General use bonsai potting mix

[toshtony]

Hi guys & girls I've now reached the stage in bonsai where I have the urge to make my own potting mix. Not cause of price or un happy with commercial bonsai mix but more for the fact I can say I made this myself and the experience.
I also just received my 1st batch of kanuma from Ken, paid for it on Friday he sent it on Monday received it Wednesday.

So for my azaleas I'll now be using straight kanuma, but for my other bonsai plants I'm thinking of making my own general mix with stuff that I've been able to attain pretty easily and not to expensive. I have some diatomite (kleensorb 35L bags) organised for Saturday, kanuma from ken, red lava rock a few handfuls from neighbours garden, zeolite (clay cat litter 15L $4 safeway), river sand (bunnings) and nursery potting mix with fines filtered out. I was wondering if there's anything else I should be trying to attain to add to the mixture. The guy that I'm getting the diatomite from has other substrates aswell I think he said pumice pine bark nuggets and other stuff so if diatomite is not needed I can order something else.

Please fill free to add your own mixtures and plant types you have had success with.

Thanks
Tony

[kcpoole]

I have for a long time used Diatomite / Zeolite.
Last 2 years have added Pumice as well, and now will do a blend of Diatomite, Zeolite, Pumice and Akadama.
For Japanese Maples and prunus, I am going to add some sifte bark as Joel recommended in the Akadama thread.

[shibui]

I was wondering if there's anything else I should be trying to attain to add to the mixture

Don't forget to add some fertiliser to any potting mix, especially if it has organic components like the potting mix in yours. Organics take nitrogen while they decompose and the plant can starve. Soilless potting mix can also be iron poor so you need to make sure you use a fert with trace elements or add some slow release iron to the mix.

I think your new mix will probably drain more readily than anything you have used. Be prepared to water more often.

I get a mix made up for me. 70% 6mm pine bark/ 30% propagating sand with a few kg zeolite per cubic metre. They also add some slow release iron and fert to the mix but I add extra osmocote when I'm ready to use it. same mix used for all species here.

[peterb]

Hi Toshtony
used to use 70% diatomite and 30%pine bark nuggets but the last 2 bags of diatomite have been very soft and turned a bit gluggy . Now use 70% pumice and 30% pine bark in everything all seem happy with that , as shibui says keep up fert and make sure of trace elements. Was given 1/2 bag of kanume which I want to try on my azalea when I pot her up into a bonsai pot this spring
cheers
peterb

[The Surgeon]

Hi Tony,

Since you're in the Western Suburbs of Melbourne, i'll refer you to this previous thread.

viewtopic.php?f=12&t=23513

cheer

[toshtony]

I have for a long time used Diatomite / Zeolite.
Last 2 years have added Pumice as well, and now will do a blend of Diatomite, Zeolite, Pumice and Akadama.
For Japanese Maples and prunus, I am going to add some sifte bark as Joel recommended in the Akadama thread.

Thanks Ken might try something similar instead of akadama will use lava rock

Hi Toshtony
used to use 70% diatomite and 30%pine bark nuggets but the last 2 bags of diatomite have been very soft and turned a bit gluggy . Now use 70% pumice and 30% pine bark in everything all seem happy with that , as shibui says keep up fert and make sure of trace elements. Was given 1/2 bag of kanume which I want to try on my azalea when I pot her up into a bonsai pot this spring
cheers
peterb

Thanks Pete will check if diatomite is ok but will also get pumice.

I was wondering if there's anything else I should be trying to attain to add to the mixture

Don't forget to add some fertiliser to any potting mix, especially if it has organic components like the potting mix in yours. Organics take nitrogen while they decompose and the plant can starve. Soilless potting mix can also be iron poor so you need to make sure you use a fert with trace elements or add some slow release iron to the mix.

I think your new mix will probably drain more readily than anything you have used. Be prepared to water more often.

I get a mix made up for me. 70% 6mm pine bark/ 30% propagating sand with a few kg zeolite per cubic metre. They also add some slow release iron and fert to the mix but I add extra osmocote when I'm ready to use it. same mix used for all species here.

Thanks Neil will add osmocote to my potting mixtures, at the moment while it's been Hot watering twice a day already if I need to water more the missus will go nuts when she sees water bill

Hi Tony,

Since you're in the Western Suburbs of Melbourne, i'll refer you to this previous thread.

viewtopic.php?f=12&t=23513

cheer

Lol thanks surgeon that's who I'm seeing on Saturday for the diatomite and pumice.

[kcpoole]

I found this article today while looking up some japanes sites and thought it very pertinent.
he discusses individual soils components nicely

https://adamaskwhy.com/2013/02/01/the-m ... soil-epic/



Ken

[toshtony]

Thanks Ken very handy link along with this one I found on forum
viewtopic.php?f=12&t=5745&hilit=Potting+media+tests

So I picked up a few more substrates for my potting mix not this weekend but one before. Got some pumice diatomite and perlite. I really like the pumice can see why people use it, the diatomite is ok I've given it the Ken test sooked it up for a week to see if it would crush and its stayed ok. I wouldn't use it though as a main ingredient eg 70% diatomite 30% pine bark, pumice I could see my self using a 70-30. Reason being now don't quote me on this its just what I got told from supplier, to fix the problem they had with diatomite getting soggy they changed the way it's cooked so it's now stronger but it has also slightly increased it's pH so unless it's a alkeline loving plant probably not best to use to much.
Now it's also come to my attention I'm better off making mixtures suited to the plant, so for a example Neil's mixture of 70% pine bark and 30% sand with zeolite will be something I'll use for my maples, I know they like mixs with alot of pine bark or organics. I'll use my mixture without the organics as part of the grit % and add whatever else is needed to suit the plant in question.
Azaleas will be in kanuma but as it's not something close to get might start doing a 70-30 mix, so 70 kanuma and 30 pumice and perlite, looking at the table by nbpca it looks like the perlite has same pH as kanuma 5.5 along with most of the potting soils. I thought pumice was the same but now after Google search I thinks it neutral pH.