living in Thailand is not a bad thing till you come to buy bonsai soil, I have just purchased my first bonsai over here, the problem is that having read a number of articles I decided to make some bonsai soil, many seem to favor the cat litter route so I thought I would try that first, I found some Hertz ph5 litter, washed it and have some hard irregular pieces to work with,
but the problem out here is that things like sphagnum moss, peat, pine bark chippings, vermiculite, composted bark, volcanic lava, Turface MVP, calcined (baked) or fired clays, et al, are just not available, so a couple of questions, does any one know of how to make bonsai soil using locally sourced materials? is there a enthusiast who speaks English over here? also are there any bonsai nurseries in my area that might be able to sell me some ready made soil, sorry if this is a bit rambling, but this is my first attempt out here with bonsai, I should have mentioned I live in Pattaya which is in Chonburi province, also the bonsai I have is a Juniper.
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC05641.jpg[/img]
cat litter I have washed
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC05374.jpg[/img]
me getting ready to do some choping!
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC05373.jpg[/img]
I could not resist this one at 300 baht, (...£6.15)
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC05361.jpg[/img]
the first one I purchased, 1,100 baht, (...£22.50) I was told that this was 7 years old, the problem is that it was purchased in a nusery that just had a couple of bonsai, but no English was spoken by the owner and my Thai is at best very poor!
How to make bonsai soil using local Thai sourced materials?
Last edited by sfk on Mon Apr 04, 2011 1:44 am, edited 3 times in total.
many thanks for the idea, I have just found out that there are some bonsai nurseries about 120 miles the other side of Bangkok, so it looks like a drive is in order! the only problem is in two days time I am off to the Philippines for a week but when I return I may well make the trip, though in truth hiring a car and driver for the day will make this one of the most expensive bonsai soil mixes ever! But any more thoughts would be helpful, Stan.
Dear JustinBoi, thank you for your concern, yes I have shown my next door neighbor how much to water them and the other plants, I also have a failsafe, a friend form the UK who also lives here calls in every second day to feed my fish, I have a few aquariums, so I have shown him that if my neighbor somehow forgets he will water them, if you are into aquariums let me know and I will post a couple of pictures of them, I have not done so as I do not think many here would be interested in them, also whilst I am posting if any one replies and I do not answer, we will be back on the 12th of April, best regards, Stan and Diana.
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time4breathnez
- Newly Registered
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Mon Apr 04, 2011 9:32 pm
- Location: u.s.a.
I have a few replies I would like to make, sorry it has taken some time but we have been away, Iilaoboa, the problem is with products from Japan apart from the cost they are just not avalable out here, for instance I have bought a coiuple of Junipers that I want to take cuttings from, not that I have done this before, but I can not find any rooting powder so a friend is bring some from the States, as for the fish here are a few pictures, I have two 5 foot aqariums one with lake malawi and tanganyika cichlids,
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC03065.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC03067.jpg[/img]
the other with general fish, rainbows, tiger barbs, silver sharks,
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC05981.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC05982.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC00791.jpg[/img]
to Marsaman many thanks for the link, this is where I found out about the farms on the other side of Bangkok, I tried to find more details of the shows but I could not get the page to translate to English, but I will keep looking,
time4breather, I am not sure about over wintering, there are lots of junipers out here, I guess some do not need it, these are the two I have bought to try to take cuttings from and train the tree after that,
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC06008.jpg[/img]
one has fine foliage,
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC06009.jpg[/img]
the other slightly courser,
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC06011.jpg[/img]
this will be my first attempt, all I am waiting for is a friend to bring over some rooting powder, by the way we make a daily blog of our lives in Thailand for my girlfriends family to look at in the Philippines, we have been to a few plant markets apart from other places, if any one wants to look please let me know and I will send a link, but please remeber it is a family blog regarding content and comments left, happy pruning!
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC03065.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC03067.jpg[/img]
the other with general fish, rainbows, tiger barbs, silver sharks,
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC05981.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC05982.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC00791.jpg[/img]
to Marsaman many thanks for the link, this is where I found out about the farms on the other side of Bangkok, I tried to find more details of the shows but I could not get the page to translate to English, but I will keep looking,
time4breather, I am not sure about over wintering, there are lots of junipers out here, I guess some do not need it, these are the two I have bought to try to take cuttings from and train the tree after that,
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC06008.jpg[/img]
one has fine foliage,
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC06009.jpg[/img]
the other slightly courser,
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC06011.jpg[/img]
this will be my first attempt, all I am waiting for is a friend to bring over some rooting powder, by the way we make a daily blog of our lives in Thailand for my girlfriends family to look at in the Philippines, we have been to a few plant markets apart from other places, if any one wants to look please let me know and I will send a link, but please remeber it is a family blog regarding content and comments left, happy pruning!
