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| Are there any growers in IL, or any growers that would know where I can find decent bonsai type medium relatively close to Central Illinois? If not, perhaps someone knows of a good place to order larger quantities of bonsai soil from online?
I'm looking for a mix that mainly uses pine bark fines and turface or granite chips as the main ingredients. I do not grow bonsai. However, I have found the same soils are better for growing most everything in containers, such as bulbs. Thanks in advance for any information pointing me in the right direction. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Can't really help you directly, but I will say that you won't find any bonsai soil worth its name with any kind of "fines" in it - they're all wrong for bonsai as they compact and make drainage more difficult, as well as blocking root pores. |
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| Lucy is right. Many standard mix use pine bark with fines and large pcs taken out as well as the other 2 ingredients Google IL bonsai nurseries Paul |
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| Thanks... by "fines", I don't mean pine dust... I mean smaller pieces than orchid bark sized. I'm looking to maintain decent aeration. I think I may have found a few sources... thanks. |
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- Posted by bill_ftmyers_fl 9b-10 SW Florida (My Page) on Sat, Jan 31, 09 at 0:47
| Buy a bag of schultz profile (aquatic plant medium, fired clay) and then buy a bag of bark chips and mix them. |
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- Posted by bonsaibean 7 - TN (bonsaibean2000@yahoo.com) on Tue, Feb 3, 09 at 21:58
| I lived and grew bonsai in Iowa for about 10 years before moving south. The club I was president of there made our soil mix the same way during the entire time, and had very good results: 1 part Turface All of the above were sifted to remove anything smaller than 1/8" and larger than 1/4" Obviously, this gives a 50% organic mix, which is a good starting point for many trees, but you can adjust the mix up or down based on the needs of the particular species. Good luck! |
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| Thanks... that's very close to the mix I'm aiming for. I'm just having a difficult time finding the pine bark in a fine grade. I've already found good substitutions for the gritty ingredients. The local garden center sells a ready mixed medium in small bags, and it's a very good one... but it's incredibly high priced! I need a lot more than one tiny bag, so I'm mixing in bulk. Thank you for responding! |
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- Posted by greenman28 Nor Cal 7/8 (My Page) on Thu, Feb 5, 09 at 20:40
I use a product called Microbark, which is sold as a mulch. It's about $8 for a 2 cubic ft. bag. I consider that a bit expensive; but it's local, and the quality and the supply seem reliable. So I just screen the big and small stuff out, then toss what I don't use out into the yard. This bark is actually smaller, and better quality, than both grades of bagged Orchid bark sold in the nursery store.   |
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| That bark looks interesting. I've not seen anything that small in my area (southwest Michigan) but I'll keep my eyes open for it. The bark size looks good for containers. Thanks for letting us know about this product. I'll see if I can order it online or find a local dealer. Regards, Dave |
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