Quote:
Originally Posted by sesame
Ok, Gwd, tell us about the simple preparation of soil for a bonsai banyan tree. The soil would be very little and yet rich in nutrients that should sustain the plant for 6 months. Then perhaps another soil change will do. The fertilizers should be organic. Ok, youre ON. now
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Damn you Sesame, you have to make me feel stupid!!! The wife has had an interest in bonsai for a few years now, and I have attempted to humor her with little success.
There used to be a bonsai nursery that we would visit, and we got several pieces of gardening literature from this place. There were several bonsai pieces I saw that were hundreds of years old, but I hate to say, I fear that I have always been too cheap to really do bonsai "right," for a variety of reasons.
What I understand of bonsai at large, much less banyans specifically, is the necessity of good drainage. Theoretically, you want a small volume of soil, but that is largely a matter of relativity regarding the plant size, etc. The drainage is very important, and as best I can tell, bonsai masters invest a lot of thought into the ideal mix of sand, grit, organic, etc. materials in their growing media. Among growers I have met, they have told me that a proper bonsai should be watered nearly daily, and fertilized almost weekly (this is assuming the proper draining media).
Obviously, this sort of protocol reeks of more chemical solutions to fertility than an organic approach. But if they are right regarding drainage and a nearly daily watering schedule, you want a medium that will freely drain with no problems...
And if you are insistent about a media that will provide organic nutrients over a long period, I'm not sure what to say. I have done some of my research with compost products that have provided adequate plant fertility over several weeks. Here is where I am cautious in making advice. Compost products are HIGHLY variable in quality, some have led to good growth and others have led to very little good growth. This largely relates to the maturity of the compost (and a variety of factors).
Also, some organic sources break down fairly quickly and others very slowly. For instance, bone meal is a very slowly decomposing source of fertility. Compare that to manure. Manure depends largely on its state of decompositions and its source...For instance chicken manure provides a much higher percentage of nutrients and is more likely to burn a crop.
Actually, this topic is somewhat akin to my own research. I am seeking to see what organic sources of fertility do with irrigation methodology over time...Bonsai in particular depends on a very specific type of irrigation/drainage, so this seems relevant.