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thanrose
- Greener Thumb
- Posts: 716
- Joined: Fri Oct 16, 2009 10:01 am
- Location: Jacksonville, FLZone 9A
Beautiful tanks! Are the plants and driftwood synthetic? They are so clean and beautifully proportioned that I guess they are.
I no longer have any tanks, save one small planted with Vallisneria and home to our local snails of the ramshead type. At one point I had maybe five tanks and two tiny ponds, not including this one remaining.
I don't know which junipers you have, but hope that if you bought them locally, they were propagated locally too. Sometimes in the US the "big box" stores will sell things that are not going to survive in a given region because their buyers were buying for the entire US. I'd guess in Thailand there would be more independent sellers and sources.
I no longer have any tanks, save one small planted with Vallisneria and home to our local snails of the ramshead type. At one point I had maybe five tanks and two tiny ponds, not including this one remaining.
I don't know which junipers you have, but hope that if you bought them locally, they were propagated locally too. Sometimes in the US the "big box" stores will sell things that are not going to survive in a given region because their buyers were buying for the entire US. I'd guess in Thailand there would be more independent sellers and sources.
Hi, thanrose, the wood was bought as bog wood in Bangkok, but the plants are plastic, they were bought in the UK but were imported from America, I did at one stage have planted tanks but running CO2 plus the chillers needed to keep the tanks cool, the power bills just became too much to justify.
Iinlaoboo, many thanks for your kind comments, the only problem I have with them is that they keep picking fights with each other.
Iulgonze, I think that the plants out here are not too expensive, the problem is before I moved here I lived in an apartment so did not buy any live plants, also here we only have a small garden, but I made my girlfriend a miniature moss garden, I used two up turned plastic pots in a cooking tray and placed the moss rocks on top then filled the tray with water, the coconut chips 'pull' the water up to the mosses, as a clue for prices I have also posted a hibiscus we bought some time ago that has just started to flower, it was 80 baht, ($2.60) the rock was 350 baht ($11.60)
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC05356.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC05359.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC05363.jpg[/img]
we have now bought a second tray and two smaller rocks, also a piece of moss to cover some of the bald bits of rock,
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC05646.jpg[/img]
and the hibiscus,
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC05222.jpg[/img]
by the way sorry if this is going off the subject, but I hope it is intresting SFK.
Iinlaoboo, many thanks for your kind comments, the only problem I have with them is that they keep picking fights with each other.
Iulgonze, I think that the plants out here are not too expensive, the problem is before I moved here I lived in an apartment so did not buy any live plants, also here we only have a small garden, but I made my girlfriend a miniature moss garden, I used two up turned plastic pots in a cooking tray and placed the moss rocks on top then filled the tray with water, the coconut chips 'pull' the water up to the mosses, as a clue for prices I have also posted a hibiscus we bought some time ago that has just started to flower, it was 80 baht, ($2.60) the rock was 350 baht ($11.60)
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC05356.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC05359.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC05363.jpg[/img]
we have now bought a second tray and two smaller rocks, also a piece of moss to cover some of the bald bits of rock,
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC05646.jpg[/img]
and the hibiscus,
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC05222.jpg[/img]
by the way sorry if this is going off the subject, but I hope it is intresting SFK.
You probably know best. I have found most of the Pacific rim well peopled with self-starters and entrepenures.
I'm wondering if your 120 mile away bonsai nursery doesn't come into to town to trade at one of the public markets? I would've willingly sold soil components if anybody had ever asked the few times I set up at a local farmers market.
If they do, then getting to it, should be a lot less further to travel. Just a thought.
Post Script: Why does my failing memory tell me there are separate from food based public markets, there is-are a bird-pet public market?
I'm wondering if your 120 mile away bonsai nursery doesn't come into to town to trade at one of the public markets? I would've willingly sold soil components if anybody had ever asked the few times I set up at a local farmers market.
If they do, then getting to it, should be a lot less further to travel. Just a thought.
