CM BONSAI!!

[cmeg1]

Ordered a couple the other day that are on their way. Sorry if this has already been asked, but any thoughts on transitioning from rockwool to inorganic soil? Was thinking of just putting the cubes directly into colanders with some lava and pumice but I'm not sure if I should be trying to get rockwool out of the nebari sooner rather than later.

Rockwool is inorganic and never deteriorates.It is actually basalt stone and is beneficial to inner moisture conservancy.
The grow wool product of theirs can even be interlaced in the colander to enhance moisture conservancy.
Leave the cubes and do not mess with them.When your trunk is 3” around it will hardly be an issue because these will fuse and be that size in just a couple seasons.
Trust me the stuff is very beneficial….will only benefit a colander grow…….

LAVA & pumice & akadama is essentially hydroponic……so is stonewool!!!
Ph your nutrient or ph your water you pour onto you fertilizer cakes.5.5-6.5

 

[QuantumSparky]

I just bought some JBP but I'd definitely be interested in some deciduous! Haven't read the whole thread so maybe you have them by now so I'll go check!

 

[Maiden69]

Rockwool is inorganic and never deteriorates.It is actually basalt stone and is beneficial to inner moisture conservancy.
The grow wool product of theirs can even be interlaced in the colander to enhance moisture conservancy.
Leave the cubes and do not mess with them.When your trunk is 3” around it will hardly be an issue because these will fuse and be that size in just a couple seasons.
Trust me the stuff is very beneficial….will only benefit a colander grow…….

LAVA & pumice & akadama is essentially hydroponic……so is stonewool!!!
Ph your nutrient or ph your water you pour onto you fertilizer cakes.5.5-6.5

Curtis, once I receive, since I don't have any stonewool at hand, what do you recommend placing the trees in? I got the 3" 7 cuttings. I have pumice, lava, monto clay, bonsai block, akadama and kiriu. I was planning on separating them, but if they will fuse together I guess they will develop a thick trunk quicker that way. Do you remove the outer tape barrier from the cube before repotting? Or let the roots escape into new media? I have grow bags, but not small enough for that size, the smaller one I have is 1 gal. 6" diameter

 

[hinmo24t]

is that stonewool toxic or irritating? i know the standards are soft for decades (thanks lawyers and poons) but i read that this is bad to breath in like insulation? i remember in business school starting a convo by asking class (business law) if its really necessary for companies to mention (and take up packaging real estate $$) not to swallow the 3-prong barbed treble hooks for sport fishing

 

[Maiden69]

Stonewool is basically insulation. Common sense applies.

 

[hinmo24t]

Stonewool is basically insulation. Common sense applies.

interesting and i like the logic! wish it were more common but alas, common sense isnt so common nowadays

 

[Maiden69]

interesting and i like the logic! wish it were more common but alas, common sense isnt so common nowadays

They stopped including it in Cracker Jack boxes...

 

[cmeg1]

They stopped including it in Cracker Jack boxes...

It does not have asbestos……definately do not breath and soak in ph 5.5 before use after a good rinse…….not using a dry product really

 

[cmeg1]

Curtis, once I receive, since I don't have any stonewool at hand, what do you recommend placing the trees in? I got the 3" 7 cuttings. I have pumice, lava, monto clay, bonsai block, akadama and kiriu. I was planning on separating them, but if they will fuse together I guess they will develop a thick trunk quicker that way. Do you remove the outer tape barrier from the cube before repotting? Or let the roots escape into new media? I have grow bags, but not small enough for that size, the smaller one I have is 1 gal. 6" diameter

A typical 1/1/1 or boon type mix for bonsai……..take the grey plastic wrap off the outer block and plant………..blocks need watering daily in open air,But in a pot perhaps every two days …not really though…… they are actually very aerated for such a tight block and like to be moist….. there’s air in there……. If dry they die simple as that.

If in a colander or air pruning type pot….the one /one /one mixes are fantastic but if they’re dry they absolutely suck!!!!

I totally think the Grodan gro wool is absolutely amazing with a one/one/ one mix……just threads of it interlaced throughout the media it’s awesome or just add some more amadama or something.
The media needs to be free draining but also to stay moist or a colander is useless

 

[cmeg1]

Curtis, once I receive, since I don't have any stonewool at hand, what do you recommend placing the trees in? I got the 3" 7 cuttings. I have pumice, lava, monto clay, bonsai block, akadama and kiriu. I was planning on separating them, but if they will fuse together I guess they will develop a thick trunk quicker that way. Do you remove the outer tape barrier from the cube before repotting? Or let the roots escape into new media? I have grow bags, but not small enough for that size, the smaller one I have is 1 gal. 6" diameter

A 1 gallon 6 inch diameter fabric grow bag would be the best choice for the rest of the season it’ll be a tight brick of roots by spring and you can prune and uppot.
Just take the gray outer wrap off and plop into your media keep it super moist in a bonsai mix the thing will grow like gangbusters keep it PhD!!!!

