New Soil - with my repotted Jade

[Rosaelyn]

I finished mixing my soil today.

NAPA floor dry, red lava rock and pine bark...

[img]https://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x103/littlegirl550/Bonsai/100_1067.jpg[/img]

This is my Jade in the new mixture. She needs styling, but I am just giving her lots of light and letting her grow for now. I have not done anything except feed and water her since I bought her. Some time this summer I might start doing some training with her...

[img]https://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x103/littlegirl550/Bonsai/100_1068.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x103/littlegirl550/Bonsai/100_1069.jpg[/img]

[Rosaelyn]

And this is the soil as it looks dry - part of the reason I am fond of the floor dry...

[img]https://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x103/littlegirl550/Bonsai/100_1074.jpg[/img]

[djlen]

"She's lookin' good Rosaelyn!!
Tell us about your potting medium. Is it all inorganic or a mix?

[Rosaelyn]

The mixture worked out pretty well. Once it was all sifted, I just put it together as it was and I am pretty happy with the percentages...

25 pound bag of floor dry (NAPA Auto Parts)
7 pounds red lava rock (North Star Bonsai)
7 pounds pine bark (North Star Bonsai)

[Big Vine]

Looks like a nice free-draining mix...appears very similar in consistency to my own which is used for indoor growing. I like it!

And I know what you mean about why you like the NAPA 'Floor Dry.'
I don't use that particular product, but my aggregate is of a similar lighter color---makes it super easy to see if the soil surface is still moist or not.

As far as styling, I guess my main question would be do you want to further develop the trunk or is it about where you'd like it to be? If you want more caliper, I wouldn't touch it at all this growing season. If you want more taper---and depending on how tall you envision the 'final' tree---I'd be very tempted to leave that lower limb on there to allow it to grow and add on more bulk to the trunk section below it.

That's my two cents for now.
BV