Howdy everyone, I am totally new to the list and pretty new to Bonsai.

I am thinking about putting in a new growing bed in my back yard
specifically for pre-bonsai cultivation and training. Yep I convinced
my wife that we need sapce for things other than Dalias and So
hopefully in a few years I might have some nice trees to put in pots
and in the next few years learn how to keep them alive after they are
in pots :-)

I've read a little about growing beds and how it can be advantageous
to use a freely draining soil similar to what we use in containers, in
a growing bed.

The bed will be about 3-4 feet wide and about 15-20 feeet long. It is
currently grass. I was thinking I would dig this and pile the grass on
my compost which is currently overflowing. Then buy a few yards of top
soil and till until my arms fall off. Easy enough.

But lets say I didn't want to buy top soil at all, ie Pine Bark, Sand
/ Grit, Peat.

I should ad that it gets full sun and is generally a nice dark clayish
topsiol typical of Ohio that hasn't been cultivated in 30 years plus
or minus and the rest of my gardens have been doing famously..

thanks,

-Ethan

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+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

I wouldn't buy in topsoil, just improve what you've got with drainage and
humous material. Dig in Grit, bark, sand, composted lawn, and least
desirably peat. That should be perfect for most plants in development.

Kev Bailey
N Wales, UK, Zone 9




From: Ethan Smith
Reply-To: Ethan Smith
To:
Subject: [IBC] Growing Beds
Date: Thu, 19 May 2005 14:36:14 -0400

Howdy everyone, I am totally new to the list and pretty new to Bonsai.

I am thinking about putting in a new growing bed in my back yard
specifically for pre-bonsai cultivation and training. Yep I convinced
my wife that we need sapce for things other than Dalias and So
hopefully in a few years I might have some nice trees to put in pots
and in the next few years learn how to keep them alive after they are
in pots :-)

I've read a little about growing beds and how it can be advantageous
to use a freely draining soil similar to what we use in containers, in
a growing bed.

The bed will be about 3-4 feet wide and about 15-20 feeet long. It is
currently grass. I was thinking I would dig this and pile the grass on
my compost which is currently overflowing. Then buy a few yards of top
soil and till until my arms fall off. Easy enough.

But lets say I didn't want to buy top soil at all, ie Pine Bark, Sand
/ Grit, Peat.

I should ad that it gets full sun and is generally a nice dark clayish
topsiol typical of Ohio that hasn't been cultivated in 30 years plus
or minus and the rest of my gardens have been doing famously..

thanks,

-Ethan

************************************************* *******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Sue Crabtree++++
************************************************* *******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

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************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Sue Crabtree++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

At 01:36 PM 5/19/2005, Ethan Smith wrote:

I am thinking about putting in a new growing bed in my back yard
specifically for pre-bonsai cultivation and training.


I have built several and have found that landscape timbers stacked three or
preferably four high work well. Mine are 8 and 16 feet long and 4 feet
wide (this utilizes the timbers with no waste and are easily
worked/weeded. Bridge spikes are used to nail each layer and the ends are
overlapped so that the structure is fairly solid. I filled mine with equal
parts top soil and builders sand augmented with my "used" bonsai soil

************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Sue Crabtree++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++