Hi all, wondering what soil mix has produced the best health for Japanese black pines here in Colorado. Also, what particle size have you had success using? My plan is to go with a Boon mix at 1/16, but open to ideas. I just bought a black pine (http://www.driftwoodbonsai.com/store-1/japanese-black-pine-68) from Driftwood Bonsai and it is ready for a bonsai pot.

Hi all, I am wondering about members experiences with county water restrictions. It’s not possible to skip watering days when it’s hot, windy, and dry, for even native trees like rocky mountain juniper, limber pines, and ponderosa, let alone non-native plants like acer palmatum. Maybe the degree of watering does not rise to a problematic level? It’s not like I am watering a golf course here. To be clear, no one has raised this as an issue, it just popped into my mind since we’re in the process of moving to a home a few miles away and the prior owner taped the utility water restrictions to the watering system. Interested to learn what others think. Best, Josh

With repotting season just beginning, I’m getting ready to work on a mugo pine and shimpaku juniper. Wondering what soil compositions folks have used. I have been going with a pumice, lava rock, akadama mix (heavy on the akadama). Any other suggestions?

As we begin to move into the colder months here in Colorado, I’m hoping to get some advice on overwintering. For conifers (e.g., atlas cedar, nana, and hinoki) and deciduous (e.g., trident, acer, beech) trees that can stand up to colder temperatures, how much protection do folks generally provide? We live in the metro area and don’t have quite enough space for a greenhouse, but we do have a garage. I’ve also heard window wells can offer some protection (which we can make use of as well). Thank you in advance!