variables.

To test them all, would take a minimum of 10 years, sometimes longer.
(In the mean time the trees are...?)

I believe it is easier to silence the noise.

And listen to the trees.

6 years max!

Sorce
 

Wires_Guy_wires

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My cherries and other stone fruits seem to love akadama if I fertilize enough. My deciduous overall seem to like akadama (beech, oaks, everything else).

But my conifers, like junipers, mugo, scots pine, everything with needles or scales, seem to hate it.

Especially the junipers slow down to a grinding halt when I put them in akadama. I have a mix that was originally intended for office plants consisting of lava rock, pumice and some other types of rocks that they seem to love. The stuff is cheap (20 bucks a wheelbarrow), already mixed, and delivered to my home for just a small fee. All I need to do is wash the dust out.
 

Forsoothe!

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DE has a pH of ~7.5 to 9.0. Isn't that, in addition to its tendency to resolve down to 10 to 200 μm counter intuitive for you guys that bad mouth my dirt? (You know how I hate to stir the pot)
 

Schmikah

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DE has a pH of ~7.5 to 9.0. Isn't that, in addition to its tendency to resolve down to 10 to 200 μm counter intuitive for you guys that bad mouth my dirt? (You know how I hate to stir the pot)

I mix coffee grounds into my DE Mix for my lavender star and use some organic orchid fertilizer, seems to balance out the initial pH boost.
 

Tieball

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The sun. The bench placement. The watering. The rain. The wind. The fertilizer when needed. These will make the difference. I wouldn’t get all wound up in ph this and ph that.
 

Forsoothe!

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You don't own any Azalea or Pines?
 

Paradox

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I have everything except my azaleas, european beech and a bald cypress in a mixture of akadama, pumice and lava.

They all seem to love that mix
 
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