Paradox
Marine Bonsologist
Pumice can be pretty dusty too.
Soil
- Thread starter Matt Gleason
- Start date
Pumice can be pretty dusty too.
...No need or opportunity to buy pumice so far. Thanks for info.
I water my trees once a day. And it's safe to leave them without watering up to 48 hrs, if the temperature is below 25℃ including the tiniest shohins.
I water my trees once a day. And it's safe to leave them without watering up to 48 hrs, if the temperature is below 25℃ including the tiniest shohins.
Paradox
Marine Bonsologist
I have the same experience. I usually dont need to water every day unless it's dry and windy. I like how pumice holds moisture/humidity in the soil.
Paradox
Marine Bonsologist
Indeed. I use equal parts lava and pumice in my mix. My training mix is 1 part each of lava, pumice and gravel sieved to equal size. My bonsai pot mix is 4 parts: 1 lava, a pumice, 1 gravel and 1 akadama.
In my climate I use DE or zeolite instead of akadama. All my trees are still in training. So far I 've mixed lava only for conifers, but I consider these three ingredients pretty equal. But pumice might improve mixes for broadleaved...
markyscott
Imperial Masterpiece
The cheapest way to get lava and pumice is to find friends, buy a pallet, and have it shipped in bulk. Here's one place:
http://www.bonsainut.com/threads/bonsai-tonight.23465/
His price (including shipping to Houston) per 40lb bag (7-8 gallons) was about $18, about 25% cheaper than the price Bonsai Jack charges for a 1 gallon bag, but you have to buy in bulk and I don't know how big your collection is. 1/4 of a pallet (13 40 lb bags) of each ingredient I use (pumice, lava and akadama) costs about $750 total and usually lasts me 4 growing seasons or so, but I have a lot of trees.
Wee Tree is another source and their price was a couple of dollars cheaper per bag, but it contained a lot more fines that I discard. Wee Tree and Beam Clay are a couple of bulk suppliers of scoria. Similar prices to the pumice - about $15-$16 per bag.
http://www.bonsainut.com/threads/bonsai-tonight.23465/#post-356948
Can't tell you about the DE because I don't use it. I bought a bag once to have a look, but it was too fine grained for me. Roots grow different in fine-grained soil. I sieve out everything less than 1/4" and that would have been pretty much the whole bag.
Scott
M. Frary
Bonsai Godzilla
I'll be phasing that out in favor of turface more than likely.
No cacadama though.
Waltron
Chumono
also switching to turface next year instead of the DE, bag cost me 20 bucks. I've found a good product called Reptibark, great deal on amazon for fir bark. going to throw some expanded shale in my mix, also use bonsai jack pumice and lava and they have a calcined clayy product that's 1/4" thats nice cant remember what its called, charcoal. Adam levigne has a good article about soil on his blog, one of the ideas is to use at least 4 differnt components, more the better, each offering a differnt benefit, sifted and sized correctly of course
M. Frary
Bonsai Godzilla
Bonsai block.
Waltron
Chumono
yup thats it, used it last year, I got a big ol bag left too, good stuff. one component im also going to use is old bonsai soil as well. whats a good way to sterlize old bonsai soil?
M. Frary
Bonsai Godzilla
Never sterilized old soil. I just toss it back in the tote I use to mix it in.
coh
Imperial Masterpiece
Turface and DE are pretty much the same size particle in my experience. Turface seems to have more fines.
M. Frary
Bonsai Godzilla
aml1014
Masterpiece
I recycle all of my soil. The desert sun will sterilize a tub of soil pretty quickly here in summer, by fall I can sift it and by next spring it'll be good to go, with more added of course.
Aaron
BrianBay9
Masterpiece
I'll second Sorce regarding Napa 8822 - diatomceous earth. Lighter than turface, easy to find, pretty cheap, trees are doing great in it. I'm in Madison WI....can't find pumice or I would use that as my primary component.
f1pt4
Chumono
Look into growstones. Size: gs-2 I believe. I use it instead of pumice in my mix. Trees love it.
Made in the u, s of a too.
Quick edit. The two sizes that are good for mixing are gs-2 and mix this, both essentially the same size. I use gs-1 as a base layer in bigger pots instead of gravel/drainage stone.
Did I mention it's super light?
Made in the u, s of a too.
Quick edit. The two sizes that are good for mixing are gs-2 and mix this, both essentially the same size. I use gs-1 as a base layer in bigger pots instead of gravel/drainage stone.
Did I mention it's super light?
Last edited:
fredman
Masterpiece
Yeah manmade pumice. Almost as good. Good enough when no pumice around. Bit pricey though...
Eric Group
Masterpiece
eBay
You can get 3.5 gallon bags of it pretty cheap, presifted in all sorts of sizes, same with lava... Akabama too, though it is much more expensive.
Guy Vitale
Shohin
For a lava/pumice substitute, I find Growstone to be awesome, been using it in my mix for two seasons and my trees are flourishing. You can get a huge bag at a grow store for around $20. My mix is made up of any combination of Lava, Cherry Grit or decomposed granite, Turface MVP, Haydite, Growstone, decomposed pine bark, the key is well sifted and uniform particle size as best as you can. I water once a day even on the hottest days. For two seasons I've started using a courser soil and my trees have responded very well.
