Soil Questions for Dry Climate

[August]

Hey folks;
Just got my first bag of 100% pumice and looking forward to mixing my own soil for once. Last time I did this I was working with turface, and can say now that I hate turface. Also, my stupid giant bag that I got is almost entirely less than a 1/16".

I live in Colorado, really dry most of the year and really awful hot summers that dry a pot out in half a day. The information from our club suggests a mix of pumice, scoria, turface, and a bit of compost. Even though I still have probably 20 pounds of turface I'm reluctant to use any more. I have a lot of a product called Soil Pep which is basically a small size composted bark amendment that I've used in most of my mixes.

My question is if I could I use a 1:1:1 pumice, scoria, bark mix to any success. I'm not exactly sure that the cation exchange needs would be met in this mix, or if I would be better off using shitty small turface in the mix after all. I also have perlite available, but the climate is so dry that I'm not sure if I need to add any more drainage.

Thoughts?

(P.S. using exclusively on deciduous and tropicals)

 

[Frozentreehugger]

I’m not really qualified . Considering where you are and what your using . But no one is chiming in . I don’t use Pumice and scoria . Not that I think anything wrong with these products . It’s about availability . I use DE Oil dry absorbent . Which is very much like turface . Mist think it’s better . I use this because my other drainage component is . Crushed granite . That has less water holding ability then say pumice . Personally. I think your 3 part mix is fine . I truly believe this subject is over worked . Use what you have access to The biggest concern should be proper watering frequency for the trees and the mix quantities you are using . Can you perform that if not you need to change things up . Second is compost lasting ability This comes into play for example some trees .especially conifers respond well to long repots . There for soil breakdown time line especially organic components . Is important . Other trees . Example I will use is young prunus trees I have in development . Some are in
More organic . Mixes . That will breakdown and clog in say 3 to 4 years . But I don’t care they will be repotted in 2 so it really as far as I’m concerned. . Is availability water frequency . And what are your goals for the compost . Visa visa young tree in development or old finished bonsai have different needs. I’m well aware a lot will disagree with me . But in my world I can think of far better places to spend bonsai money than the ideal soil component that is say 10 to 20 times the price . There is reasons Japanese masters say that learning to water is very difficult when . Here lots don’t give it a second thought

 

[LuZiKui]

I think you’re perfectly fine with that 1:1:1 mix you mention. I really like the Bonsaify videos on YouTube and Eric uses a perlite & coco coir mix for almost all of his trees except for the ones that are in the refinement stages. Your mix would provide a similar effect I think.

Also, @Bonsai Nut turned me onto his go to mix which was pumice and pine bark. I think he said he does a 90% pumice 10% pine bark mix, but if your trees are drying up during the summer I’d stick to the 1/3 pine bark like you mentioned in your post.

As @Frozentreehugger mentioned it’s more about watering correctly and using a soil mix that will accommodate the type of lifestyle you have( ie do you stay at home and can water in the middle of the day if necessary)

 

[Mikecheck123]

IMHO, the lever you pull for dry or wet climates is particle size moreso than what ingredients you use. Drier climates need smaller particles, all else being equal.

 

[leatherback]

Hey folks;
Just got my first bag of 100% pumice and looking forward to mixing my own soil for once. Last time I did this I was working with turface, and can say now that I hate turface. Also, my stupid giant bag that I got is almost entirely less than a 1/16".

I live in Colorado, really dry most of the year and really awful hot summers that dry a pot out in half a day. The information from our club suggests a mix of pumice, scoria, turface, and a bit of compost. Even though I still have probably 20 pounds of turface I'm reluctant to use any more. I have a lot of a product called Soil Pep which is basically a small size composted bark amendment that I've used in most of my mixes.

My question is if I could I use a 1:1:1 pumice, scoria, bark mix to any success. I'm not exactly sure that the cation exchange needs would be met in this mix, or if I would be better off using shitty small turface in the mix after all. I also have perlite available, but the climate is so dry that I'm not sure if I need to add any more drainage.

Thoughts?

