cannot speak to heat tolerant conifers sad to say but i thought i would speak up for the surprising adaptability of Mexican conifers (Mexican oaks as well) to seemingly very different climates and localities. i have had gratifying success growing a number of species (likely mostly from areas with a summer rainfall maximum) here in the summer cool and dry (winter very wet) pacific north west (oregon coast)---including pinus montizumae, p. patula, p. pseudostrobus, p. estevezii,, cupressus montana, c. guadalupensis, and podocarpus matudae---.wonderful trees that once established seem to do well with little or no additional care.

I've been using Al's (gritty) mix with pines, junipers, yews, and myriad other conifers for well over 20 years now, and though I do do a lot of experimenting with soils, have yet to find anything that works better. ;-) I'm not self-promoting, just saying that I experiment with soils a LOT, and have yet to improve on the basic gritty mic mix. It holds LOTS of air, virtually NO perched water, ample volumes of water, is structurally very sound & durable, and it's adjustable for water retention to suit plants individually. Those are all the most desirable qualities you can have in a soil. I wouldn't use wood chips other than conifer bark as a primary fraction of a container soil for several reasons. A pH spike during the composting process is inevitable. Wood chips break down much faster than conifer bark, so when using them, N immobilization should be expected. Also. because they break down so much faster, they generate a LOT of heat during the composting process, often raising sol temps an additional 10-15* higher than similar soils with bark as their primary fraction. Of course, N immobilization with the gritty mix is insignificant and heat build-up due to composting is never a problem because of how slowly the bark decomposes AND the excellent gas exchange of the highly aerated mix. A 50/50 mix of a peat-based soil (like ProMix) and wood chips will yield a soil with the same drainage characteristics and perched water table height as the ProMix. Only when the wood chips (which are not a good choice for container media) are a very large fraction of the soil (about 80%) can you expect drainage & aeration to improve significantly. To get a visual on this, ask yourself how much perlite you need to add to a quart of pudding to get it to drain & hold air. BTW - most commercial cactus mixes actually drain poorly & support way too much perched water to be healthy for cacti, succulents, or conifers. All of the pines, junipers, and most other conifers I've grown would instantly rebel at wet media and the presence of significant amounts of perched water as the mix of ProMix and wood chips would be/have. They prefer a soil that holds little or no perched water and remains damp after watering instead of wet. I have 320 lineal ft of bench space like you see in the picture below. Most of the space is much more crowded with potential bonsai than you see, and conifers make up at least half of the near 300 trees. All are in the gritty mix; and I have no trouble keeping them happy & healthy. Al

Whats just as impressive is that all the pics are still here! I was just thinking of the lack of activity and picture posts here after seeing other forums bumping with activity and picture posts...which by the way DON'T have a separate gallery. This forum was discriminated!

Greetings from Vancouver. I'm having a terrific time, with special thanks to you all and your great tips. I've been walking all over this town, plus taking the bus too. It's wonderful. I visited VanDuesen, Chintz, Granville Island (and South Granville), plus Chinatown and most of the downtown-area neighborhoods. It's great. Tomorrow is the Art Museum and Queen Elizabeth park, oh, and Beach Drive too (thanks for that tip!). I haven't done my homework, so if anyone can help me cheat that would be great. Can I bring any plants/cuttings/seeds back to Seattle with me?? What about fruit? I'll go do some research online but if you know the answer feel free to chime in. :) Thanks again for the tips--they've really helped me have a better time. It's really lovely. Take care, Grant