bpancakes
Sapling
What about ph issues from lime? Just soak em for a while and let everything leech out? Ive wanted to make those for a while as well. Do they take up a lot of water from the soil?
Soil Confusion!
- Thread starter JasonL
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Gabler
Masterpiece
I think you're mistaken. I found beetle larvae living in mine this spring, and I have ants living in a pot that's full of the stuff.
Desert O'Piñon
Chumono
My question is completely off topic, but do the ants help to aerate the soil/substrate? Or are they more harmful than helpful?
I'm sure I could get fire ants to populate, but also sure I don't want to.
Desert O'Piñon
Chumono
I'm wondering if it depends on the particle size. Small/fine particles could definitely destroy insect pests from the inside, especially soil insects or other pests like nematodes.
Paradox
Marine Bonsologist
Oil dry and cat litter are clay based, not diatomaceous earth which is derived from large fossilized deposits of diatoms, algae with hard silicate cell structure.
Diatoms are single celled algae so by definition they are very very small so diatomaceous earth is typically powderlike.
It can be used for insect control. The cells of the diatoms have sharp edges that damage insects waxy exoskeleton and causes them to dehydrate and die.
It doesnt act chemically on the insects like typical insecticides do.
The other problem with diatomaceous earth is it is very dangerous to breathe and can cause damage to our lungs and breathing passages.
I wouldnt recommend handling it unless you have proper protection against the dust.
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Paradox
Marine Bonsologist
If you have a pot of Oil Dry, its clay based not DE so beetle larvae and ants wouldnt care about it
Paradox
Marine Bonsologist
Would not be preferable to have ants living in your pots.
leatherback
The Treedeemer
Hm.. Not sure what is going on in that part of the world. For 200 bucks you can get nice old Japanese pots.
New pots depending on the size, typically 50-150 bucks. (pots up to 1 1/2 ft diameter)
rockm
Spuds Moyogi
Ants in your pots are a big problem. They provide no aeration or much benefit at all, but they do farm aphids and scale. Their presence on trees usually indicates you have an aphid problem.
Gabler
Masterpiece
The ants aren't in my trees. They're in a pot where I dumped some extra DE. The product is "Floor Dry," NAPA part no. 8822. It's specifically labelled on the bag as "diatomaceous earth oil absorbent."
Wood
Chumono
I doing think anyone mentioned but the insecticide DE is a super powdered version of the same stuff. It works because the small fragments are incredibly sharp on an insect scale. Hence why it's so bad to breathe in
Paradox
Marine Bonsologist
Maybe in Europe where a lot of things are cheaper, except gas. A 1.5 foot diameter pot here will go $200-300 USD at least unless it's a cheaply made pot. The prices of pots have been increasing the last 5 or so years.
I believe they call it inflation and capitalism. The cost of living and prices for every thing is going up so pot makers are also going to charge more.
Paradox
Marine Bonsologist
Ok that stuff is granular not dust so insects probably don't have a problem with it. It's the powder DE that is bad for insects
Srt8madness
Omono
It's cheap here
Pony Cannon
Seedling
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When it comes to bonsai, you want strong roots, and this typically means, the roots need oxygen. Why? Oxygen is needed for the growth of roots, respiration, that occurs in roots, can be considered as the opposite of photosynthesis, photosynthesis, traps energy from the sun, in the form of glucose. This is then used to create energy in other parts of the plants, e.g. roots, which requires oxygen.
In bonsai as we are restricting roots, we want very healthy roots ( aka Greatest Roots Of All Time, GROATS), and that means we want a soil or growth medium with plenty of oxygen, so many fine roots can grow. How do we get plenty of oxygen in the roots? Adding things like perlite, to a normal soil mix will increase the amount of oxygen, but as we increase the ability of the growing medium to hold oxygen, we lose the ability to hold water and nutrients.
A lot of growing mediums from Japan, are based on porous substances, that can hold water, but also drain quickly, (and as japan is basically an island made of volcanoes, they can just dig it up, crush it, and I guess they have a lot, so its not so financially crippling to them, ha ha, no actually probably is, never mind).
