In the discussion of soils I admit to some concern
that I will do the wrong thing, being very new to
bonsai care as some of the others are.

How do you know what is right? I've been through books
and on IBC and elsewhere and everyone seems to say the
same thing: you need to adjust what your soil mix to a
variety of factors, but I don't find any enumeration
of what works best where and with what trees.

Most books suggest 1 part loam, 1 part sand, 1 part
humus. Obviously there are "better" mixes based on
location and plants, so in an effort to help focus in
(at least for myself let me give some info and
solicit opinions for my conditions:

I have two junipers (a Sargents @ 8 yrs and a
procumbens nana @ 5 yrs), a carmona microphylla (tea
tree @ 2-3 yrs), and a very young pithecolobium
flexicaule (Texas ebony).

I live smack on the dotted line between USDA Zone 5a
and 5b.

What kind of soil mix should I be considering when I
repot each of these in the future? The Sargents needs
it now by the look of the roots, the nana soon, and
the tea tree can wait til spring. The ebony needs to
grow some more before repotting.

BTW, I have a bag of bonsai soil as well as some
coarse sand and some red lava stone. What else do I
need to add to my soil resources?

Thanks for your help!

Kevin Payne
Quincy, IL



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