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Graemek: Lets see if we can change your way of thinking a little bit. First lets consider your fine soil with goodies in it. In nature when a tree is in the ground the roots are ever expanding die back and grow out again nothing to contain them. Now if you put this fine soil into a confined pot the roots have to stay and servive in the little bit of soil that is in this pot. All organic material over a three year period will decompose into silt. This will further clog the roots in a small pot. Soon water will not penitrate, and if it does the soil is saturated with no oxygen for the root to breath. So now it is either too wet or too dry. Next thought is roots don't just take up nutrients they also leave material behind in the soil. If your soil is too fine with too much organic material you get bildups of these materials and in a pot the plants roots can not get away from this material. The solution is to create a soil that lets water and air into the pot. When water washes threw a soil mixture that is chunkie it moves fast enough to wash out materials that you don't want. It also washes out nutrients that you do want so it is importiant that you feed plants that are potted into a hard draning soil. The last thought for you is that as a bonsai enthuiast we are attempting to keep our trees at the peak of health and not just alive. Many years ago we had a master fron the bay aeria come to fresno to teach pine needle reduction techniques. What he ended up saying to the whole group was that our trees were not healthy enough to work on, for all of us to first learn how to keep trees in good health. It was at that time that I started working on soil mixtures to see if I could improve the health of my trees. Last soil mixtures are like paint on the wall, its all paint but many diffrent colors. The same with soil mixtures, it is all soil but a little bit diffrent for every environment and temprature range. The challeng is for you to see what the older bonsaiests are doing and addapt it to your environment to create your own success.

20-Oct-2001	#6
ripsgreentree bonsaiTALK Master Chief Join Date: Sep-2001 Location: Fresno, CA Country: U.S.A USDA Zone: 9 AHS Heat Zone: ? Posts: 1,260	Re: Soil Mixes Graemek: Lets see if we can change your way of thinking a little bit. First lets consider your fine soil with goodies in it. In nature when a tree is in the ground the roots are ever expanding die back and grow out again nothing to contain them. Now if you put this fine soil into a confined pot the roots have to stay and servive in the little bit of soil that is in this pot. All organic material over a three year period will decompose into silt. This will further clog the roots in a small pot. Soon water will not penitrate, and if it does the soil is saturated with no oxygen for the root to breath. So now it is either too wet or too dry. Next thought is roots don't just take up nutrients they also leave material behind in the soil. If your soil is too fine with too much organic material you get bildups of these materials and in a pot the plants roots can not get away from this material. The solution is to create a soil that lets water and air into the pot. When water washes threw a soil mixture that is chunkie it moves fast enough to wash out materials that you don't want. It also washes out nutrients that you do want so it is importiant that you feed plants that are potted into a hard draning soil. The last thought for you is that as a bonsai enthuiast we are attempting to keep our trees at the peak of health and not just alive. Many years ago we had a master fron the bay aeria come to fresno to teach pine needle reduction techniques. What he ended up saying to the whole group was that our trees were not healthy enough to work on, for all of us to first learn how to keep trees in good health. It was at that time that I started working on soil mixtures to see if I could improve the health of my trees. Last soil mixtures are like paint on the wall, its all paint but many diffrent colors. The same with soil mixtures, it is all soil but a little bit diffrent for every environment and temprature range. The challeng is for you to see what the older bonsaiests are doing and addapt it to your environment to create your own success. __________________ ripsgreentree It requires an open hand to give and to recieve.