Opinions on Bonsai Jack?

[zpeckler]

Anyone used or have any opinions on Bonsai Jack's soil mixes? Specifically Jack's Gritty Mix or their Inorganic Bonsai Mix.

Jack's Gritty Mix:
Equal parts Pine Coir, 1/4 inch calcined clay, and 1/4 inch Montmorillonite Clay

Inorganic Bonsai Mix:
Equal parts 1/4 inch Pumice, 1/4 inch calcined clay, 1/4 inch Lava, and 1/4 inch Montmorillonite Clay

I'm thinking a mix like the Gritty Mix might make a good transition from my current mix (50% Turface MVP, 25% 3/8" pumice, 25% potting soil) to a pure mineral mix kinda like the Inorganic Bonsai Mix in a couple of years?

[7george]

Features look great. But the price is kind of high even for large packages. If you keep or try for 3 plants is fine but for large collection...

And we still have to use additional mineral nutrition with these mixes.

[zpeckler]

Features look great. But the price is kind of high even for large packages. If you keep or try for 3 plants is fine but for large collection...

Yeah, the price is a little much. I was kinda hoping to be able to approximate the Gritty Mix myself by getting comparable ingredients and mixing and screening them myself o keep costs down. I don't have a huge collection, but it still wouldn't be cheap to buy enough to repot them all.

And we still have to use additional mineral nutrition with these mixes.

By "mineral nutrition" do you mean there's some other component(s) that you'd add to these mixes to provide some more nutrients a la The Stone Eaters, or just that you still need to periodically fertilize with water?

[Steve Johnson]

Jack's Gritty Mix:
Equal parts Pine Coir, 1/4 inch calcined clay, and 1/4 inch Montmorillonite Clay

We'll look at the Pine Coir:

• "Pine Coir™ is a pine bark based soil amendment used to increase acidity in potting soil and or increase the moisture retention of gritty mix. Created from pine bark, its processed to a particle size ranging from dust to 3/8ths inch. Use it to increase moisture retention in hot environments or for plants that require wetter feet. No mix should contain more than 50 percent Pine Coir due to hydrophobic saturation."

That's the problem John Trager discussed when he responded to your email questions. Since the Pine Coir in Jack's Gritty Mix is essentially the same as the "forest humus" he had trouble with, it will become hydrophobic over time. There has to be a way we can solve the problem, so check out the following:

https://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1092

Given the low humidity in your climate, IMO polymer moisture crystals are worth investigation. And guess what? I think it'll work if you apply them in straight pumice or Turface. Only downside is that you'll have to fertilize pretty much every time you water your cacti in the growing season. I've been doing this for 11 years, and the upside results are definitely worth it!

[7george]

....

By "mineral nutrition" do you mean there's some other component(s) that you'd add to these mixes to provide some more nutrients a la The Stone Eaters, or just that you still need to periodically fertilize with water?

If you don't mix some granulate fertilizer into that mix you have to add fertilizers with water as Steve mentioned. It is a question of choice and technique so just have to be considered. (I don't expect rocks and bark to provide significant amount of nutrients for potted cacti).