A layer of grow wool on top 1/2” keeps roots close to the surface and alive…….A one/one/one mix &water the bazonkers out of it!!!! Full on hydro it is!!

daily watering in your climate for sure

 

[cmeg1]

@Maiden69
Do not seperat…..in your climate will be fused by end of season……wire base together later with tubing protection and they will fuse……..make a kabudachi pine!

 

[RJG2]

Received; thanks!

 

[cmeg1]

Received; thanks!

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OK make sure you remove the gray plastic from the Stonewool.
What is your media? is it all gritty like that?
if so I would put a layer of something very moisture retentive on top keep roots really close to the surface alive and water daily for sure!!!

PH water or nutrient or whatever you’re using or the trees will suffer most from no nutrien availability.

 

[cmeg1]

OK make sure you remove the gray plastic from the Stonewool.
What is your media? is it all gritty like that?
if so I would put a layer of something very moisture retentive on top keep roots really close to the surface alive and water daily for sure!!!

PH water or nutrient or whatever you’re using or the trees will suffer most from no nutrien availability.

Stonewool looks better as a top dressing as it just turns a natural algae green whereas orchid media or orchid moss is not bad but it gets ugly gray and yellow and purple colors.
Although orchids spmagnum fits the bill.

Oh southern Maine I guess autumn is approaching top dressing would still be very very beneficial

 

[RJG2]

Stonewool looks better as a top dressing as it just turns a natural algae green whereas orchid media or orchid moss is not bad but it gets ugly gray and yellow and purple colors.
Although orchids spmagnum fits the bill.

Oh southern Maine I guess autumn is approaching top dressing would still be very very beneficial

It's pumice and DE. I'll throw some milled sphagnum on top. Definitely took the plastic off.

 

[Maiden69]

Stonewool looks better as a top dressing as it just turns a natural algae green whereas orchid media or orchid moss is not bad but it gets ugly gray and yellow and purple colors.
Although orchids spmagnum fits the bill.

Oh southern Maine I guess autumn is approaching top dressing would still be very very beneficial

The New Zealand white sphagnum does the same thing, just make sure to sift it with at least a 1/4" grate so it lays nicely.

According to USPS mine should be delivered today.

 

[cmeg1]

What are you two using for nutrien is it every watering o?r just curious
Hydro organic or Salts?

Highly recommend adding at least some kelp to the media with every water.
Also humic acid and fulvic every watering in the media not on the leaves no kelp on the leaves either but once a week at most

These three choice bio stimulus have all the calcium iron and micro nutrient you’ll ever need in a constant availability.
Fulvic increases nutrien uptake by at least 20% and then can lower the salt

Honestly powders are the best in this respect that most economical

 

[cmeg1]

Kalix is for wholesale and NPK brand has smaller amounts but definitely don’t get wholesale from NPK brands store but they offer a fair price on 16 ounce and 2 pound packages.
Kalix has 20 pound bags and buckets of bio’s one my favorite place

 

[RJG2]

What are you two using for nutrien is it every watering o?r just curious
Hydro organic or Salts?

Highly recommend adding at least some kelp to the media with every water.
Also humic acid and fulvic every watering in the media not on the leaves no kelp on the leaves either but once a week at most

These three choice bio stimulus have all the calcium iron and micro nutrient you’ll ever need in a constant availability.
Fulvic increases nutrien uptake by at least 20% and then can lower the salt

Honestly powders are the best in this respect that most economical

I have liquid kelp and fulvic/humic I can use for now, but I'll look into the powders.

Otherwise I do fish emulsion on most everything weekly, and will throw a couple tea bags of organic 4-4-4 on each (unless you think that's a bad idea).

 

[cmeg1]

I have liquid kelp and fulvic/humic I can use for now, but I'll look into the powders.

Otherwise I do fish emulsion on most everything weekly, and will throw a couple tea bags of organic 4-4-4 on each (unless you think that's a bad idea).

Honestly all is good I just learned that pH is absolutely everything……Especially in a pot full of stones because ground soil buffers pH is very hard to change but pot full of stones your water is the soil!!!!
The plant will not get iron outside of the phof 5.5 to 6.5 and will not photosynthesize regularly at all.
Totally take the joy out of garden for me ha ha

The lower end of this range the more uptake of all ions…… the higher end…….. slightly less