AusBonsai

hey Alpine nice work mate

I found some nice roadside pines today, Radiata I think, which I plan on collecting very soon.
Just wanting to know what is the best mix to use straight after collecting pines as to minimise shock and or death, if their is such a thing

cheers
Lee

Hi Treehugger , mate i use the same blend for everything nowadays . That is soft red scoria and aged pine bark . I water the tree after potting up and place in the shade for 6-8 weeks or under 70% shade cloth . They are not watered again over Winter , if it rains so be it . I still have more failures with Radiata's than any other pine , they seem to sulk longer and don't bounce back as quick , or maybe i'm too rough with them .

I also get a lot of curl grub attacks in wooden boxes so i have stopped using them , they even eat old treated pine boxes .Unfortunately the red scoria i use i'm lead to believe is only available in Victoria or close to the borders . .

Cheers Alpine

Thanks for the tips Alpine, I think I will probably go down the foam box path for now, and see how that pans out

After speaking to others, I know diatomite is available here in Adelaide at my local bonsai club and a lot of people swear by the stuff, so I think I will pot them up in that after I collect them around mid august.

Will definitely use your tips on watering and shade

Greatly appreciated

Thanks again mate