Bonsai soils are more about the physics of the soil than they are about what material the particulates are mad from. In most cases, we avoid peat because it is small enough that it collects in macro-pores, turning them into micro-pores that hold water instead of air. In my estimation, compost is worse than peat because it holds water tighter and its water release rate is slower. Plus, peat and compost break down too quickly to be of value in most soils for bonsai. Particles of a uniform size and shape will yield best drainage. Experiment: In a clear bottle, add a hundred or so large marbles - the boulder type, twice as large as a regular marble. These fill a 2 qt clear container and represents a soil with uniform size particulates and plenty of air spaces, a beautiful thing, this soil. Then, take a quart of BBs, dump it on top of the marbles and give it a little shake. The BBs find their way into the large pore spaces, but still fit handily into the "full" bottle. Then, pour a quart of sand (you can substitute the word peat or compost for sand here, too) into the "full" bottle. The sand filters down, clogging the remaining air pores and making the soil a terrible choice for plants. Sand is death to aeration and how did I get 4 qts of soil in a 2 qt bottle? By jamming small particulates into my air-holding macro-pores. You can build a wide variety of soils if you have a few things on hand. A porous mineral product that holds air, moisture, and nutrients - like Turface, Haydite, akadama, pumice, others. An irregularly shaped mineral product, preferably with rough or jagged edges that doesn't hold air or water - crushed granite or large silica (almost BB size) is good here, and an organic component in a suitable size that will resist rapid breakdown by soil organisms. We often use conifer bark to fill this requirement because the combination of a high % of lignin and suberin (in the bark) makes it difficult for micro-organisms to cleave hydrocarbon chains and destroy the structure of the organic part of your soil. I can't think of anything I grow in bonsai soil (houseplants too) that I use more than a 1/3 organic component on. I usually keep a large amount of soil that is 1/3 each of Turface, crushed granite (grower grit), and screened fir bark. I amend this basic mix as needed. Your mix may vary & use other ingredients, but this one won't be too far from what will work well for you. I grow most deciduous plants in the equal parts mix. Pines & junipers I use up to 90% inorganics in the soil. I even have a few plants that are perfectly happy in 100% Turface. Experiment, but don't be tempted to compromise your soil mix too much to simply extend intervals between watering - your plants will pay. Al

I find that even mushroom compost seems to have more and more wood chips in it. Another name for good topsoil is Farmers Topsoil. I used to have forty acres of land in suburbia which I wanted to develop. I had a John Deer 450 loader which I used to scrape off top topsoil at the approach to what would be the plan. There were two piles, one nothing but black topsoil, about 20 yards. The other black topsoil mixed with the clay underneath it; about 40 yards. I finally just sold the two lots and the remaining parcel to someone who knew what they were doing, but my attorney told me I still owned the topsoil. I tried to sell it and no one would even look at it. If it's not screened they didn't want it. There were no stones and only an occasional root. Just like you get when you buy "topsoil", mushroom compost, or bark, from these same sellers. The "topsoil" they sell is clay mixed with mushroom compost which you can do yourself. Find composted manure with out wood chips in it. If you own or rent a pickup and haul one of these products and unload it. You can then get the other product and shovel it into a wheelbarrow, out of the truck, 4, 5, or 6, shovel fulls of clay and then one of the wood chip free mushroom compost from the pile next to the pickup. if you can find sand with very small (TINY) river rock in it you could also add some of that in. There are lots of articles on determining what percentages of each you should see in a glass bottle when determining what your loam is made up of.

While I'm with Igloochick on the "take no prisoners" approach if the whole order is dreck and beyond just a few doors needing to be replaced and a few frames needing a tiny bit of touchup, there is a some "acceptable" damage, even in new cabinets. Birch IS softer than maple, and will have more nicks and dings, unfortunately sometimes after a long shipment even straight out of the box. Two or three doors with dings or nicks sometimes in an inevitable part of shipping damage. Your cabinet company should offer to replace those with no questions asked. If the boxes are have some small travel dings and scuffs, as long as they are cosmetic imperfections that won't be seen (Sides or rear of boxes, non structural) then I'd allow them to be installed rather than wait for new cabinets. If the visible face frames are minorly damaged, if it were covered by the door when shut, I'd allow them to be installed and field touched up. If it were a major dent, scratch, or ding, I would reject it and demand a new cabinet, despite the delay. If the whole order had more than 15% of the cabinets damaged in some way, I'd ask for a visit from the cabinet company rep before even thinking about installing the cabinets. New means "new", but it doesn't mean 100% perfect. A skilled installer can fix those minor issues---as long as they are minor and not numerous. Plumeriavine's kitchen is an example of where an incompetent installer made everything much worse than it was originally. Her kitchen is the unfortunate proof of my saying that a skilled installer can take 10K worth of cabinets and make them look like 100K, but a bad installer can take 100K worth of cabinets and make them look like 10K. Other than exhaustively checking references and belonging to trade review sites, it's difficult for consumers who are engaging in a once in a lifetime activity to really find someone qualified as a "good installer". So, go with your gut if you feel that you are receiving poor quality workmanship from your installer or your cabinet company.

Oldryder...my opinion is generally the same as everyone else's. Don't decrease recommended nitrogen applications. Wood chips contribute little to soil in the way of N and this is particularly true on a sandy soil like you describe. IMO fireduck makes the best point here. Moisture retention may be the big issue. If you dump a bucket of water at the tree's base in normal summer weather conditions does the water quickly drain away with the top 2" drying quickly ? Is the soil moist under the tree when inserting your finger underneath the chips? One part of me wants to say "slam it with nitrate of soda" but if moisture retention is an issue it will just make matters even worse. BTW...I'm joking about the nitrate of soda....well...sorta. If you are not seeing any vigorous growth whatsoever in non-producing trees after 5 seasons there might be an issue. What is your state and zone oldryder? I'm trying to learn also and getting a read on the climate is paramount in doing so. What type of fruit trees are we talking about...what is the rootstock and what is the trunk caliper of these 6 year old trees? 6 year old fruit trees of most types should have a substantial trunk size at 6 years and peaches and pommes should have fruited before now on most rootstocks. A photo even if dormant would be spectacular oldryder.