AusBonsai

Hi guys,

I'm thinking of trying afew different soil mixtures for a couple of my trees.

Im looking at using only the following together;
Zeolite
Pumice
Tan bark

Can anyone advise if they have used similar components together and how successful its been?

Keels wrote:Hi guys,

I'm thinking of trying afew different soil mixtures for a couple of my trees.

Im looking at using only the following together;
Zeolite
Pumice
Tan bark

Can anyone advise if they have used similar components together and how successful its been?

Up till recently have used
Diatomite, Zeolite, Pumice sucessfully and others i know do the same with a bit of pine bark in too,
Now that Diatomite is no longer available, i will be using Akadama instead.

Ken

Tan bark is probably really pine bark these days. You'll either need to find the finer grade pine bark or find a way or reducing the larger grades into smaller particles then sieving out the fines.
Pumice seems to be a popular inorganic component at the moment so must be reasonable readily available. It has good water holding ability, does not break down and is reasonably light. You'll just need to find a source of the correct sized particles.
My advice is do not get too hung up on particular products or brands. You need to understand what each component does then you can look for locally available substitutes with similar attributes. There is a lot of science behind what makes a good potting mix. If you don't properly understand all that goes into a well formulated mix I think it is probably better to purchase a mix from someone who does.

I just got some pumice and it seems pretty good. It’s very heavy though... even my small pots now weigh a tonne. Not sure if it’s heavier than the scoria I used to use but it’s got to be close.

Beano wrote:I just got some pumice and it seems pretty good. It’s very heavy though... even my small pots now weigh a tonne. Not sure if it’s heavier than the scoria I used to use but it’s got to be close.

I thought pumice was low density and low weight, due to the bubbles etc. when formed? Are you sure you’re using pumice - maybe perlite? I know you can get perlite both expanded and unexpanded, but don’t think the same can be said for pumice. I could be wrong but just wanted to clarify.

That’s what the sack said. I’ve gotten it from two sources and it’s the same.

I’ve tried perlite for a year and I don’t really like it. It is very light. It’s almost like putting bean bag filling in your mix.

I'm guessing Beano is using the same pumice as I am, and it's quite heavy. Pumice can originate from any magma during an explosive eruption, so the weight and porosity can vary. This stuff certainly won't float, but my pines love it!

Can anyone advise if they have used similar components together and how successful its been?

Keels, I've used all those materials together with success so I don't see any problems. There are as many soils recipes as there are bonsai enthusiasts but a good rule of thumb is 2 thirds inorganic (pumice, zeolite, diatomite, akadama etc.) to 1 third organic (pine bark, potting mix, coir, neem etc.). Closer to 50/50 for deciduous and tweak according to your climate and species.

Cheers,
Matt.

Thanks for the replies Beano / Matt S, happy to stand corrected - I just never had heard of pumice with a weight equivalent(ish) to something like scoria.
I also wondered if maybe it was unexpanded perlite as I have substituted this into my mix this year in place of diatomite due to the quality issues ... I was kinda hoping for a bit of feedback on how it goes!

kcpoole wrote: Now that Diatomite is no longer available...
Ken

Again!?
Damn, I was planning on getting another bag of it.

My mix consists of...

1 part sand
1 part bark
1 part akadama
1 part hard akadama
1 part kanuma
1 part shreaded sphagnum
1 part volcanic sand
1 part scoria
1 part pumice
1 part compost
1 part vermiculite
1 part perlite
1 part rough peat
1 part fine peat
1 part Irish peat
1 part German peat
1 part sedge peat from Russia
1 part ''special peat'' from the former Czech Republic
1 part special ''magic'' volcanic sand from South Georgia Island
1 part organic Araucaria leaf mould soil from the East side of the mountain in Central Chile.

It's definitely the best mix you can get. Anything else is a compromise.
I will be selling it for $599.99 per 15kg bag if anyone's interested.
(ingredients listed may vary)

News flash!!!!!! NOW WITH ADDED ''GROWMIUM''

Where do you get your German peat from Mike ? I got some from Taiwan but I am not so sure of it's authenticity

On a serious note no one here has mentioned to do some trials first. Do NOT put your best tree into a mix that work for some one else in a different micro climate. Always try a new mix with a tree you can afford to lose.

Bougy Fan wrote:Where do you get your German peat from Mike ?.

Germany

treeman wrote:My mix consists of...

1 part sand
1 part bark
1 part akadama
1 part hard akadama
1 part kanuma
1 part shreaded sphagnum
1 part volcanic sand
1 part scoria
1 part pumice
1 part compost
1 part vermiculite
1 part perlite
1 part rough peat
1 part fine peat
1 part Irish peat
1 part German peat
1 part sedge peat from Russia
1 part ''special peat'' from the former Czech Republic
1 part special ''magic'' volcanic sand from South Georgia Island
1 part organic Araucaria leaf mould soil from the East side of the mountain in Central Chile.

It's definitely the best mix you can get. Anything else is a compromise.
I will be selling it for $599.99 per 15kg bag if anyone's interested.
(ingredients listed may vary)

News flash!!!!!! NOW WITH ADDED ''GROWMIUM''

Mike has his sarcastic pants on again. That recipe looks straight of MKR

Matthew wrote:

treeman wrote:My mix consists of...

1 part sand
1 part bark
1 part akadama
1 part hard akadama
1 part kanuma
1 part shreaded sphagnum
1 part volcanic sand
1 part scoria
1 part pumice
1 part compost
1 part vermiculite
1 part perlite
1 part rough peat
1 part fine peat
1 part Irish peat
1 part German peat
1 part sedge peat from Russia
1 part ''special peat'' from the former Czech Republic
1 part special ''magic'' volcanic sand from South Georgia Island
1 part organic Araucaria leaf mould soil from the East side of the mountain in Central Chile.

It's definitely the best mix you can get. Anything else is a compromise.
I will be selling it for $599.99 per 15kg bag if anyone's interested.
(ingredients listed may vary)

News flash!!!!!! NOW WITH ADDED ''GROWMIUM''

Mike has his sarcastic pants on again. That recipe looks straight of MKR

Hmm yeah not very constructive from treeman. Im new to using pumice and zeolite so i was looking for serious answers.

Thanks to everyone that has replied ive mixed up some of my planned soil mix and testing to see how it goes. Then ill roll it out next year to most of my trees if it works well.

Here’s my mix Keels :
50% unexpanded perlite (was diatomite... but that went south, so I adapted)
30% pine bark
10% zeolite
10% coir peat

I noticed Mike left zeolite out of his extensive ingredients , maybe just an oversight - I like it in my mix (although he does have Gromium which I have had trouble sourcing... lucky bugger!)

This mix served me pretty well last year (remember though it was diatomite then... not now). My aim is to keep it simple and use the same mix universally for all my trees. Pines, deciduous, natives...all of em! I hope the perlite works - I feel good about it... no choice but to change given the diatomite quality issue.
I will say I had pines in essentially a pine/coarse sand mix also and they were happy. You can make this as easy or as complex as you like I guess! Good luck with whatever you do.