I wouldn't have a problem using that soil mix for my FT, but I don't grow junipers so I'll let others comment. The fertilizer has macro and micronutrients, so I think it will do fine.

@Kev (NY Z7b) @breathnez(Zone 4b/5a)

Thank you guys,

My fukien tea bonsai leaves become light green yesterday night. Do you think.. its the heat at my apartment? its soft and light green.

Will it recover? I am very sad now. :(

If you are familiar with ficus, they can go fairly dry before watering. I wouldn't let FT get that dry- water when still a little moist. Also, in winter FT like very intense light, and some added humidity. They will drop leaves to show they are unhappy.

ez

breathnez(Zone 4b/5a) I am living in NYC area. I have my FT near the window. It gets a lot of sun light. I put a tray with rocks and little water under my bonsai pot. Does it work for humidity?

I am using a gritty mix and I watered it yesterday for the first time. I bought the FT last Sunday and repotted on the same day.

The leaves still look light green. :(

Recent repot, at suboptimal time of year (summer best for tropicals), would explain the color change. Don't be surprised if you lose half or more of the leaves. During the repot shock it won't be using near as much water, so make sure not to drown it with love.

As to humidity, I don't know if the tray with gravel and water will do it. A hygrometer is a worthwhile investment. I've never done any fine tuning, but I think I would be concerned if my FT's were exposed to less than 40% humidity the majority of the time. Maybe others' experiences would teach me something new there.

ez

The soil you mentioned is an excellent
medium for bonsai - one I've been using with very good results for
>25 yrs. It's also adjustable for water retention by keeping the bark
fraction at 1/3 of the o/a volume (or less) and varying the ratio of
screened Turface:grit.

Determining appropriate fertilizing practices requires some
consideration of your watering habits and soil choice. The gritty mix
allows you to water to beyond the point of saturation every time you
water w/o incurring any ill effects from the practice, so you should
take advantage and flush the soil when you water. That practice allows
you maximum flexibility in how you fertilize. I prefer to fertilize
(fertigate) with a low dose of Dyna-Gro's Foliage-Pro 9-3-6 every time I
water, which is every 4-6 days in the winter for almost ALL the plants I
keep indoors. I water on a schedule because I can; the gritty mix
allows that w/o problems, whereas other more water-retentive soils
require you to water in sips rather than flushing the soil, an
inherently problematic practice. You can also choose to fertilize at 1,
2, or 3 week intervals if you find that easier.

I use the 9-3-6 fertilizer because, on average, plants use about 6X
as much N as P, and about 3/5 as much K as N. After the calculations are
completed for how P and K are reported on fertilizer packaging,
fertilizers with 3:1:2 ratios (24-8-16, 12-4-8, and 9-3-6 are all 3:1:2
ratios. Notice I write ratios using a colon (:) and actual NPK % using a
dash (-) to differentiate between ratios and actual %s. I'm guessing
that the fertilizer you are using is made by Dyna-Gro and sold packaged
by them as 'Orchid-Pro'. Eve's Garden likely repackages it or orders
with a proprietary label and markets it as a bonsai fertilizer. Based on
how the average plant uses nutrients, a 7-8-6 fertilizer furnishes
about 2.2X the amount of P your plant can use in relation to N. This
isn't so far out of line that it's going to create problems you're
likely to recognize, but I think the 9-3-3 product would be a better
choice.

Remember, almost all hobby growers apply fertilizers as a function of
N requirements (because plants require more N than any other nutrient),
and how much N a plant actually gets has nothing to do with the NPK %s
written on the label; it's the grower's hand that determines how much N
the plant gets. Because of that fact, it just makes sense that we would
see to it that the amount of other nutrients, individually, are
complimentary to the amount of N supplied. An excess can be as limiting
as a deficiency when it comes to nutrients, which is why consideration
to your fertilizer's NPK ratio is important.

Al

Hi @tapla Al

Many people including yourself mentioned to use Foliage Pro to fertilize. I am going to buy that one online.

I have two small Bonsai trees, so I can use 1 Gallon with one tea spoon of Foliage Pro for both plants. Its winter in nyc but its going to spring now.

Can you correct me this?

Bonsai : fertilize once a month

Pachira Money tree: fertilize once a month,

Last, After fertilize, do you water again to flush out the fertilize?

Thank you Al,

Danny

Danny - FWIW, if the ingredients in the soil you're using is prescreened, it should stand head and shoulders above most commercial preparations, especially Hoffman's, which is EXTREMELY expensive and very water-retentive as a bonsai medium.

If you water so at least 15-20% of the total volume of water applied exits the pot at each watering, you should fertilize about every 4th watering at 1 tsp per gallon. If you fertilize each time you water, 1/4 tsp/gallon works well as an off-season (slow growth periods) rate. Notice how the interval is tied to watering frequency as opposed to, say days or weeks.

If the soil is already moist, there is no need to water before you fertilize. After you fertilize, you shouldn't flush the soil until the next time you water, and that goes right back to applying enough water so about 15-20% of the total volume applied exits the pot.

