Which soil? From kit or purchased?

[Mrs. O in the wild]

Hello—This is my second attempt to grow a bonsai from seeds! (I understand this is challenging but I am dedicated to doing so.)

I learned some important lessons last time after over watering, using incorrect pots, subpar soil and I believe failed repotting. I purchased the soil in the black bag per suggestions given on this site.

My question is, should I use this soil to start, or the soil from the kit?

All suggestions are welcome!
Thank you.

 

[Crazy Diamond]

Home grown bonsai starter kit.. interesting concept for sure.. xD. The conifers cant stay indoors for long or they will die, also the premium bonsai soil doesnt seem anything premium at all xD

 

[rockm]

Sorry, but your fundamental problem remains--growing this stuff indoors, particularly pine, is a huge part of your problem. The kit you have bought is a pretty common one in retail--nice packaging and presentation, BUT it's a dead end. In almost 30 years of doing bonsai, I have never seen one of these kits successfully creating an actual bonsai (feel free b'nutters to post pics of your seed grown starter kit bonsai to prove me wrong). I have had a few of them myself back in the day....

Your approach, even though dedicated, is misguided.

That said, I'd stick with the soil from the kit to germinate the seeds. Bonsai soil may become difficult for that application indoors, as it dries more quickly and is a lot more coarse than the stuff that came with the kit.

 

[Wulfskaar]

Hi Mrs. O!

I grew from a couple very similar kits with some success.

You can grow in the soil they provide, indoors. Once they germinate and pop out of the soil, they will need light. Keep by a bright window or outside (prob not outside right now in Boston!). Once a few leaves start forming, they really do need to go outside. Some will die when you move them, but the strong ones have a chance. Once they are large enough to handle, move them to the good soil. I used the EXACT same bag of soil you have for my sweetgum seedlings and they are loving it so far.

Since they will need to go outside eventually, you might have to wait and time it for spring. The alternative is to have a grow light. I used a cheap one from Amazon and, while it worked to some degree, the seedlings were much happier outside.

Here is my thread from last year where my seedlings were dying until I was able to get them outside. My timing wasn't great either, germinating in fall and then putting outside in winter. Sun, fresh air, and water were all they needed.
https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/damping-off.46132/

Good luck!!!

 

[Orion_metalhead]

I would wait until the right time of year to germinate. The pines need to be outdoors. I would germinate them in early spring so they can be outside during the best growing months of the year.

The tropicals would get the best start at the same time, as you can germinate them, let them grow through summer and gain energy, and then when it's time to bring the tropical trees inside, they have some vigor and strength.

Germination, I agree with above. Start them in the soil given with the kit, save the premium soil for once they've gotten some roots and are ready for a repot.

Good luck.