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Many customers have asked us about the soils we have been blending for many years and use. They are now offered under the heading Professional Bonsai Soils.
These soils have made transplanting, repotting and growing very successful for us and customers here in the Midwest. The two primary mixes are blended to provide fungal and other disease suppression at the time of transplanting (from the natural disease suppression properties of sphagnum moss). They also use fir bark a superior organic component (to pine bark) as test results have shown in root growth studies. These blends are designed to have about 25% pore space (air space) essential to a healthy tree root system.
Basic Quick drain soil is : one part organic (sphagnum peat /fir bark), one part calcined clay, one part crushed screened lava, one half part crushed (reddish colored) granite.
To improve basic quick drain for use on pines and junipers (great for other species as well) we add one part Akadama . Quick drain soil plus Akadama is approximately 22% Akadama. It is well worth the extra expense for valuable trees and probably not for less valuable seedlings.
I use an extremely thin layer of what I call retentive soil approximately 1/16 inch thick on top of newly planted moss on a new planting. This holds down and helps establish moss as well as allows me to eyeball the need for water on my trees. Retentive soil changes color (lightens) when it is dry. I consider it optional but it makes my life a lot easier watering trees properly and establishing moss. Retentive soil basically are fines from quickdrain soil making so use very sparingly.
Always remember what I tell all my students: houseplant soil is so finely divided it ruins good bonsai soil, even small amounts of it mixed in bonsai soil. Keep a more than sufficient amount of appropriate bonsai soil in supply to complete your repotting needs!! Houseplant soil has sent millions of trees to the "Happy Hunting Grounds"!
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