Substrate vendors?

[Dimples]

I have to advise against the cat litter and the other spill absorbing products. They are not fired at a high enough temperature for long term use in potting media. They degrade into mud quickly.

[MateoinLosAngeles]

Originally Posted by Lil Duck

Mateo, also in the LA area is HOUSE OF BONSAI in Lakewood, they have good prices for small lava rock and also import Japanese Bonsai materials. They carry a wide variety of Bonsai materials and they may be able to give you advice on your olive.

On another note, low light will not stunt the growth of your olive tree, I would recommend giving it plenty of drought and low fertilizer levels, along with plenty of pruning. Why not grow it outside (if you have space or not?)

These are so helpful! Thank you. I definitely will fertilize weakly. Pruning, I've heard conflicting stories, as it might be a double-edged sword. Olive trees seem to respond to pruning by shooting even more significant vegetative growth. Not growing outside because I live in an apartment (an industrial loft with high ceilings) and because I'm a novelty addict. I want to do it just for the sake of doing it, haha

This is the main resource I'm following regarding care for the olive tree (obviously making adjustments for my needs, as this is centered around yielding better fruits). https://cesonoma.ucanr.edu/files/27175.pdf

As a Spaniard, I should find a family friend or someone with experience growing olives and hear their advice.

---------- Post added at 07:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:33 PM ----------

For all curious, I found these lava rocks in the depths of Amazon. $19.70 two day "free" Prime-shipping (which I pay annually and I assume everyone does) Amazon.com

I just ordered the 5 lb bag. Doing a quick calculation of package size the 5 lb bag should be about 0.25 cu ft and the 15 lb bag is about 0.45 cu ft. Give or take. Will let you know if it sucks or not but the reviews look good and seems to be within the target particle size.

[katsucats]

Norman's in Montclair has decently sized bags of fir bark for $20. Probably not as good as SVO's kiwi bark, but it's also closer and cheaper. Also, I once purchased some random media (e.g. lava rocks, etc.) to give them a try from Bonsai Jack. Decent value at least compared to other sites at the time. Free shipping. $34 for a 2 gallon bag (12 pounds) seems to be a sweet spot.