Best pot and soil mix for seedlings

Horticulture
1

Hi everyone,

I would appreciate some advice on the correct development stage for my Japanese yew seedling.

I bought it as a young nursery plant growing in its original nursery soil. Being inexperienced, I probably rushed the process: I wired it, started early structural work, and later slip-potted it into a colander using around 90% akadama with a small amount of pine bark.

Looking back at Mirai’s development philosophy, I wonder if I skipped the initial “grow” phase. My impression is that the tree should perhaps have spent several years in a deeper nursery container to maximise trunk and overall development before focusing on refining the root system.

My question is: would you move it back into a 3 L deep nursery container for a few years of unrestricted growth? If so, would you also change the substrate to something more organic (for example, roughly 50% akadama / 50% composted pine bark or even pure compost), or would you keep a predominantly inorganic mix and simply increase the container volume?

I am trying to balance vigorous growth with maintaining a high-quality root system, rather than chasing one at the expense of the other.

Remember, it’s a relatively small seedling.

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2

I grow seedlings on in a mix of half pumice and half pine bark. I reserve akadama for trees that are going into refinement. This allows good root and top growth. The colander can be very good for developmental growth. If you just did the slip pot, you can probably repot now. If it was a few weeks ago, I would wait until next spring. You can build a small bonsai over a few years from seedlings, but you are going to want it to thicken a bit. Finally, it looks like you have it inside. Yews will do better outside and will need some winter dormancy.

3

Thank you for your thoughts. As for keeping it outside, that’s exactly what I do. It normally stays in the garden, and bringing it indoors is only an occasional exception.

4

Here is what I learned from Eric Schrader. 80% inexpensive nursery pumice (not expensive bonsai pumice), 15% fir mulch, and 5% coco coir.. It will shoot up like a rocket. Put it in something deeper to get a thicker trunk, like a one gallon fiber bag.. Wire before the trunk gets too thick, You may not need to prune for a long time.

5

Thank you! I will definitely try this one.