what soil for 2 different trees

shaggybirdman · 04-25-2011, 11:48 PM

i love turface. low cost as well. locally it goes for $15 for a 50 lb bag if i recall correctly. holds a ton of water as well, but won't get soggy. EVER! drains like it's not even there. builds a super web system of roots.

treebeard55 · 04-26-2011, 08:06 AM

I've used Turface as my main ingredient (50%) in my mix for years; got the recipe from an article by Jack Wikle. Lately I'm experimenting with a lava-based mix, with Turface playing a minor role. Partly that's curiosity (why do so many other experienced growers love the stuff?

) Partly it's at Tom Brown's urging. No personal observations on one-vs-the-other yet.

Neither is available in our little city. A garden center in Ft. Wayne (1 hour away) will order Turface at my request (no ordering fee,) and both Mark Fields and Scott Yelich in Indianapolis (3 hours but we have a daughter there) sell lava granules at a reasonable price.

Walter Pall has put into words something that many others maybe had sensed but hadn't articulated yet: your soil, your fertilizer, and your watering practices all work together, in an almost symbiotic way, a three-partner dance. You can't change one without it having an effect on the other two, and on your trees.

(Maybe Walter just gave me the topic for my next club newsletter column.

)

shaggybirdman · 04-28-2011, 09:35 AM

lave rock will/should help produce a very nice spider web of roots due to all the sharp edges. in my experience growing maple seedlings turface does the same thing. wish i could find the pics i took of them.

treebeard55 · 04-29-2011, 08:51 AM

Thanks for the input, Calvin. (I do love that comic strip.)

Mage, should have said this before: good idea to put a dime into your pictures of the soil components, for a size reference.

04-26-2011, 08:06 AM	#12 (permalink)
treebeard55 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Warsaw IN, USA USDA zone 5b Posts: 511	I've used Turface as my main ingredient (50%) in my mix for years; got the recipe from an article by Jack Wikle. Lately I'm experimenting with a lava-based mix, with Turface playing a minor role. Partly that's curiosity (why do so many other experienced growers love the stuff? ) Partly it's at Tom Brown's urging. No personal observations on one-vs-the-other yet. Neither is available in our little city. A garden center in Ft. Wayne (1 hour away) will order Turface at my request (no ordering fee,) and both Mark Fields and Scott Yelich in Indianapolis (3 hours but we have a daughter there) sell lava granules at a reasonable price. Walter Pall has put into words something that many others maybe had sensed but hadn't articulated yet: your soil, your fertilizer, and your watering practices all work together, in an almost symbiotic way, a three-partner dance. You can't change one without it having an effect on the other two, and on your trees. (Maybe Walter just gave me the topic for my next club newsletter column. ) __________________ Treebeard 55 Steve Moore http://hoosierbonsai.blogspot.com The most important bonsai tool is your brain.

04-29-2011, 08:51 AM	#14 (permalink)
treebeard55 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Warsaw IN, USA USDA zone 5b Posts: 511	Thanks for the input, Calvin. (I do love that comic strip.) Mage, should have said this before: good idea to put a dime into your pictures of the soil components, for a size reference. __________________ Treebeard 55 Steve Moore http://hoosierbonsai.blogspot.com The most important bonsai tool is your brain.

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04-25-2011, 11:48 PM	#11 (permalink)
shaggybirdman Maple Lover Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Cheektowaga New York Posts: 167	i love turface. low cost as well. locally it goes for $15 for a 50 lb bag if i recall correctly. holds a ton of water as well, but won't get soggy. EVER! drains like it's not even there. builds a super web system of roots.

04-28-2011, 09:35 AM	#13 (permalink)
shaggybirdman Maple Lover Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Cheektowaga New York Posts: 167	lave rock will/should help produce a very nice spider web of roots due to all the sharp edges. in my experience growing maple seedlings turface does the same thing. wish i could find the pics i took of them.

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