general soil mix

[Webos]

I'm brand new to putting my own soil together and am looking for advice on a good general mix for any and all of my trees to go into..

I've made up a couple of batches of:

5 scoops blue metal
3 scoops pine bark
1 scoop cow manure
1 scoop mushroom compost

All seived to between 7mm and 2mm..

Does anyone out there see any giant problem with this mix, these proportions of ingredients?

[Andrew Ward]

A discussion of bonsai mixes is a bit like starting a discussion on politics or religion. There are many differing views!

I believe the important element is balancing soil drainage with humous content. I personally use an extremely well draining mix, but also add considerable quantities of humous. Living in Adelaide with our low humidity, warm wind summers is one consideration I must take into account.

The mix I use is extremely open, this enables me to use larger than recommended doses of fertiliser without the risk of burning my plants. It also enables me to water my plants often without the risk of water-logging my plants.

My mix does change, with availability of ingredients. Generally however I use:

2 buckets good quality potting mix
1 bucket zeolite (2 - 6mm)
1 bucket sharp sand (2 - 6mm)
1 bucket diatomite/Maidenwell
1/2 bucket Johnson's Mulch that has been soaked in seaweed solution and then broken up into fine mulch
1/2 bucket coir peat
Osmocote/Nutricote (500g)
Rapid Raiser/Dynamic Lifter (1/4 bucket)
Well Rotted and Pulverised Cow Manure (1/4 bucket)
Blood and Bone (1/8 bucket)
Green Bio (1/8 bucket) (This is a product available from Bunnings and Plantmark, it stimulates microbial activity in the soil and I have found it to be a useful addition to my bonsai mix).

When mixed together well the mix holds when gripped tightly in your fist but then falls apart readily. It works for me ... but then I water 2 - 3 times daily in summer (not so often in winter), and I am also heavy handed with fertiliser and seaweed tonics.

[pasquale]

Webos,
One potential problem with your mix is the mushroom compost which is usually alkaline (high pH). Lime hating plants like azaleas and gardenias will hate it, and many others won't like it either. Of course it depends what the overall pH of the whole mix is.

[aaron_tas]

depends on how much you want to water.

want to water and feed more, have less organic.

as long as they have moist air around thie roots they don't care

[Bretts]

Grant Bowie got me thinking in a discussion we had about my soil at the NBPCA. I was talking about increasing the organic content of my soil and he suggested that would increase the need for fertiliser as the organic content eats up the nitrogen as it breaks down. This would sure to be true for pine bark but I wonder if it holds true for cow manure and mushroom compost?
I have a mix of 50/50 bark and cow manure that I am using as my organic component this year. I am mixing this with crushed terracotta or crushed granite. also adding some dynamic lifter and or osmacotte. I have also started adding charcoal to the bottom of the pot this year.


That sounds like a great mix Andrew I will have to get around to trying that.

[Webos]

Keep the good information coming guys ...got my notepad and pen out...taking notes.

This mix is very course, water runs straight through since the grit is up to 7mm. Seems as though the organic component of the mix (pine bark, mushroom compost, cow manure) is holding just the right amount of moisture, if I scrape the top off, it seems just moist under the soil. Definitely not wet. Lets see how the trees deal with it in a month or two when they wake up and grow!

[Webos]

Ph is a very good point and something which I had not considered at all. I'll have to test it and see what it comes out as.

[kcpoole]

As i have posted before, I use a simple mix of
1/3 Zeolite
2/3 Maidenwell ( looking for another supplier now)

Have been using for 2 years nearly now, and water once a day in summer and every second day winter for most trees, Small mame / shohin I will do more often and also have them on a sand tray.
On the Hottest days of summer, i will water again in the afternoon

I find it is impossible to overwater as it runs freely out the bottom as soon as the mix is wet

Ken

[bonscythe]

I've gotta mix up some all-purpose style soil mix for the looming repotting day(s) and just had a few queries -
1) I've bought a few bags of vermiculite and perlite (for fungal propagation) will these be appropriate for use in bonsai soil mix?
I have some access to manure (horse/cow) for organic materials but i like the aeration and drainage properties found in the aforementioned inorganic mixes, I take it this means I will have to feed the plants more if I use the perlite or verm. in the mix, is this true?

2) What ratios would be good for a general mix? (eg. 2 parts potting mix, 1 part perlite/verm (50/50))

I had some more questions but for now that'll do!

Cheers everyone, lots of good info on this thread already!!