AKADAMA

[sandman]

NEW TO BONSAI I JUST PURCHASED SOME OF THIS AND don't KNOW WHETHER TO MIX IT WITH SOMETHING OR JUST POT USING ONLY IT

[constantstaticx3]

Akadama can be used by itself, many people do, but it is best used when mixed with other amendments such as pine bark and a grit. I myself use it in a mix. It is great with holding moisture and nutrients from fertilizer, although it does breakdown over time and should be changed every 2 or 3 years, which is probobly when you should repot anyway.

Tom

[sandman]

what percentage of akadama and pine bark would u recommend

[constantstaticx3]

well I would say you could use 25% pine bark 25% akadama and 50% grit which could be anything that allows easy drainage, like a riversand or decomposed granit. Whatever grit you use make sure it is rough not smooth like river rock, the grit should allow better drainage but also have some rough spots for roots to cling to, I like to use lava rock although it holds most of its weight in water so for you I would use a coarse sand, particle size about the same size as the other ingrediants because if you use a large particle size for good drainage and then you use something a lot smaller, it will fill inbetween the larger particles and tke away the good drainage.

p.s. I forgot to ask what type of tree you plan to use this on as it can change the ratio of the ingrediants. A pine would have more like 80% grit as to an elm would have about 50%.

Tom

[Gnome]

p.s. I forgot to ask what type of tree you plan to use this on as it can change the ratio of the ingrediants. A pine would have more like 80% grit as to an elm would have about 50%.

Yes this is an important consideration. Many times Pines and Junipers are potted in an entirely inorganic mix. Deciduous trees generally like some organic materials while tropicals like Ficus can get by on an even more organic heavy mix.

Also take into consideration your climate and the amount of time you can spend watering your plants each day, once a day twice etc.

Norm

[sandman]

I have and elm, olive, trident maple, 2 japanese maple not sure which kind, some sort of ficus I pulled from my moms planter, an oak and a couple dawn redwoods. and I live in the central valley in california gets about 90-115 in summer and this winter the coldest it got I think was like 28

[sandman]

oh and about 10 pines that I collected from the bay area about a month ago not sure what kind as of now but they are in the ground so not to worried about them at the moment and they are still very small 8 to 1 inch
thanks again for all your help

[ynot]

Sandman,

Good points here from both constantstaticx3 and Gnome.

Keep it as simple as possible IMO [For your own sanity ]

Disclaimer for the casual reader: All numbers represent starting points NOT the perfect percentages, Tweak to your preferences/requirements.

I do some entirely inorganic trees but a good way to do it for you would be to use about 45% organic for your tropicals. [About a 1:1 mix I/O]

[These %s are far more than I would use but you have some severe heat in mid summer to deal with and such a mix will retain moisture longer.]

Temperate species are variable but you could start with about 30% organic. [About 3:1 I/O]

For your conifers about 15% or maybe 20% organic. [Again you have some severe heat...] [About 5:1 I/O]

The mix of grit and Akadama is up to you [One is far cheaper than the other .]

It will take a bit of experimentation to sort out what is most effective for both your trees and you.
Good luck!
ynot

[sandman]

again thank you for all your help it is much appreiciated and will be doing alot of messin around with it to get it as best as I can