Hello board, I have an Emperor I Japanese Maple in a pot and want to re-pot it as I found that its roots are pot-bound, or whatever the term is; i.e. long roots around sides of pot. 01. I vaguely remember reading that some cat litter can be used as mulch. I use Rainforest Organic Cedar & Moss Cat Litter*. According to the bag, it's "peat moss and recycled wood fibre". Is this product feasible for mulch purposes? http://www.rainforestproducts.ca/ 02. Many online articles say that general-use gardening soil is okay for JMs, and other say avoid it like the plague and mix your own to the right pH, etc.... Some said to include peat moss, others no way. We have some Sunshine brand general soil for gardens and potted plants (and what the heck are the little white things that look like styrofoam bits?). Is this general-use soil decent enough for a JM in a pot? Forgive my ignorance of such things, but I am here to be enlightened. :o) Cheers, Lythande.
Hi, not sure about the cat litter as a potting soil, maybe ok as a mulch. Have seen nursery grown potted plants in a cedar potting mix, but they are being well fertilized. The maple will need good drainage and like acidic soil. Have used a 1/3 peat, 1/3 sand, and 1/3 hem/fir bark mix that seemed fine in our climate for a couple years. Quite a few members here are growing maples in pots with potting mixes suited to their own climates. The "styrofoam bits" may be perlite.