If something isn't clear enough that you can be sure you understand - don't hesitate to ask more questions. Most of us post because we actually want to be helpful and not just 'heard'. And just to be clear, that isn't a reference to this thread or any of the participants - just a general observation.

Al

@tapla al

My mix soil i bought it from this site http://www.bonsaijack.com/succulent_soil_111_gritty_mix.html

I feel embarrassed to ask the same questions on every thread. I killed my orchids after fertilize one time and I dont want my bonsai to get burned like my orchids.

For my Money tree, I used 4 cups cactus/succulent soil, 2 cups of perline, 1 cup gritty mix. I hope i wont kill my beautiful money trees when I water and fertilize.

Thank you for the helpful information.

Danny

I remember the mnemonic "weakly, weekly" for my orchids. In other words whatever they say to use only use 1/2. If they say 10 drops of fert in a gal. of water I only use 5 drops in a gal. But I water with the fert/water every week.

If by Money Tree you mean Pachira, they like it moist. You could even add a scoop of regular potting soil in with your gritty mix. This way it'll hold a little more water. For fertilizing, IMO only fert it a few times during mid spring and early summer. You don't want to fert it in the fall as it's a tropical tree and you wouldn't want to encourage the long thin growth it'll put out in the low light conditions of winter.

Dan - Almost all your trees prefer an evenly moist or damp soil. Almost none of your trees prefer a medium that holds perched water, that is to say a layer of saturated soil that will not drain in response to the force of gravity alone. A well made gritty mix should have no (or very littler) perched water. Once you start introducing enough fine ingredients into a soil mixture to fill the air spaces between the coarse particles, you're going to be inviting perched water retention, which inhibits root function and causes issues with root health. You're headed in the right direction by trying to keep the soil ingredients on the coarse side, but you should expect better results with a soil that doesn't hold perched water (or minimal amounts).

Adding potting soil to the gritty mix to increase water retention pretty much negates the primary reason for using it in the first place. If you're going to do that, you might as well use something like the 5:1:1 mix. It's less work to make and less expensive. If you want to increase water retention of the gritty mix, you should leave the fine ingredients out and simply vary the ratio of Turface:grit. Adding more Turface and less grit increases water retention with very little loss of aeration. Adding potting soil comes at the expense of aeration and increases water retention by creating a perched water table - something you can do without.

Ideally, you'll get to the point where you can make your own media, instead of paying the long dollar and getting a product inferior to what you can make yourself.

Al

Ok, fine I'm wrong, but...FYI and FWIW -

How to Care for a Pachira Plant

Also known as money tree, Malabar chestnut, or Guiana chestnut, pachira,
(Pachira aquatica) is a tropical plant native to the wetlands and
swamps of Central and South America.

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/care-pachira-plant-48078.html

HTH.

That a plant naturally occurs in riparian settings (where soils are boggy) is no indication it prefers or can even tolerate those conditions in pots. If the plant grows in boggy soils, it will have a much different root structure (physically) there than it would have in a pot with a medium that drains well. Plants in well aerated media develop roots with pithy centers that have a high % of parenchyma. Plants grown in boggy conditions have a different type of pithy center tissue - aerenchyma, which is a spongy tissue that has lots of voids that make it possible for the plant to get the oxygen needed to drive root metabolism from the top of the plant rather than from the rhizosphere. The reason Pachira doesn't like container soils that hold perched water is because roots that develop in anoxic (saturated) conditions cannot transition back and forth from saturated to well-aerated. Conversely, plants that develop in well-aerated conditions cannot tolerate the return transition to soggy conditions. Problems are worse when using water-retentive soils that are initially soggy after a watering, but are allowed to transition back to a reasonably well-aerated state before they are watered again.

Al

hi @tapla Al

Thanks for the useful tips.

I purchased pre made for Bonsai gritty mix soil for my bonsai trees since I don’t
know how to mix one L size, and getting the materials.

Does this mix work for my pachira money trees? It’s a huge bag for my Bonsai trees so I can
use it for my Money trees too.

These are the ingredients:

Organic Bonsai Soil Mix 221

·
Ingredients: 40% Pumice, 40% Bonsai Block(calcined clay), 20% Pine
Bark Fines. All 1/4 Inch.pH: 6.Does this mix work for my pachira money trees?

http://www.bonsaijack.com/Bonsai_Soil.html

Thank you
again!

Danny,

Al- Well, we'll have to agree to disagree. In my 20+ years of studying bonsai, my Sensei told us to listen to our trees. Trees, do not know they are bonsai once their roots are cut, their branches are shaped and put into a pot. They do know that it evolved into being a tree that grows into wetlands. So in listening to that *I* would give the soil a different mix than say a pine. Yours doesn't have to and neither does Dan's.

I'm here to enjoy myself, learn something and give advice when I can. I gave my opinion and you gave yours. So there you have it. Enjoy and be well. :) K~

Dan - that mix should work very well for your Pachira, and I wouldn't 'amend' it to increase water retention. Perched water is not your trees' friend, and that fact becomes more apparent as pot depth decreases. E.g., if a medium holds 3" of perched water, it will will be 100% saturated in pots 3" (or less) deep after a thorough watering. Saturated soils have a significant impact on root function/health. To get an idea of the impact of significant soil saturation, imagine yourself trying toi run a marathon while breathing through a drinking straw.

