AusBonsai

I was at the big B in Tuggeranong the other day asking for some propagation sand, I got told they don't stock it anymore due to lack of sales, but the seed raising mix was just as good. So my question is if propagation sand can be used as an element in a bonsai mix can you substitute seed raising mix in its place?

Hi SM1 , Propagating sand is sharp washed sand usually around 3mm minus , not river washed smooth rounded sand .Seed raising mix is very fine , free draining whilst retaining moisture , Too fine for bonsai mix however i have used it on small bonsai starters but they too can rot in such a fine mix . I use the sifted fines from all my bonsai mix "3mm minus" as seed raising mix . Cheers Alpineart

I am just about to jion the I hate Bunnings club. What a crock.
Pup has sugested a fertiliser called phostrogen (s). I called around trying to find a supplier and found that Bunnings used to stock it but stopped saying that they had plenty of other fertilisers that did the same. Well ask any "expert" at bunnings what we can use that will do the same as phostrogen and you will get Ummmmmm. Even head office has not called me back with an answer. Pup did say it will be hard to find and suggested an alternative, maybe yates fruit and flower? not sure at the moment.
But what I think Pup does not know and I haven't got around to telling him yet is the phostrogen he knows is no more
Debaco stop importing the stuff about 1 year ago. Some issue with the supplier overseas not willing to package it the way they wanted so they stopped importing and have been franticly comming up with thier own recipie that they say will be almost the same It is due for release about now but they can't say when it will be on the shelf.
Anyway that is another story
I bought some seed raising mix after getting much the same story you did Sean and can agree with Alpine. I think it has no place in a bonsai mix. Suprisingly it worked well for sprouting seeds . I had two flats of hornbeam seeds one in a seed raising mix and one in an akadama fines, peat mix. Both grew well with the seed raising mix seeming to grow faster than the akadama at one stage, but once I started giving some decent fertiliser the akadama mix overtook the seed riasing mix. But I am still not really sure if it is just the mix that caused better growth there may be other variables. It also worked well for some carrot seeds I recently germinated. It seems the fines means the seeds can sprout in a week or so before you need to water agian
It is interesting that Alpine states 3mm minus for propagating sand as that is what I had hoped to find but the propagating sand I have purchased has been much finer. A very acomplished native grower in NSW uses unsifted potting mix and sand to grow his natives in. I believe Don Burke has been chatting with Dorothy and recomends P coarse Sand from Turtle nursery Sydney mixed with ya potting mix. I bought a bag of this and it also seemed finer than I thought. Ray Nesci had a chance to look at the bag and suggested I may have been unlucky as it is usually coarser than that. But that all I have to say about that

Thanks guys. Always good to get decent advice!

I use Propagating sand as 1/2 my propagating mix, ( the other 1/2 ) is Peat moss.

I have always found it is quite fine , <1mm. None of the course stuff at all?

Ken

Here is a link to a thread on grit for bonsai mixes.

I got some prop sand/sharp small gravel from melbourne via Ted Poynton and Martins in Sydney

viewtopic.php?f=12&t=3843&hilit=+Some+grit