My first thought would be to use the tree itself for one good bonsai, rather than waiting for air layers of much smaller and skinnier branches to become workable. My second thought is to NOT plant anything in a compost pile as it will be far too 'rich' a mix (if you can call it that!) for growing anything, let alone a bonsai, which is usually planted in mostly grit, far less organic than e.g. a regular flower bed, let alone a compost pile. Can I suggest you maybe do some reading on bonsai in general (and Taxodium too) before going ahead and spending on any trees? Start with www.bonsai4me.com for now.

I have read alot of imformation on bonsai, and trees in general for about the passed year and a half, and am about to make my first real purchase for a suitable bonsai, they seem like they are very good tree because they can back bud, they grow quickly, and i love them. However i just wanted to put it in my compost because it IS very rich, and i figured it would grow very quickly and vigorously there, while after it got situated i could air layer a few branches, that are about a half inch in diameter. Later i would continue to grow the tree, for either more bonsai of the same type, or to continue on to what i may plant in one of my own yards some day, i could still root prune it by digging a quarter circle in a desired diameter after every winter. I could get 4 or 5 air layerings that could be used as bonsai later from this single tree, and for 20 dollars that sounds good to me. I am also going out to buy pine bark and fir bark if i can find them, and already have garden lime, and i need gypsum (both pelitized) crushed granite, volcanic rock, i think i may get black instead of red, maybe both, and stilll...... i think thats it for my bonsai, and container medium in general. I know quite a bit about tree care in general, besides specific nutrient needs for individual species, would they all benifit from a well rounded NPK? or do some need higher of some and lower of others? I have yet to find a site on where they might give about the enviromental demands, or rather, their nurtitional demands. Any help with that would be appriciated. THanks, Aaron

What's the lime for? There are very few trees, except Coffee Arabica, that seem to need any extra lime - most want more acid. But seeing as you are happy with what you apparently have read about growing bonsai, I'm not sure why you want our advice. You can just use a regular balanced fertilizer for most trees.

Oh, i was getting everything that kalpa said for a basic container medium, im getting it for everything, so i'll need some highs and lows with acidity. I have many different tree seedlings i grow in an equal mix of... Sphagnum moss, peat moss, perlite, vermiculite, compost, and some coco bricks all sterlized. Thats wierd, i would think that coffee would like something acidic, because its so bitter..

You didn't ask, but your mix is awful. Take out the sphagnum, the peat, the vermiculite, coco and the compost. Get some aquarium gravel and a little Perlite, some bark bits (Schultz's Orchid Mix is a good source) and add them too. That's all you need - mostly inert and inorganic stuff. If you want to rot your trees, then never mind, but you did write in, after all.

well they all seem to be sprouting and doing dandy, thats just going to be thier temporary home for about 6 months, or till i think they are big enough to get their own containers. I didn't ask what?