Ignoring all this what does it really mean. My garden has very clay heavy soil, not great for bonsai, because they need oxygen, to grow strong, fine roots, I need to add, some thing to increase the porosity, perlite, is probably a solution, horticultural grit, sand, fine aggregates, expensive Japanese volcanic rock aggregates
If you are in Japan, and you are creating Japanese bonsai, and you have access to Japanese Bonsai growing mediums, at slightly less crippling prices, sure use the finest akadama, small rocks from fuji, and other great porous volcanic soils.
If you are not, then use free draining soils, add aggregates, maybe some biochar!! Add some porosity.
But trees also grow in soil, so if you need to, just dig up some soil, and grow some trees in it. Deal, its fine.
In bonsai as we are restricting roots, we want very healthy roots ( aka Greatest Roots Of All Time, GROATS), and that means we want a soil or growth medium with plenty of oxygen, so many fine roots can grow. How do we get plenty of oxygen in the roots? Adding things like perlite, to a normal soil mix will increase the amount of oxygen, but as we increase the ability of the growing medium to hold oxygen, we lose the ability to hold water and nutrients.
A lot of growing mediums from Japan, are based on porous substances, that can hold water, but also drain quickly, (and as japan is basically an island made of volcanoes, they can just dig it up, crush it, and I guess they have a lot, so its not so financially crippling to them, ha ha, no actually probably is, never mind).
Ignoring all this what does it really mean. My garden has very clay heavy soil, not great for bonsai, because they need oxygen, to grow strong, fine roots, I need to add, some thing to increase the porosity, perlite, is probably a solution, horticultural grit, sand, fine aggregates, expensive Japanese volcanic rock aggregates
If you are in Japan, and you are creating Japanese bonsai, and you have access to Japanese Bonsai growing mediums, at slightly less crippling prices, sure use the finest akadama, small rocks from fuji, and other great porous volcanic soils.
If you are not, then use free draining soils, add aggregates, maybe some biochar!! Add some porosity.
But trees also grow in soil, so if you need to, just dig up some soil, and grow some trees in it. Deal, its fine.
leatherback
The Treedeemer
nope
Pony Cannon
Seedling
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If you really knew anything you would actually say something like: Actually, Juniperus Chinensis is a calcifuge, so you'd at least have to have a soil with a pH less that 6.5. (it's not, it is pretty cool with any pH Bee Tea Dubs.)
As you haven't, I can only guess you're full of it, you have added nothing to this thread, thanks for not participating, I and the OP, and anyone reading have learnt nothing. Good bye.
Tell me why, it is true, that trees do not grow in soil, and you cannot dig up some soil and grow trees in it.
I require pictures, because I have seen trees growing in soil, and grown trees in soil myself.
I need more than a one word answer which has no value, no actual meaning and is not true in any case.
Please I am willing to accept I am wrong, but only if someone can actually supply the knowledge and information that shows what I say is untrue, which is not you. Yes there are soils that trees prefer, tell me what soils Junipers prefer, tell me what specific epithets, of junipers prefer, Juniper chinesis, Juniper communis et al.
What Junipers have you been growing, and for how many years, what geographic area, and climate? And what soils have you found they prefer and why?
leatherback
The Treedeemer
sure.
Fortunately, I do not owe you anything.
Fortunately, I do not owe you anything.
bpancakes
Sapling
Never be too proud to teach or too humble to learn. Why even engage with them if youre gonna respond like that lol
Desert O'Piñon
Chumono
And if you knew anything about human nature, you would know:
1. Nobody likes a know-it-all.
2. Attacking (very well-experienced) strangers within your first hours of joining isn't going to garner yourself lot of good will from other members.
3. Entering a room full of strangers and telling them how wrong they are is a great way to appear self-righteous and get yourself and your ideas/knowledge/experience (regardless of how valid they are) completely overlooked, even if they have merit.
Welcome to the forum. I'm not judging you, just trying to be honest and helpful. It is, after all, hard to determine tone in written form.
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