BSOP Series: Soils 

I will try on my next repot

i used charcoal in my mixes, some guys pointed out on my social media that the phlevels arent as perfect (for some trees) as they should be after a while (one of them was studiying in japan for a few years) so he even had that longterm results, what do you think?

@@hashiramabonsai I agree, it can alter the ph levels of the soil. The addition of charcoal in the soil mix is supposed to be no more than 5% so it shouldn't alter it much. It's merely there to promote mycorrhizal activity. Supposedly it can also store some nutrients and slowly release them back to the roots as needed, which might also be from the mycorrhizal activity.

@cactsai so far I had no issues with phlevels in general but I will stick to your 5% rule for the future! Thanks a lot🌳💚

Hello. So its been six whole years since you left this comment. I wonder was it true thus far.... addicted for life? Are you still doing bonsai? Starting to get a nice little collection with some more established trees now you did yourself? Or perhaps you went nuts with it and your whole house anf yard are full of pots and seedilings and etc rtc . :)

@@iamshredder3587 haha. well, I have had ups and downs, but have always kept at least a handfull of trees. Have learned a lot about where I live as well, and what trees tend to do well or not naturally. Always warm, never have cold seasons, lots of rain, lots of little bugs...etc etc. So I have had a "crazy run" where I had a lot of trees (and I mean trees, not bonsai - was triying to turn them into bonsai). And now I recently moved and have 5 bonsai, which I pay a lot of attention to. Again, if I lived elsewhere, with more access, I am certain I would have more. But not only am I in a little town, but also I am on an island. So I can't really order a lot of stuff in, especially stuff that might not travel well.

Also some plants need microflora to live also to decompose the fertiliser so liquid Chemical fertiliser no bacteria no healthy tree

Could you share your soil mix? I don't have access to akadama or diatomacious earth. I just have regular garden center soil componets like vermiculite, perlite, gravel, dirt, bark, etc.

@Wilfred "I Tapped Dat Ass" Kensington speed of speaking / listening correlates with IQ of native speakers

@Wilfred "I Tapped Dat Ass" Kensington high IQ people speak faster and can understand other fast speakers (in general). They also tend to have faster physical reaction times.

I think you have to pay for that one.

ok thank you Alex

You can sometimes find it at Tractor Supply in the horse section to absorb odors.

Check auto parts stores. Usually sold as an oil absorbent.

So, basically, 1/16 to 1/4 inch diatomaceous earth. Go to AutoZone, get some Napa oil spill powder and sift out the fine particles.

Never bare root

I think the correct spelling is chabasai. It is available at acbonsai.com or from the Montreal Bonsai club.

bonsaijoe1 O'Reilly auto parts sells an absorbant I believe it's called Opti sorb. It is DE and is around 15 bucks for a forty pound bag. The partical size is consistent and very little unusable product. It works fine for me, and I don't have to buy it online like I would akadama, pumice, or expanded shale.

Eric Brown Great!! Thank you

Eric Brown Do you mix the DE with anything else or just use that alone? I'm unclear from Ryan's video. Thanks

Thanks so much. I thought you said Donovan and that just wasn't getting me anywhere. :) One more question, in this demo Ryan mentions another vid on soils as part of his Nursery Stock Series (Part 4) but I can't find it either on RU-vid or as part of Mirai Live (I'm Tier 1). How can I get access to it? Thanks.

@@groovygranny5565 Someone else said that's a pay video 😞

Diatomaceous earth

alex colon I wonder if you could use small fragments from a broken terra-cotta pot, if there is one lying around. Terra-cotta is baked and will hold up for a while.

BonsaiJack.com

Looking at this site he uses turface in his pre-mixed. Ryan has strong opinions on turface

Actually it hasn't. 7 is still neutral, even Wiki agrees on that (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PH). Now it so happens that most plants like a slightly acidic soil, pH 6.0 to 6.5 (same wiki page, section 'pH in soil'). To my understanding pH 6.0 to 6.5 is the range where mineral elements are the easiest available to most plants, thus their "liking" of slightly acidic soil and (rain) water. Any chemist around to explain why slightly acidic makes minerals easier available?

@@maximinix you need like a 15 pages master thesis to explain that, but it’s true. There are a lot of things involved

Maybe this article can help you: walter-pall-bonsai.blogspot.com/2010/06/feeding-substrate-and-watering-english.html. According to Walter Pall you can use whatever substrate that suits your climate, needs of the tree, and time you can spend checking and watering. As Ryan always tells: “What are you trying to accomplish?”. I’d extent that thought to: “What has the substrate to accomplish for your tree, in your climate and with your schedule”. The best advice: find someone in your area that grows bonsai in diatomaceous earth. If you can’t, make your own tests on cheap trees. What is the longest time span you can go without watering in the hottest and/or driest days of the year. Say you can water your tree only once every 24 hours and your tree needs water every 6 hours in ditomaceous earth where you live, then 100% diatomaceous earth is a no go… unless you like dead trees. Also think of times when you have someone else to water your trees. If you leave for a 2 weeks vacation and the person who comes to care for your trees knows nothing more than “pour a ton of water once every day on the trees” then your substrate must provide enough water to the trees for that treatment, even in full summer. Most likely you will have to check every day of the 50 remaining weeks to avoid over-watering… but everything comes at a price. Besides checking means you enjoy the trees 350 days a year, not the worst trade. Hope this helps on choosing the substrate that will rock for you.

I copy the transcript into a document, and keep a notebook with my bonsai books.

Bonsai practiced for hundreds years in Japan, where he studied. Everything else is just trying and experimenting

Uhm !!! That's his style. Not my preference either but he's very informative at least

If he changed his style of teaching these wouldn't be so long.

I actually really enjoy his teaching style. He is trying to make you think about WHY and not just WHAT but I can see how others might find it patronizing.

And thank baby Jesus for that 😇

He has a wife I believe.

@@apexbonsai1159 oh great.........

It's just called being a massive nerd, and it's inspiring.

yeah, too many syllables. it's a feature of someone thinking they sound more academic by saying utilize instead of use, facilitate instead of help etc. but it is forgivable for someone trained as a bonsai grower not public speaker who wants to share Take Orwell's advice www.orwell.ru/library/essays/politics/english/e_polit PRETENTIOUS DICTION. Words like phenomenon, element, individual (as noun), objective, categorical, effective, virtual, basic, primary, promote, constitute, exhibit, exploit, utilize, eliminate, liquidate, are used to dress up a simple statement and give an air of scientific impartiality to biased judgements.