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RE: Re-using bonsai soil medium?

tpranger — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 09:58:46 GMT

It really does depend on what you think about this matter actually. If you want to throw it away, I won’t cost you much at all to buy new soil, just make sure that you manage the waste properly. Second of all, if you would like to use the soil again, all you have to do is sieve the soil, loses it up and remove things that are found in the soil. Then all you need to do is add some nutrients back to the soil, like cow dung, etc. and it can be used again.

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RE: Re-using bonsai soil medium?

Kath — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 17:31:51 GMT

Jolly good Don,

Moler Clay, those two words bring back memories. Many moons ago I was a secretary in a Shipping Agency in Colchester and every week we imported thousands of tons of Moler Clay from Denmark.:)

RE: Re-using bonsai soil medium?

Stymie — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:12:42 GMT

I've now had a confirmation from a friend in Amsterdam. It is exactly the same as Sophisticat pink under another name so that wiill not be the clumping variety. Its made from baked moler clay and will be a good potting medium.

RE: Re-using bonsai soil medium?

Kath — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:36:01 GMT

The info received from Christianne:-

Yes, Tom Poes is a well known make in the Netherlands, but YOU DO HAVE TO BE SO CAREFUL OF WHICH SORT THAT YOU CHOOSE FOR USE AS A BONSAI MEDIUM.

Some of these cat litters are really for 'lazy cat owners', ie when the cat urinates on the cat litter pieces it is inclined to go into a rather large hard lump, then the cat owner needs only to remove this piece instead of all the cat litter in the tray, this type would of course be no good for a bonsai medium.

Christianne uses one by the name of Fresh and Clean, super absorbent and clay granule. Her advice is "read the instructions on the pack before purchasing" :)

RE: Re-using bonsai soil medium?

Kath — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:02:47 GMT

I think you're correct with Tom Puss - Poo be Gone, but I'll get our mutual Dutch friend Christianne to confirm this :)

RE: Re-using bonsai soil medium?

Stymie — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:28:25 GMT

Tom Puss - Poo be Gone is 6 euros for 20 litres. Hows that for a re-useable medium. Akadama, when you can get it is more than three times as much and can't be re-used.:P

RE: Re-using bonsai soil medium?

Stymie — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:07:33 GMT

Kath and any of your friends from the Nertherlands.

I have heard that a cat litter of suitable type is now being made available over the channel. It is marketed as 'Tom Poes - Foetsie Bah' probably interpreted as Tom Puss - Poop no More or something similar. Perhaps you or Henk can give a more accurate meaning.This is much cheaper than anything sold as a planting medium and is reacting well to trials in the pot. (excuse the pun)

RE: Re-using bonsai soil medium?

Surrey John — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 04:51:34 GMT

Thanks all, for your comments. I have a very smallgarden, and chucking old used soil on it doesn't really help, while chucking it out via the dustbin ain't very popular with th bin men. Re-cucling seemed sensible, and you all seem to agree one way or the other. Jim - I have bark as organic in my mix, so should be OK.

Horse poo indeed, Kath :w00t:

SJ

RE: Re-using bonsai soil medium?

jimothy — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 08:34:46 GMT

[quote][b]Surrey John (2/10/2008)[/b][hr]
Now, my question is - the old compost, which came out of the pots - why shouldn't I sieve it and use it again?
[/quote]

No reason at all.

Just make sure you seive it well to extract all those tiny bits of decayed organic matter. you may find it useful to wash it, too, as the pores of the cat litter may have become clogged by microscopic particles as well. Generally, when I've re-used my soil, there's not actually that much waste the second time round, but that's probably because I only use bark as the organic matter, rather than compost, and it breaks down so slowly that fine particles are slow to accumulate.

RE: Re-using bonsai soil medium?

Stymie — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 22:23:10 GMT

My obsolete bonsai compost has mostly been deposited in a pile which has achieved large proportions. It is now the growing space for kitchen herbs and has been enriched with rotted goat bedding. It also provides a place to stick pruning offcuts which either root or don't with little attention.Strangely enough it is where I empty the tea dregs out of the pots too. This keeps it slightly moist. Okay, so I'm lazy with my gardening which isn't bonsai.:P

RE: Re-using bonsai soil medium?

Smithy — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 19:45:34 GMT

i'm keeping all my old soil and using it when i have something big to pot up and when i dig something up and have to put it into a growing container.

RE: Re-using bonsai soil medium?

Kath — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 18:06:26 GMT

I have lived at the same address since 1969 and have to confess that I have always put all old soil from hanging pots, containers, tubs, large flower pots, bonsai pots etc onto the back garden borders. As we have naturally sandy soil, this added compost, sand, grit etc has really given the garden soil a boost, mind you, saying that I did in the very beginning dig in a cart load of horse manure :w00t: I'm afraid the neighbours were not best pleased with me at the time :)

RE: Re-using bonsai soil medium?

keithmart — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 16:33:42 GMT

If you sieve the old soil to remove the larger components, eg cat litter, or grit, there is no problem in reusing that. The compost is probably not much good, but can be used for cuttings and plants that don't matter too much.

There is nothing particularly wrong with re-using some old soil, after all it is only something to hold the roots and allow the plant to feed. We after all suppply all the nutrients.

Most soil components are cheap enough to throw away, and many do not feel it worth the effort to rescue it!

Re-using bonsai soil medium?

Surrey John — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 16:14:49 GMT

OK everyone, here's my first 'proper' BG post, and it's about re-using bonsai soil. I've just started re-potting some of my little trees - just done 3-4 today, replaced the soil for each, and ended up with a pile of old soil out of the pots. I'm really pleased to report that all three trees - a small Corylus, my small Quercus (which I have now cut right down - photo follows soon I hope), and my I-don't-ever-know-what -to-do-with-it-Lonicera, each had developed fantastic fibrous root systems. I take this to be a main effect of using the TCL:HG:NPC mix we have all been discussing for the past 1-2 years.

Now, my question is - the old compost, which came out of the pots - why shouldn't I sieve it and use it again? The pro is obvious - no waste, less expense, but what are the cons, if any? Does anyone re-cycle soil at all? :cool: SJ.