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buzzy

hi just quick question is the lava rock like scoria or more of a pumice type rock??
regards
Carl

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Chadster73

Also, for what it's worth... accomplished bonsai artist, teacher and our club's sensei - Ted Matson recommends a 50/50 akadama/lava mix. Some of our senior bonsai club members are going to it and swear by it.

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Psalms 91

Chadster73

I'm not totally sure. I've only seen "scoria" once and don't exactly remember it in detail. My guess is that it is somewhere halfway inbetween. If you could get bonsaial to comment on the subject he would know.
The lava is not as light as pumice and it does hold on to some water. It drains very well.

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Psalms 91

Chadster73

Can Ron, or anyone else who might know tell me about Haydite (expanded shale?)
Have you used it, how did you like it?
Are the water retention capabilities comperable to akadama in anyway?
I recently purchased some, so I know what it is and what it looks like and all. I know structurally it is different than akadama or lava. Thanks in advance to any and all information!

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Psalms 91

rockm

Boiled down to the basics, bonsai soil mix is usually a mix of what's effective, affordable and locally available.

It makes little sense to ship 40 lbs of crushed lava to the eastern U.S. or any other place where it's not readily available. Ultimately, the best bonsai soil is one that mixes all three of these less-tangible ingredients in the most effective manner.

Carl_Bergstrom

Even the bonsai apostates wash it or screen it....or at least the ones who are interested in horticulturally optimal growing conditions do.

-Carl

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In love with trees

RonMartin(deceased)

For those of you that like to follow such things I have planted 3 more shimpaku in three different soil mixes.
For the test I tried to find three that were about the same size with just about the same trunk thickness.
In the photo the trees (from left to right) are planted in the following mixes

1.Crushed lava stone + Terragreen + pine bark
2. pine bark + Terragreen + aggregate
3. Crushed lava stone + fir bark.

All will be put side by side in the back yard. The watering will be taken care of by the lawn sprinkling system which comes on automatically every other day for 5 minutes. This should insure that they all get the same treatment.
Come spring I will post the trees again and we can see if there is a difference.
I was going to put a 4th one in Academia but decide against it. Don't really like the stuff and it is too expensive anyway.
Most of the ingredients were sifted to get the fines out. Did not bother sifting the lava stone as it looks pretty good as is.
Did not wash any of the ingredients. Another thing that I feel is an unnecessary waste of time.
Fertilizing will again be done using that slow release Dynamite.
We will see what happens

Attached Images

soil.jpg (69.8 KB, 203 views)

TreeBay

I have two daughters in academia, and I agree it is far too expensive!

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FredL

Hi Carl,

I add about 1/6 garden loam to my bonsai soil mixes. This is very similar to what John Naka recommends in "Bonsai Techniques I" I don't know whether he currently recommends this, but certainly alot of bonsai have been grown successfully in this sort of a mix. I have been very pleased with the reults I'm getting with it and am not very open to the idea that my soil mixes are "sub-optimal", at least at this time.

It's pretty obvious that the dust that comes with lava rock has very little effect in the kind of mixes I'm using.

I don't try to tell anybody what the right way to do bonsai soil is. There are plenty of others who feel that is their mission. I merely share what works for me and wish others, like yourself, well.

Fred