bonsaiTALK Community - View Single Post - When planting in the ground....

I think it depends on the quality of your soil and what you're trying to grow. Soil is clay-heavy here in my corner of Northern California, which works fine for elm, pomegranate and crabapple (as well as a lot of fruit trees and shrubs) It doesn't work very well for pines or juniper unless you adapt your watering quite a bit, and if the trees are in the same bed, that would be impossible. So for that I have to amend the soil to improve its drainage. Usually an elevated bed in that case.

Hope it helps, but you're asking a very broad question. I know in Nipomo, CA, they have a very sandy soil in which they grow Japanese Black Pine and don't amend it much at all. When I asked the guy said they didn't even fertilize. I stopped by once when the neighbor's septic tank was overflowing, so maybe they do have a fertilizer secret there.

Regards,

Matt

23-Jun-2006	#3
TreeBay Tips:5¢ Advice:Free *MODERATOR GROUP* Join Date: Aug-2001 Location: Silicon Valley Country: USA USDA Zone: 9 AHS Heat Zone: 4 Posts: 9,745	I think it depends on the quality of your soil and what you're trying to grow. Soil is clay-heavy here in my corner of Northern California, which works fine for elm, pomegranate and crabapple (as well as a lot of fruit trees and shrubs) It doesn't work very well for pines or juniper unless you adapt your watering quite a bit, and if the trees are in the same bed, that would be impossible. So for that I have to amend the soil to improve its drainage. Usually an elevated bed in that case. Hope it helps, but you're asking a very broad question. I know in Nipomo, CA, they have a very sandy soil in which they grow Japanese Black Pine and don't amend it much at all. When I asked the guy said they didn't even fertilize. I stopped by once when the neighbor's septic tank was overflowing, so maybe they do have a fertilizer secret there. Regards, Matt __________________ Want to be a seller on bonsaiAUCTIONS? Get authorized today! bonsaiTALK: Over 100,005.36 Megabytes Served this Month!