(P.S. using exclusively on deciduous and tropicals)

Absolutely agree with all that has been said. Particularly the overthinking part of it.
There is a nominal gain to be had by using very specific blends for specific trees. Assuming you have everything else under control. But.. ost of us are happy to keep the trees healthy and not do anything stupid to kill it. THen a general mix is fine.

Thoughts?

Go ahead, be bored out of your mind for 11 minutes during which I spew my thoughts forth:

 

[Ruddigger]

The age old soil wars. Personally, I live in one of the driest areas, and I use no organics at all in my mix, just a 2:1:1 of akadama pumice and lava, for conifers. I use straight akadama for broadleaf trees. I’ve had much less root issues after I started going totally inorganic.

 

[eugenev2]

Hey folks;
Just got my first bag of 100% pumice and looking forward to mixing my own soil for once. Last time I did this I was working with turface, and can say now that I hate turface. Also, my stupid giant bag that I got is almost entirely less than a 1/16".

I live in Colorado, really dry most of the year and really awful hot summers that dry a pot out in half a day. The information from our club suggests a mix of pumice, scoria, turface, and a bit of compost. Even though I still have probably 20 pounds of turface I'm reluctant to use any more. I have a lot of a product called Soil Pep which is basically a small size composted bark amendment that I've used in most of my mixes.

My question is if I could I use a 1:1:1 pumice, scoria, bark mix to any success. I'm not exactly sure that the cation exchange needs would be met in this mix, or if I would be better off using shitty small turface in the mix after all. I also have perlite available, but the climate is so dry that I'm not sure if I need to add any more drainage.

Thoughts?

(P.S. using exclusively on deciduous and tropicals)

Coming from a hot climate myself, i've been trying out different soil mixes for different kinds of trees. And honestly you aren't going to find a mix that works 100% for all situations, as you can double your water holding component and everything will be perfect for summer...ie say water once a day, but come winter you'll run into issues. The best suggestion i can make if you do not or cannot water 3 times a day with your mix is to introduce some shade netting or possibly moving the trees to a location with only half day sun

 

[Colorado]

Well I’ll throw my 2 cents in…

For tropicals in a bonsai pot I use straight akadama.

For deciduous in bonsai pot I use straight akadama or a mix of akadama/pumice.

For deciduous in training container like a grow box I use a 50/50 mix of pumice/potting soil.

For conifers I use akadama, pumice, lava with varying ratio of akadama depending on species.

I’d probably just ditch the turface, I’m not a fan of turface at all.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

In SoCal (hot, extremely dry) I would use 100% pumice on many of my trees, with a 1-1-1 bonsai mix of pumice/lava/akadama on potted trees. I would water twice a day in the summer, once in the winter. If I thought I needed something organic I would use pine bark fines.

I am not a fan of turface in any mix. Too small, too flat, holds too much water. It would be bone dry on the surface, and then saturated on the bottom. Caused a lot of root rot issues in the bottom of containers for me.

 

[August]

The best suggestion i can make if you do not or cannot water 3 times a day with your mix is to introduce some shade netting or possibly moving the trees to a location with only half day sun

My trees actually all get morning - a bit past noon and then are shaded by my house. I'm actually a bit bummed about that, no spots for true all day full sun.

 

[August]

I am not a fan of turface in any mix. Too small, too flat, holds too much water. It would be bone dry on the surface, and then saturated on the bottom. Caused a lot of root rot issues in the bottom of containers for me.

Agree with all of this. Ive had the worst experience with it and still have a lot of trees in it that I need to repot. Worst part is that it's heavy dry and I'm a weight checker first when it comes to watering (garden center instincts).

 

[Michigan Tree Murderer]

Absolutely agree with all that has been said. Particularly the overthinking part of it.
There is a nominal gain to be had by using very specific blends for specific trees. Assuming you have everything else under control. But.. ost of us are happy to keep the trees healthy and not do anything stupid to kill it. THen a general mix is fine.


Go ahead, be bored out of your mind for 11 minutes during which I spew my thoughts forth:

Nice vid! I was recently wondering about re-using soil (after buying more) and you answered that question.