Hi all. So right off the bat just want to say, I'm not trying to spark a thread on every type of soil combination possible as I think we have that covered pretty well so far 
. Everyone has their own formula that works for them. But I wanted to take a sort of poll on if you personally use a different soil mix for the first year of a collected tree than the soil mix you normally use for your established bonsai, and why?
Each component in each of our mixes serves a purpose, whether moisture retention, aeration, porosity, etc. Do you increase/decrease any of these components based on what you believe is important for the survival of your tree for it's first year in a container? Like for example if you're someone who normally uses an organic component in your soil mix, do you increase the ratio of your organic component to increase moisture retention?
I'm collecting a few trees in the spring for the first time and want to make sure I have all the details hammered out.
Some of the soil highlights from one of Walter Pall's article on collecting trees:
" The soil mix that you use must be permeable and must be able to retain water. Given this case, its composition should be improved by adding coarse sand and peat. It is better for the peat to be bark humus. Actually, you could prepare a mix similar to one you would use in a bonsai pot: a mixture of coarse sand, peat and humus. Somewhat coarser like that which would be used for a tree in the process of being trained, with good drainage, to avoid rotting of the roots."
"As has been said, the mix that you use now will be more permeable than the soil that will be use subsequently as bonsai soil. Good results have been obtained with a mixture of 40% coarse sand, 30% akadama and 30% composted bark humus. Pumice stone has proved to be very efficacious as soil for the bottom of very large receptacles. It has characteristics similar to those of akadama or lava granules, but it is lighter. Many enthusiasts avoid using old soil for fear of bacteria and the remains of fertilizer. However, it is advisable to add soil from healthy trees in order to include mycorrhiza."
It seems the most important factor I picked out from what he wrote is that the soil should definitely be more porous/coarse than a soil for a mature bonsai. He's also suggesting organic components, but I'm guessing that varies more from person to person. If it's any relevance, this next season I plan on working with a general bonsai soil mostly composed of Growstones (pumice) though I haven't decided what other components, if any I will incorporate.
Thanks in advance for your insights!
-Mike
. Everyone has their own formula that works for them. But I wanted to take a sort of poll on if you personally use a different soil mix for the first year of a collected tree than the soil mix you normally use for your established bonsai, and why?Each component in each of our mixes serves a purpose, whether moisture retention, aeration, porosity, etc. Do you increase/decrease any of these components based on what you believe is important for the survival of your tree for it's first year in a container? Like for example if you're someone who normally uses an organic component in your soil mix, do you increase the ratio of your organic component to increase moisture retention?
I'm collecting a few trees in the spring for the first time and want to make sure I have all the details hammered out.
Some of the soil highlights from one of Walter Pall's article on collecting trees:
" The soil mix that you use must be permeable and must be able to retain water. Given this case, its composition should be improved by adding coarse sand and peat. It is better for the peat to be bark humus. Actually, you could prepare a mix similar to one you would use in a bonsai pot: a mixture of coarse sand, peat and humus. Somewhat coarser like that which would be used for a tree in the process of being trained, with good drainage, to avoid rotting of the roots."
"As has been said, the mix that you use now will be more permeable than the soil that will be use subsequently as bonsai soil. Good results have been obtained with a mixture of 40% coarse sand, 30% akadama and 30% composted bark humus. Pumice stone has proved to be very efficacious as soil for the bottom of very large receptacles. It has characteristics similar to those of akadama or lava granules, but it is lighter. Many enthusiasts avoid using old soil for fear of bacteria and the remains of fertilizer. However, it is advisable to add soil from healthy trees in order to include mycorrhiza."
It seems the most important factor I picked out from what he wrote is that the soil should definitely be more porous/coarse than a soil for a mature bonsai. He's also suggesting organic components, but I'm guessing that varies more from person to person. If it's any relevance, this next season I plan on working with a general bonsai soil mostly composed of Growstones (pumice) though I haven't decided what other components, if any I will incorporate.
Thanks in advance for your insights!
-Mike
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