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Anil Kaushik wrote:
I have not been able to understand why you people do not add natural soil to the Bonsai compost! I don't think it can really create problems when coarse ingredients like turface, grit and bark are there in the mix. Soil provides the basic nutrition to the plants and in fact all flora grow in soil. Or is there some other reason for using the soiless compost? In India we use coarse sand/grit, fertile soil and coarse manure in equal parts and all the plants grow well. Anil There have been good responses to your question, but I believe there was only one that was close to my feeling about why you are successful in your regime while we have chosen our soilless route: The answer, I believe is the difference in our climates. I am sure that it is as hard for you to imagine what conditions are like in a temperate climate as it is for me to comprehend growing in the tropics. None the less, I will take a crack at it. The species which you grow and your climate means that there is activity of some sort year round, although I am sure there are periods of slower growth. In temperate climates there are long periods of almost no growth activity whatsoever. What this means is that your soil is in a constant state of wet/dry cycling. That is, water movement is nearly continual. Under such conditions, soil decomposition is minimal, and soil collapse is not not much of a problem. But I do note that you repot every year or so. At that rate of repotting, particle degradation would not be a problem even for those of us in a temperate climate. Our repotting rates are usually two to three years, up to ten years or more for pines. This longer period argues for more stable constituents. Additionally, in cold climates, the freeze/thaw cycling in winter is a factor in particle degradation as is the lack of a proper wet/dry cycling during the dormant season. Our soils tend to stay WET for most of the winter, which can be as long as October through March. That is a very long period of inactivity for a mostly inorganic soil. Use of a stable soilless mix insures that aeration is still present during this period, and soil composting is minimal. I seldom notice that my soil collapses much during the growing season for healthy plants, however at the end of a winter where we get 30 inches of rain in three or four months, spring definitely brings signs of soil problems, notably soil levels sinking in nursery containers. Now of course, it is possible for us in the temperate zones to grow in a mix similiar to yours, as it is possible for you to grow in soilless mixes. I have never been dogmatic about soil mixes, that is why I try to point out the principles of soil theory rather than a rigid recipe. Each soil recipe is going to require it's own concomitant regime of watering and other environmental care. In the tropics, yours works fine with your cultural practices, in temperate zones we are finding that soilless mixes work best with our cultural practices. If it works, it works. I usually don't even question what a person uses for soil if their trees are healthy. However, when someone isn't satisfied with the growth they are getting, or have a declining tree, the first thing I do is examine the soil. Most times the soil is too heavy in organic and fine material, and so I will recommend a soilless mix. Followup has shown me that I am usually right about this, as health and vigor improves. But this is for our climate and our cultural practices. This is a problem in an international forum, so the realization of such and an appropriate disclaimer are usually helpful. Brent EvergreenGardenworks.com ************************************************** ****************************** ++++Sponsored, in part, by Boon Manakitivipart++++ ************************************************** ****************************** -- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ -- +++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++ |
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