Swedish translations: What to do?

Hello!

I've been banging along for years on my bonsai projects using a "hit or miss" technique. Well, last year I thought I'd try my hand at bonsai-ing a couple of Azeleas. They promply died. Now I'm ready to try again but this time I want to do it right. The "right way" requires a lot more attention to soil, nutrients and water. The problem is that the vast majority of bonsai books in Sweden are in English. That's OK but there is a problem. I can read what is needed to create a nice azalea bonsai but I can't very well stroll into the shop and ask or a bag of potash, peat or leaf mould. So, are there any other Swedes on the forum who can point me in the direction of an English - Swedish translation of "gardening terms"? I'd be very grateful.

Hello Scion. Are there many bonsai clubs in Sweden? I would think becoming a member will put you in touch with all the dry goods you need.

OK, based on an Internet translator - Potash which is a common name for various Potassium compounds, but Potassium nitrate is normally used as a fertilizer in Swedish is "Kaliumnitrat."
Make sure that your potash is meant for plants, because if it is too strong a concentration it can burn/kill your plants.

Leaf Mold might not be sold in stores, but collected from forest floors would be "lov mogel."

Now peat can refer to a number of things, it is usually decomposed sphagnum moss, but how far the decomposition goes depends upon the type of peat, what probably meant is the bog moss that has been dried then shredded or chopped, we call it Canadian Peat, the fibers are short and hold a lot of moisture. The leaf mold and peat add an acidic component to the mix. I have successfully used pure Canadian Peat to pot Azaleas. My translator says that peat is "torv."

will baddeley wrote:Hello Scion. Are there many bonsai clubs in Sweden? I would think becoming a member will put you in touch with all the dry goods you need.

Yes well, there are none in my city and the latest word is that the Swedish internet clubs have all closed down.

Billy M. Rhodes wrote:OK, based on an Internet translator - Potash which is a common name for various Potassium compounds, but Potassium nitrate is normally used as a fertilizer in Swedish is "Kaliumnitrat."
Make sure that your potash is meant for plants, because if it is too strong a concentration it can burn/kill your plants.

Leaf Mold might not be sold in stores, but collected from forest floors would be "lov mogel."

Now peat can refer to a number of things, it is usually decomposed sphagnum moss, but how far the decomposition goes depends upon the type of peat, what probably meant is the bog moss that has been dried then shredded or chopped, we call it Canadian Peat, the fibers are short and hold a lot of moisture. The leaf mold and peat add an acidic component to the mix. I have successfully used pure Canadian Peat to pot Azaleas. My translator says that peat is "torv."

You're certainly right about "Kaliumnitrat" and "torv" but what I really need is an exhaustive list of important words so that I won't need to ring up someone everytime I'm symied.

I must have lost control of my senses because in the last few days I bought 5 different Azalea (the colours are irresistable) and I really do want them to survive!

Scion wrote:
Yes well, there are none in my city and the latest word is that the Swedish internet clubs have all closed down.

Hej fellow Swede, SBS is alive and active but not very active online atm. At least in my part of the woods we're still deep frozen for a few more months...
Try http://forum.bonsaisallskapet.se and ask for advice in the forum, we're also on facebook. Can't help you with the azaleas though, I killed all of mine last summer.

Ingvar Nilsson wrote:

Scion wrote:
Yes well, there are none in my city and the latest word is that the Swedish internet clubs have all closed down.

Hej fellow Swede, SBS is alive and active but not very active online atm. At least in my part of the woods we're still deep frozen for a few more months...
Try http://forum.bonsaisallskapet.se and ask for advice in the forum, we're also on facebook. Can't help you with the azaleas though, I killed all of mine last summer.

Hej Ingvar!

Even here in Skåne we're having the worst freeze ever and I'm afraid to go out onto the balcony to see how last year's "cuttings" are doing. I remember trying to access "sällskapet" and having problems to do it. I'll try again through FaceBook instead. It seems that azalea are easy to destroy.

Thank you very much for the advice!

Scion wrote:It seems that azalea are easy to destroy.

I messed up the automated watering system installation and left for a week. Lol.
Except for that they were actually doing just fine planted in moler substrate but be aware because lots of people would recomend to not use that substrate for low pH plants.

Ingvar Nilsson wrote:

Scion wrote:It seems that azalea are easy to destroy.

I messed up the automated watering system installation and left for a week. Lol.
Except for that they were actually doing just fine planted in moler substrate but be aware because lots of people would recomend to not use that substrate for low pH plants.

A whole week?! The ones I have now need watering every 2 or 3 days. I can't imagine how much they'll want when (or if!) the warm weather starts. I didn't really want so many azalea but COOP Forum is selling them for 50kr!

Thanks for the advice on substrate. Do you have any azalea now?