Reddit reviews Bonsai Jack Universal Organic Bonsai Soil Mix #221 2 Quart
We found 3 Reddit comments about Bonsai Jack Universal Organic Bonsai Soil Mix #221 2 Quart. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Screened and pre-washed mix. Optimal pH of 6.4Available in bag sizes from 2 quart to 28 gallons.Optimized for pH, water absorption, evaporation, bulk density and particle size.Ready to use for the vast majority of bonsai trees including tropicals. Phone support available with each order.Proven mix and professional supplier with more than a hundred thousand bags sold. Mix #221 is our number one selling bonsai soil. Phone support and advice is available with each order.
If you're looking for gritty mixes, I know a lot of people swear by Bonsai Jack but it is pricey. I've also heard a lot of good things about Fat Plants!
Personally, gritty mixes didn't work well for me because I kept forgetting to water, so I just bought some coco coir and pumice (both readily available on amazon!) and mixed it in equal parts and then potted my plants in that. It's worked out nicely so far!
The larger pot is good given you want the base of the trunk to beef up. Trunks are grown by having a lot of foliage and foliage needs lots of roots and lots of roots needs lots of soil. You should water it when the soil becomes dry. In the summer this will be pretty much every day it doesn't rain.
What you do next depends on how aggressive you want to be. I'm guessing you used regular potting soil in the repot and didn't reduce the existing soil from the original pot, just slip potted it? If so you should get some actual bonsai soil, get rid of all the soil on the outside of the original root ball, but not all of the soil, leave the core root ball with soild and put it back in your large pot using only the bonsai soil. This soil will promote good drainage and make it easy for the plant to quickly build a big root system. Then fertilize heavily until July at which point back off a bit until fall.
There isn't much to style until it grows a lot and develops a lot more branches. You can direct the growth to what you want but since you like the horizontal nature it has now it will be a while before you have additional branches to style. Also, I see you have it outside, but be sure to keep it outside year round. Given you have it on a balcony you might want to provide it some wind protection for a while after repotting and during the coldest days of the year.
I would buy bonsai jack soil, but I don't know how much extra they'll charge you for shipping or if it's even available in your country.
When I search amazon.es, I can find products made with peat moss and sand which isn't very good for bonsai. This 2mm-5mm clay soil would work very well for bonsai. And in Japan they use akadama which is very expensive in my country, but looks much more affordable for you.