Choosing a bonsai soil

From BonsaiWIKI

Introduction

Choosing a bonsai soil is like choosing your friends. Sometimes, though you will purchase or inherit a tree that has been planted in something unfamiliar to you and you'll have some learning to do to accommodate its needs before you can repot it in the soil of your preference.

When it comes to choosing soils, some folks are fussy about their soil mixes, spending hours sifting fir bark and , washing sand, lava and shale. Others spend freely on imported Japanese soil and claim their results justify the expense.

Then, there are those who go down to Woolworth's Nursery and buy Whitney Farms Bonsai Soil or pot their trees in Supersoil potting soil, and report satisfactory results.

There are even growers that have grown trees for years in field soil, a practice we would not recommend for most, but if you live in a Kanuma, Japan, it might work very well!

The determining factors include the following

1. Where you live

If you are living in a hot climate or are unable to water frequently, you need to have a soil mix that retains more moisture. Generally that means adding organic material or some type of clay pellet or shale, like akadama or Turface.

2. What size bonsai containers you are planting in.

If your trees are very small, you will need to pay a lot of attention to drainage or you will likely have some difficulties. Some beginners lose trees because the bonsai containers are so small that maintaining proper hydration is a balancing act that an experienced grower would find challenging.

3. What kind of exposure your trees have

If you are fortunate enough to live in a mild, very temperate climate, you may be able to grow many different common bonsai in the same bonsai soil with almost the same watering regime and enjoy good success.

4. How frequently you are able to monitor your trees

If you can check your trees once or twice daily, you may be able to succeed at using a soil with less than perfect drainage.

5. What species of trees you want to grow

Some trees like wisteria, willow, [[redwood], hornbeam and birch will use more water than others, such as pine, and cedar. Most deciduous trees require more water than needle evergreens.

Some advice for beginners and for those with tough climates

1) Avoid very small bonsai containers. The soil construction and watering practice is less critical in larger containers.

2) Seek the counsel of an experienced bonsai grower in your area. This first-hand advice is worth more than all the words we could write here.

3) Avoid using actual soil components (dug from the earth) as they contain potentially harmful micro-organisms and small particles fines, unless you have prepared the material by pasteurizing and sifting it first.

Bonsai Soil Components

Inorganics: Shale | Sand | Haydite | Turface | Ceramis | Oil-Dri | Decomposed Granite | Kitty litter

Volcanic: Pumice | Perlite | Vermiculite | Lava

Japanese Soils: Kanuma | Akadama | Hyuga

Organics: Fir bark | Redwood bark | Peat Moss | Coir | Muck | Charcoal | Compost | Field soil | Potting soil