tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680606817268689378.post4766471382510144365..comments2013-06-28T09:58:10.778-04:00Comments on Bodhisattva Bonsai: The Beginnings, Juniper Cascade #1, Informal Juniper #1JayyVeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02746711740136782790noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680606817268689378.post-53941344940434584362011-03-02T16:53:23.392-05:002011-03-02T16:53:23.392-05:00Hi William, I must painfully admit most of the tre...Hi William, I must painfully admit most of the trees seen on this page from 2+ years ago when I began the passion, have passed on (The Juniper survives, but looks drastically different.)<br /><br />Potting Mixes - this is one of the more overly debated and sometimes overly thought through processes of Bonsai. These are the my thoughts on bonsai soil for 'everyone'.<br /> <br />Soil mixes are best decided by the climate you live in, and the tree you are working on. Some trees prefer it dry between waterings, some must be damp all the time. Know the tree. Then - realize your climate - and placement of trees, and your ability/frequency that you can get to water your trees. If you can only water your trees once a day or 2 at best (Typical working Joe as myself, trying to learn Bonsai!) then I recommend that you include some organic material in your potting soil, to allow for some water retention. For instance, I generally go with a 70% inorganic (That being, lava rock, grit, coarse sand, clay cat litter, etc) and 30% organic (I generally use only Sphagnum Moss for the organic portion now). <br /><br />Junipers like you are working on - like to have dry time between waterings, or some 'down time' from being wet all the time. For Junipers I use either no organic (If it's a larger plant, and larger pot) or maybe 10-15% organic in the mix if it's a smaller tree or shohin (So it doesn't totally dry up each day in summer and place stress on the poor tree).<br /><br />Hope that helps William; Bonsai soil is I think one of the first lessons new bonsai trainers should spend a little time on (which wraps quite nicely into watering regiments - and why as I mention above). :)JayyVeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02746711740136782790noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680606817268689378.post-69576924547208069052011-02-27T22:46:07.590-05:002011-02-27T22:46:07.590-05:00What a great collection. Its amazing what true pa...What a great collection. Its amazing what true passion can do. I'm just getting started with a juniper (ready to re-pot) and am trying to get the <a href="http://www.bonsaitreeanswers.com/tools-for-bonsai/" rel="nofollow">potting mix</a> right. Any suggestions?Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15567074882097345921noreply@blogger.com