Question for Diatomite/Zeolite/Perlite users?

[Rhuumz]

Hey Guys,

Just a question for those of you who use this stuff as your medium...

When you buy/dig up a new plant and your planning on growing it in a pot or transporting to a larger pot do you guys use this stuff as a growing medium? or do you use it only when your finally placing it into a bonsai pot?

I have a couple root bound tree's that im wanting to upgrade to larger pots and I was wondering what to fill the new pots with?!

R

[Paulneill]

Yes I use datomite zeolight pumice scoria and sometimes a bit of pine bark . No 2 of my mixes are the same I use the diatomite as the major component 70% zeolight 15 % scoria 15% .roughly I don't measure it out. Deciduous trees like to be a little more wet than pines\ junipers. And can benifite from added pine bark sifted even sized particles . Trees in large grow boxs / pots are fine using all these ingredients make sure u sive or rinse out the fine dust . Trees in bonsai pot do well with these type of mixs also but I would try and use smaller particle sizes in this case especially for small pots .

[Bougy Fan]

I use 2 parts diatomite, 1 part zeolite and 1 part scoria. I am tending to sift now and use the larger particles (+4mm) for trees that I find don't like their feet to get wet, such as bougys. I find the smaller particles seem to hold too much moisture or not let it drain freely enough.

I can't afford to use it on all my grow on stuff but I would if I could - much easier to weed and to keep fine roots at repotting time.

[GavinG]

Rhuumz, I think the question you may also be implying is, how do I go from (possibly) crap nursery potting mix to well-draining bonsai mix? At what stage, and how do you do it?

I'll give a few ideas, but if this isn't relevant, just ignore them.

Generally for deciduous trees you can bare-root in late winter - that is, get rid of every skerrick of rubbish, prune and sort the roots however you want. Into new mix, easy.

Junipers, camellias and the like can be more tricky. Replace about a third of the soil mix at a time, with a mix with added grit, but not too totally different, taking care to replace all of it over three years or so. The tricky bit is directly under the base of the trunk, but if it isn't replaced, the old mix can rot down over several years and cause disease.

Although it is not usually advised to bare-root junipers, camellias and so on, I have done so in a very specific way, to transfer from ordinary nursery mix to a grit-based potting mix efficiently. The intermediate stage is to bare-root and transplant into PURE coarse grit (sharp sand, decomposed granite, fairly small pumice etc., and then into your usual bonsai mix next spring. Protect the tree from drying out in the year it is in pure grit, as it it is more vulnerable. PLEASE TEST THIS TECHNIQUE ON A NON-VALUABLE TREE in your own environment, and with your own aftercare - I can only say that it works for me.

For pines, I don't know - they just die on me.

Some natives (Melaleucas, Callistemons, Eucalypts in very hot weather) can be bare-rooted, others like Acacias, Leptos, Beackeas and similar small-leafed bushy things needs to be gradual, one third a year. I haven't tested the pure-grit technique on them yet.

Hope this is useful, best of luck.

Gavin

[kcpoole]

I used it on Everything, all the time
When i collect trees, they go straight in diatomite mix.

I will bare root or replace the original soil as appropriate for each species.
Tropicals, Deciduous get bare rooted, pines / junipers Gradually over a season or 2.

Ken