SpriteFish post_id=406709 time=1717283400 user_id=19480] Questions/starting discussion: Pumice vs Scoria, what's the differnce? Scoria has a variable and usually high pH which needs to be accounted for. It also holds a lot of water. What is zeolite and what roles does it play? (I see that it can ho...

Has anyone grown these Thai Gymnos from seed? If so, what was the outcome?

I did find this from a new zealand brand, it looks like it could work and doesn't have added fertilizers. Would you suggest adding coarse sand to it? https://www.bioleaf.co.nz/product-page/bio-leaf-bonsai-potting-mix I'll defer to Mike on that. What say you, Mike? Looks to coarse and too bony. I wo...

SpriteFish post_id=406662 time=1716872318 user_id=19480] So reading this, would the conclusion of potting soil (specifically one that actually contains loam) bring less overall hydrophobic than bark be correct due to not being pure organic materials (plus containing clay)? Yes. But I would not excl...

Group 1: asterias, coahuilense, capricorne, senile (yellow petals and orange throat) Group 2: myriostigma, ornatum ( yellow petals only) Crossing species in same group can make a healthy hybrid. Crossing species in group 1 x group 2 can make seeds but seedlings are very weak which can not live long...

What are the pros and cons of loam (commercial potting soil), bark, and compost? I might aswell ask so I can compare them! I was just thinking that soil might be more versatile than bark, as I can add it to any mix and adjust the pumice:soil ratio depending on the plant species. Also I was wonderin...

Yes I have used pot sealers many times. It was not necessary on this one. From memory, the sealers were not available when I last potted this plant. I recommend you spray just the outside of the pot and perhaps an inch on the inside. If you look at glazed bonsai pots you will find they are never gl...

I downloaded those pages as jpegs, so I have them archived for future use. What you said is what I was hoping for -- I'll readjust my fertilizer recipe for a 1:1 ratio. Urea will be required to make it happen, which gives me a couple of options I detailed in the PM I sent you: Option #1. Add a touc...

Mammillaria plumosa is flowering....

Hi Steve Regarding the ammonium to nitrate ratios, rather than going into a long reply, I will post a couple of pages from my text book regarding ammonium toxicity. Hopefully you can read them. I'm happy to discuss more after that but I would say that there is little chance of ammonium toxicity in y...

It is a myriostigma

It's a hybrid 100% and I would say 99% of the cultivars we see are hybrids of one kind or another.
The best you can call it is.....''Astrophytum hybrid''

Hey, thank you for the list of options, this is exactly ehat I was looking for! I think orchid bark looks like a good option for now, and itd be worth me working on making my own compost (I saw your post on how to do it so I can go off that). pH should always be checked before use and adjusted to a...

New Zealand is where Orchiata bark comes from. They have a seedling grade (called ''Precision'') which is 3-6 mm. You can use that... Only problem with any sort of tree bark is that it becomes hydrophobic after repeated wet-dry cycles. A wetting agent takes care of the problem, and I've read that y...

New Zealand is where Orchiata bark comes from. They have a seedling grade (called ''Precision'') which is 3-6 mm. You can use that or you can use a potting mix which conforms to the Australian Standard - I'm sure they import it to NZ - and use a sieve to separate the various sizes, or you can use on...

Steve Johnson wrote: ↑Fri May 24, 2024 8:28 am
Generally speaking, North American species are ev0lutionarily adapted to alkaline soils,

I think that these soils would be more neutral than alkaline with a pH of around 7. Even if growing in pure limestone from what I have read.