Organic bonsai

[kcpoole]

That's great Mojo, they are awesome paintings Your neighbour has great style!
Thank you very much for sharing with us...
I'm all for the thread, it's a great idea for AusBonsai.
Until then, anybody got a good organic leaf catipillar deterant?
I caught one on a little Ficus and sent him packing but I can't be there all the time
Cheers

Hi bonscythe,

Yates Dipel: http://www.yates.com.au/products/organi ... ler-dipel/
I haven't tried it, the Powerfull Owls and Bats slaughter moths by night and smaller insect eating native birds clean up catterpillars during the day, I hardly see a caterpillar any more.

Cheers,
Mojo Moyogi

I bought Some Dipel Last week to see if it will rid my trees of my Looper caterpillar infection.
I had pulled most of them off anyway, but a few days after i sprayed them i found a few more that had shrivelled and died

Good stuff

[kcpoole]

I am liking the responses, it seems plenty of bonsai growers are being natural .

Diatomite is mined, mining is a dirty business, but, so is logging and plantation pine is used to produce proprietary potting mixes. Diatomite is said to be re-usable if used straight, so there is green potential there I guess. Akadama I have read is dug out of old Cyptomeria forests from about 10 feet down. Call me old fashioned, but isn't that where the old Cryptomerias should be living, or at least their seeded offspring?

Cheers
Mojo Moyogi

Yes Mojo Diatomite is Completely reusable so would be about the Greenest sol mixes in my book

I use it with Zeolite, and after a repot, Collect it all, Wash and Seive it then back in the potting mix bucket
I reckon that after I get all my trees in it, I will only have to by a small amount every year to top it up, and it is sometimes hard to recover all from the root ball

Ken

[simo_5]

hmm true about dolomite, for my soil mixes i use mesophilic compost mixed with worm castings from my worm farm, with a bit of broken down mixed woodchip, peat for my seeds, all of my plants never have any pests or disease that causes trouble, i think this is because of the diversity in my back yard.