Heya :) I thought I'd pick your brains again. So my japanese maple needs to be repotted. My research shows that now is the best time to do it. Currently since it is in regular potting soil and I wanted to transplant it to bonsai soil. I know they don't like akeline soils and prefer the more acidic kind. I was wondering if anyone had any online
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Now, these things aren't always easily accessible. You can, with good results, alter the mix, but each alteration will need some fine-tuning. I've known people to pot in nothing but the fine gravel. The feeder root growth tends to be spectacular, but since the water retention is nil and the nutrient amount is worse, it requires more careful watering and feeding. If you swap in a more organic soil or peat moss you need to be more careful with the watering schedule because a soil that holds more moisture leaves your trees susceptible to root rot and other fungi.
I've known of people potting in slightly altered cactus soil as well, but I never did find out how well that worked.
The real trick is to make sure the soil is coarse enough. Coarse soil/fine gravel encourages the growth of the small fuzzy roots, meaning in the end a stronger tree in a smaller space. A fine rich soil like potting soil tends to produce a strong taproot but few feeder roots, making it easier to kill the tree through root damage or even just regular pruning.
Your local garden center may have small bags of bonsai soil. That would probably be fine. It's fairly easy to mailorder too. Failing those, you've still got plenty of DIY options.
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