John,
Great videos on repotting. I've been taught never to soak a tree, especially after repotting, as this locks the remaining fines (left after screening) into the soil. That hand watering until the water runs clear, effectively washing the fines out of the soil, is much better for the tree in the long run. Of course, our soil choice is a little different as well.
Have you had any trouble with this method?
No problems with the soil at all...been using the same basic mix for nearly 20 years. I have also been soaking trees for the same amount of time with no ill effects...not that your suggestion doesn't make sense. My soil is very simple... equal parts by volume of sifted decomposed pine bark, sifted turface, and gravel (my favorite gravel is decomposed granite that I sift from a nearby river). If something better comes along I will surely try it...so far none of my experimentation with other soils.. akadama, kanuma, etc...have yielded any better results than what I am using....although I am getting rave reviews from some one I respect very much about akadama and river sand (I think there is also a Japanese name for this) He recently purchased a pallet of each!
Thanks for the input!
John
