I think I used perlite and vermiculite last year for some Japanese Black Pines, maybe coco coir also. This year I noticed I have loblolly pine seedlings growing happily in absolutely everything in my yard. These are all self-seeded from trees in my yard, so it doesn't seem like they care very much if they have fancy soil or not.
Yes sir, just regular masonry/construction sand where all the smaller stuff is sifted out. I've been experimenting with different stuff over the years, this worked the best so far. I think it has something to do with how much air is in the mix.
I've already taken a lot of seedling cuttings from the tray, but a month ago it was absolutely full of trees.
I wish I could, but I don't have access to any good pines near me sadly. I usually just order online, plant a few 100 and keep the ones that thrive.
Mostly Japanese black pine and Scots pines, Mugo pine. I'm sure JBP would grow great in Australia. I'm in Scandinavia so I tend to stick to the more hardy pines.
Cheers. I added the hooks to allow for guy-wires but none of the bonsai are at the stage of development to need it quite yet. I just used a few pages of newspaper to hold the substrate until the roots can do the job. That is a thick ol' boxwood, looks like a former hedge.
Thanks! It's not a lot of work if you only have a few small trees. But it's the kind of hobby where you end up with way more trees than you initially planned.
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