Kev - If we offer conflicting advice, it leaves the person we're talking to, ........ well, conflicted. Logically, Dan would decide his best course based on how well we support our opinions. If you do a little research, you'll discover that indeed, plants can't transition easily between appropriately moist conditions in the rhizosphere and saturated conditions. That means the Pachira would prefer some persistent form of aquaculture or a well drained medium that can be kept moist (never soggy); and, that asking it to make the cyclic transition back and forth from soggy soil conditions to appropriately moist conditions is asking it to tolerate conditions it's not programmed to tolerate ....... which means limitations imposed on vitality.

We know how water behaves in container media as macro-pores become clogged with small particulates (as when adding potting soil to an otherwise very porous mix), and we know the plant's reaction to limited amounts of air in the rhizosphere due to saturation. Finally, I've been helping growers @ Garden Web/Houzz resolve a wide variety of issues affecting their Pachira's since 2005 (...... been working hard to increase my proficiency in the art of bonsai since around 1980, too) and have found the cause of the overwhelming majority of Pachira issues are directly or at least very closely linked to the effects of soil saturation.

Have a good weekend. Almost repotting time for some of the temperate deciduous trees, eh?

Al

I've been on Garden Web for a good long time as well. But dropped off the map for a while when I got sick. Enjoy your weekend too. Can't wait for the growing season to start. Looking fwd to seeing my trees leaf out - I'm so sick of winter. K~

Hopefully, the weather we had today will move east so you can enjoy it too./ I just got done spring pruning 10 or 12 trees while standing on the driveway in the sun - just a long sleeved shirt and a light vest was plenty. I think I even got a little sunburn on my face & ears - felt good.

Al

@tapla Hi al,

Few leaves (pachira, money tree) are turning yellow and i only water my tree once last week since i got it.

Is it the soil (cactus/succulent soil, perlite, and little gritty mix) who turns yellow the leaves?

I dont know if i should use and re pot the gritty mix only for my pachira tree.

Is it require to fertilize my pachira tree? I dont want it to grow and gets bigger.

If i use the the gritty mix, i should water once the gritty mix is completely dried out. right? its very confuse because i water my bonsai last week with gritty mix, it has been 7 days and its still moist inside the gritty mix.

What originally started out as "The Gritty Mix" back in 2005 isn't what
you purchased. All the ingredients in the original Gritty Mix would have
been screened to remove the fine material, which eliminates almost
completely any possibility of perched water.

It's almost certain the seller of what you bought didn't do any screening, which means all the fine material migrates into the spaces between large soil particles and causes the medium to become partially saturated/ retain perched water. That's also the reason I don't like the commercially prepared Hoffman's Bonsai Soil.

There are several ways you can use some simple science to help eliminate a large fraction of any excess water in your medium. Please read this for help.

Any plant you grow in a container needs fertilizer to prosper. You don't keep trees small by withholding fertilizer, the rough equivalent of eliminating all vitamins from your diet to prevent weight gain - not a good idea. Plants in pots need fertilizer to stay healthy, and PRUNING to stay small.

Ideally, you would water to beyond the point of saturation, every time you water. If you can't do that w/o the soil remaining soggy too long, you should abandon or appropriately modify your soil so too much water in the root zone is NOT an issue. The link I left you should be helpful. Water when the soil is still a little moist, not completely dry. Pay close attention to the part about the wick in the link I left, as that can make a big difference in how much water the soil will retain. Compare E to A below:

One thing I noticed in your pics were the little drops of wetness on some of the leaves. Is that wetness water, or is it sticky? If it's sticky, it could mean that you have some sort of bug sucking on your plant. Give it a good check. Could be a reason why your leaves are turning yellow.

hi Al,

Im using the gritty mix with succulents and they all seem doing fine.

Would you think some leaves turned yellow because i re pot them?

I am thinking to repot my money trees with the gritty mix left that i have from my succulents.

Thanks again Al.

Kev,

I mist their leaves with litte water every morning. Do you think the mist is turning some leaves yellow?

:((

There is a long list of conditions with the potential to cause chlorotic foliage. Chief among them are poor root health (usually due to over-watering or root congestion), nutritional issues, and pest infestations.

Al

Hi Al,

I am just curious if i can use the Dyna-Gro's Foliage-Pro 9-3-6 for my orchids. Have you tried it? I dont want to kill my orchids :)

DAn

HI, No, the water wouldn't turn the leave yellow.

Yes - you can use it, but they might like a little more K than the FP supplies. I'd suggest that you establish a fertilizer program using the 3:1:2 to supply an appropriate amount of N, but supplement K in addition with low doses of ProTeKt 0-0-3, which also provides the benefit of supplying silicon in opalescent form for sturdier plants that are more resistant to temperature extremes, insects, and diseases.

Al