Anthony
Imperial Masterpiece
Paul,
back in the 70's and early 80's Rodale used to publish a pocket book monthly with reports on folk growing - organically - from all over the world. One such article was on a lady from Estonia [ zones - 6/5 and 4 - http://www.gardenweb.com/zones/europe/hze2.html ]
What she demonstarted was an agricultural technique of just placed organic material on the surface of the soil. The seeds would do their own "ploughing".
If we observe the use of akadama from Japan, with the placing of composted oil cake, on the surface of the soil in the bonsai pot. Would that not be similar to the Estonian technique for growing crops.
Additionally, with the reading I had to do on roots in winter, for the topic dealing with using fertiliser in winter.
I would say that if a tree is subjected to a temperature near the 2 deg.C in a bonsai pot, chances are over winter, root damage would probably occur.
This might lead to the grower believing that the problem was the soil.
If fact even if someone were growing a hardy to say zone 4 tree, in a bonsai pot and not realizing that there is good chance that the first snow in a forest, with possibly the layer of humus present in the forest floor, would keep the roots warm enough to go dormant or grow, but not be chilled to death.
So the tree in the bonsai pot would go past the ,limit of say 2 deg.c and damage or die, as root /soil goes.
In other words, many of the problems being found on this list is simiply ignorance of specific Biology to each tree type.
However, anyone living in a zone 7 would just have to -mimic- the Japanese and get the same results, with no need for a deep understanding of anything.
All we did on our side, was say that as the root grew and the humus rotted, the particles could filter down into the open soil.
This was illustrated by an image shown in a book on carrot roots and how far away they could travel in rich open soils in nature.
By next year, we may be able to say with great confidence that all bonsai soil need be [ for us ] is just rounded silica gravel at 4 to 5mm and compost.
The gravel controlling the air spaces and drainage, the compost handling the moisture and nutrient requirement.
It was observed on IBC, watching Yvonne G., that she grew plants in a simple mix of for use in hydroponics, expanded clay and organic material, for over 20 years.
So the idea was tested, and one step further, marbles and compost.
Thus far everything grows well.
Then the air-pot, from Scotland, the colander idea, and still have to do, the smart pot.
The air-pot shown on youtube, uses just compost, and the idea here would be to see how well a tree handles 100% compost with more than adequate, access to air and drainage.
Theory - that one could design a window mesh [ stainless steel oil filters ] to fit into a bonsai pot when the tree has to be displayed.
But the tree keeps on growing in colander type conditions.
For maximum production of branchlets and smallest leaves, under full sun conditions.
______________________
Down here we use a core, and when repotting only 2.5 cm is removed from the sides and underneath of this core. Checks are made for enlarged roots.
The core is inorganic, and takes into accounts that roots also die and are replaced by other roots.
The idea here being that soil is renewed, but you don't interfere too much with the tree.
Eventually, pie cuts have to be made, to renew the core, but, the tree never has to be barerooted or enters a condition of having been bare rooted.
Thus far no problems. These as you know are very old Chinese and Japanese practices.
Good Day
Anthony
back in the 70's and early 80's Rodale used to publish a pocket book monthly with reports on folk growing - organically - from all over the world. One such article was on a lady from Estonia [ zones - 6/5 and 4 - http://www.gardenweb.com/zones/europe/hze2.html ]
What she demonstarted was an agricultural technique of just placed organic material on the surface of the soil. The seeds would do their own "ploughing".
If we observe the use of akadama from Japan, with the placing of composted oil cake, on the surface of the soil in the bonsai pot. Would that not be similar to the Estonian technique for growing crops.
Additionally, with the reading I had to do on roots in winter, for the topic dealing with using fertiliser in winter.
I would say that if a tree is subjected to a temperature near the 2 deg.C in a bonsai pot, chances are over winter, root damage would probably occur.
This might lead to the grower believing that the problem was the soil.
If fact even if someone were growing a hardy to say zone 4 tree, in a bonsai pot and not realizing that there is good chance that the first snow in a forest, with possibly the layer of humus present in the forest floor, would keep the roots warm enough to go dormant or grow, but not be chilled to death.
So the tree in the bonsai pot would go past the ,limit of say 2 deg.c and damage or die, as root /soil goes.
In other words, many of the problems being found on this list is simiply ignorance of specific Biology to each tree type.
However, anyone living in a zone 7 would just have to -mimic- the Japanese and get the same results, with no need for a deep understanding of anything.
All we did on our side, was say that as the root grew and the humus rotted, the particles could filter down into the open soil.
This was illustrated by an image shown in a book on carrot roots and how far away they could travel in rich open soils in nature.
By next year, we may be able to say with great confidence that all bonsai soil need be [ for us ] is just rounded silica gravel at 4 to 5mm and compost.
The gravel controlling the air spaces and drainage, the compost handling the moisture and nutrient requirement.
It was observed on IBC, watching Yvonne G., that she grew plants in a simple mix of for use in hydroponics, expanded clay and organic material, for over 20 years.
So the idea was tested, and one step further, marbles and compost.
Thus far everything grows well.
Then the air-pot, from Scotland, the colander idea, and still have to do, the smart pot.
The air-pot shown on youtube, uses just compost, and the idea here would be to see how well a tree handles 100% compost with more than adequate, access to air and drainage.
Theory - that one could design a window mesh [ stainless steel oil filters ] to fit into a bonsai pot when the tree has to be displayed.
But the tree keeps on growing in colander type conditions.
For maximum production of branchlets and smallest leaves, under full sun conditions.
______________________
Down here we use a core, and when repotting only 2.5 cm is removed from the sides and underneath of this core. Checks are made for enlarged roots.
The core is inorganic, and takes into accounts that roots also die and are replaced by other roots.
The idea here being that soil is renewed, but you don't interfere too much with the tree.
Eventually, pie cuts have to be made, to renew the core, but, the tree never has to be barerooted or enters a condition of having been bare rooted.
Thus far no problems. These as you know are very old Chinese and Japanese practices.
Good Day
Anthony
....mixed with lava and pumice
)
