in need of help

remingtonq

i posted this question under the soil, fertilizer, and repotting section of the forum. it hasnt gotten very much traffic or replies. i know there are tons of other threads stating the same thing i asked also. i just wanted to see if i could get any other opinions/ideas.

i know that different plants need different things. but i am just a beginner here. i would like to know what is a good soil mix for general use with deciduous trees? any opinions will help. just something easy for me to start with and that i can buy from common places so i wont spend a small fortune on premade/mixed bonsai soils from online. just general guide lines that i could use loosely that will work for a while until i get some experience under my belt. thanks all.
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Quote "Cavemen are people too."
-some random cro-magnon

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BunjinEnt

Check this out.

www.shadysidebonsai.com

It is probably within walking distance.

A good General rule of thumb mix:

1 part fine bark "Soil Conditioner" -Home Depot

1 part Coarse sand (grit)

1 part Turface

Last two can be found at Shady Side

Hope this helps.

-Wm

Graydon

Hey - I was laughing so hard over your avatar I forgot to reply. It's funny to me as my nephew is in Iraq now (Army) and loves those caveman commercials. May I lift it and email it to him? It may brighten his day.

Anyhow... A good suggestion is the route of Shadyside. Not sure where you are and where Tom is in MD but he could really help you develop a good soil blend to work with the specific plants and the needs they have. Buying in bulk and mixing yourself will save you some costs as long as you have room and the desire to store the mixed soil and components. COntact him and discuss your needs - he will be happy to give you advice.

You also had a thread on digging trees and removing the soil. Discuss this with Tom as well. It varies as to what can be bare rooted and what needs an intact root ball to be worked out later. I can assume you are thinking trees in your area so - check with people in your area. Successful ones would be a good place to start.

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tachigi

Hi Remingtonq,
Where about 25 minutes apart. Give me a call, we can come up with a simple recipe for what you are collecting that won't break the bank. You can get it from me or I can point you in the right direction locally to obtain most of what you'll need. I'd love to hear what your collecting locally, collecting is one of my passions involving bonsai. If nothing else we can BS about trees, collecting, and bonsai in general.

In the mean time here is a blurb about soils that Colin Lewis did on my web site. If it interests you let me know and I can send you the full article that it came from. SOILS

BTW: Thanks for the plug guys, very nice. I appreciate it.

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Tom

Shady Side Bonsai
Bonsai Vault
4MAAT

remingtonq

Awesome stuff guys. Thanks for the advice. I can't get enough. I will definately make some time soon to look you up over at shadyside Tom. I can also try to get some pics up here tomarrow of what I was looking at. I have no idea of what it is. Right down on the Potomac. Very cool looking. I am accually in Indian Head, if you've heard of it. Thanks again.

Of course. You can lift it Gray. If you already haven't. I'll send you a copy of it via email. I'm a Marine myself. The caveman commercials are my favorite too. Hilarious! Anywho, check back tomarrow in the afternoon and hopefully I'll have some pics up.

remi

__________________
Quote "Cavemen are people too."
-some random cro-magnon

remingtonq

Well I can't paste a pic of the caveman to email to you. So go ahead and lift. Send my regards to your nephew. I wish I could be over there too.

__________________
Quote "Cavemen are people too."
-some random cro-magnon

tachigi

I know it well, use to fish a lot of tournaments out of Piscataway. Looking forward to your pictures.

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Tom

Shady Side Bonsai
Bonsai Vault
4MAAT

BunjinEnt

Remi,

I was in Indian Head today goofin around in the snow with the kids. I am in Dahlgren. Small World.

-Wm

rockm

The soil mix mentioned will work pretty well, depending on what you're digging.

By the way, I'm just across the river from you just past Alexandria. You been down to Gardens Unlimited in Ladysmith, Va.? They have some pretty good collected trees from time to time.