Post Script: Why does my failing memory tell me there are separate from food based public markets, there is-are a bird-pet public market?
Dear Tomac,
you may we be correct about supplies coming into town, say Bangkok, there are a couple of markets in the city so we will give them a try next time we are there.
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC06034-1.jpg[/img]
On a different note we went back to the Saturday market in Banmalung, I have taken a few pictures of a bonsai landscape we saw there,
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC06037-1.jpg[/img]
through sign language the owner explained no gravel or grit, just compost and coconut shell to retain water!
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC06035.jpg[/img]
totally different to what I have been reading,
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC06036copy.jpg[/img]
he also pointed to the moss, no moss, dry too quick, this has thrown my plans to use gravel with none organics completely on it's head
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC06120-1.jpg[/img]
looking closely at the soil below one of the trees I have, there is no gravel at all, just dirt and coconut chippings, but perhaps he is correct, locally the temperature is 35 or so every day, the four pots I have do seen to dry out very quickly, I pick them up to feel how heavy they are with retained water, I water once every 2 or 3 days, so I have decided to stop and wait till the opportunity to travel to Bangkok is here and have a look then at the make up of the soil that is used then rethink my strategy of using organic or none organic soil mix, perhaps due to local conditions the soil has to be a little more water retentive?, sfk.
you may we be correct about supplies coming into town, say Bangkok, there are a couple of markets in the city so we will give them a try next time we are there.
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC06034-1.jpg[/img]
On a different note we went back to the Saturday market in Banmalung, I have taken a few pictures of a bonsai landscape we saw there,
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC06037-1.jpg[/img]
through sign language the owner explained no gravel or grit, just compost and coconut shell to retain water!
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC06035.jpg[/img]
totally different to what I have been reading,
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC06036copy.jpg[/img]
he also pointed to the moss, no moss, dry too quick, this has thrown my plans to use gravel with none organics completely on it's head
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC06120-1.jpg[/img]
looking closely at the soil below one of the trees I have, there is no gravel at all, just dirt and coconut chippings, but perhaps he is correct, locally the temperature is 35 or so every day, the four pots I have do seen to dry out very quickly, I pick them up to feel how heavy they are with retained water, I water once every 2 or 3 days, so I have decided to stop and wait till the opportunity to travel to Bangkok is here and have a look then at the make up of the soil that is used then rethink my strategy of using organic or none organic soil mix, perhaps due to local conditions the soil has to be a little more water retentive?, sfk.
I decided to revisit the shop/stall where I bought my two plants, the owner had a couple more in stock,
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC06156-1.jpg[/img]
the first one was quiet large, about three feet across, the pot about 10" tall, priced at 1,300 baht, ($43.40) at todays rate,
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC06157-1.jpg[/img]
also this multi trunked one a little cheaper at 1,000 baht, ($33.35) I am not sure what the tree is but I am not sure I like the round stone, but the thing was in both cases the soil has no grit for drainage so I guess the temperatures out here mean organic soil is the way to go to stop the tree from drying out, subject to that I will wait till our Bangkok trip to have a look to see what the locals do up there. sfk.
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC06156-1.jpg[/img]
the first one was quiet large, about three feet across, the pot about 10" tall, priced at 1,300 baht, ($43.40) at todays rate,
[img]https://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/stanleyfk/DSC06157-1.jpg[/img]
also this multi trunked one a little cheaper at 1,000 baht, ($33.35) I am not sure what the tree is but I am not sure I like the round stone, but the thing was in both cases the soil has no grit for drainage so I guess the temperatures out here mean organic soil is the way to go to stop the tree from drying out, subject to that I will wait till our Bangkok trip to have a look to see what the locals do up there. sfk.
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john5555leonard
- Newly Registered
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Mon Feb 18, 2013 11:58 am
- Location: khon kaen thailand
hi stan , I know this is an old post so I hope you pick up this reply. I am a bonsai enthusiast with over 40yrs experience and am from england now living in khon kaen north east thailand I am active in the thai bonsai scene and speak a fair amount of thai , so if I can help you let me know. btw you have some of the best bonsai nurseries near you in rayong no need to travel to ratchaburi <bangkok> . hope you have sorted your soil problem out already but if not I can help, also I am interested to know where you sourced the cat litter from, was it a chain store, if so I can get some up here, I,v tried several and they were no good . regards john