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alwahedi

..any common soil mix used for Bonsai?

alwahedi
17 years ago

Hi again... can anybody provide me with a standard or a common soil mix used for Bonsai?! I would like to get a soil mix that has the easiest ingredients to get and the cheapest too...

Comments (12)

  • lucy
    17 years ago

    Every tree, every climate, every lighting situation, and outdoor vs indoor tree choice is different. "Cheap" usually gets you a cheap result - is that what you want? In fact unless you get mail order things like akadama or lava rock (if they're not locally available - and you don't 'need' them) most soil components will be very inexpensive, but somehow your approach doesn't bode well for the future of your trees.

  • alwahedi
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Again, thanks Lucy for the information... You seem to be a professional in Bonsai ;) Just I meant to get the available ingredients that won't make me suffering looking for them locally... But if you know the essential components for making a soil mix with a reasonable price and good results plz name them for me & I will try to get the components that aren't available in my country by mail order... As I read from your follow-up, the names maybe quit strange for me "like akadama" & you will excuse me if you see how most of the people here are not aware in the matter of professional gardening!

  • alwahedi
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    I forgot to tell you about our climate: it's hot & dry most of the year (sometimes it exceeds 110ºF)... Most of the plantations are done here under shading or indoor except the naturally heat tolerant trees which are native to our climate...

  • alwahedi
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    About the soil here: it's very poor in the basic nutritional elements and very quick draining...

  • lucy
    17 years ago

    Without knowing what tree you are asking about, it's hard to tell you what to plant it in. Akadama is a kind of coarse sand, or pebbles really, that you'll read about in bonsai books. It comes from Japan but is also sold in some places dedicated to bonsai, certain stores in the U.S. etc. and is supposedly very good for planting bonsai, but it's very expensive and unnecessary, especially in a country (Dubai) where it's so dry and hot all the time that your biggest worry will be watering often enough, not ensuring that water flows through the mix immediately (so it won't rot the roots) - which is the focus of most bonsai soil mixes. Theoretically, you can plant things in anything that supports them in their pots, lets the roots have a drink but then leaves fast, doesn't introduce anything essentially harmful to the plants, and isn't offensive to the eye. Plus you need to have nutrients (we add fertilizer, etc.) which the ground normally has enough of, and rain normally adds to. Anyhow, after you choose a tree that's appropriate not just to your climate, or house, but also something you can actively provide for in various ways, tell me and I'll try to help further, but please take me seriously about learning - bonsai are not house plants, learning to water each one is complicated, or can be, and everything else I mentioned in the first note is important. You can't learn bonsai from the internet overnight.

  • nepheron
    17 years ago

    lucy, i live in the u.s. way up north in Michigan... we have very rich soil here. what in the bonsai soil makes it special?

  • lucy
    17 years ago

    Nothing chemical if that's what you're thinking. The idea is to have 3 major components in there - an inert, inorganic thing like perlite or pebbles which allow water to drain more freely than e.g. potting soil (which is mostly peat and once wet, takes forever to dry, so roots rot easily if you're not careful (or growing things that like it wet). A second component would be an organic one (good compost of coarse vs. fine particles (helps to aerate the soil), a little peat [that would be 'little' in italics], pine bark bits (1/8-1/4" size), etc. for nutrition, minerals, etc., and the third thing would be something like akadama, turface, crushed lava rock, which does so some water and air are retained long enough (by the high-fired clay in turface, for instance, or tiny crevices in the lava, for the roots to stay somewhat moist (also helped by the organic component), but no more. The trick is that while there are so many potentially good components around (depending on where you live), you need to adjust the proportions of them for each tree in each environment, and that's where it gets intresting! But in your case, I would first NOT recommend (to anyone actually) using topsoil as it holds a lot of unwanted things (like insect eggs). Tropical trees need more or less of certain components, as do pines and maples. Sometimes a good mix can be one sold for orchids, as it has little stones, chunks of wood fiber and only a hint of soil, plus other things... the main focus again being on fast drainage. You can take your soil (can you get 'sterilized' at your local place?) and add lots of grit and small small gravel so it drains quickly.

  • lucy
    17 years ago

    See middle of the para. above - "which does so some water and air" - meant to say "which does hold some water..." Sorry!

  • gnome_in_pa
    17 years ago

    Nepheron,

    The single most important thing that makes bonsai soil different is its structure. Tree roots need oxygen as well as water and coarse grained soils provide this in a way that traditional potting soils cannot.

    Use google to do some research on two products, "Haydite" and "Turface MVP". Try to find a local source for either of these products, it will become the primary component of your bonsai soil. Depending on various factors, species, location, desired watering schedule, etc, it could even be used exclusively. Lava rock is also an excellent component but it is unlikely that you will find a local source for it in the proper size.

    Most growers use some sort of organic component as well, very often this is composted pine bark simply because this is readily available. This helps with water retention and also helps with moderating fertilizer levels as well.

    No matter what components you choose they should be screened to remove the fine particles that will eventually clog your soil and prevent the free flow of water through the pot.

    This is only the bare essentials of bonsai soil, there is much to learn on this topic.

    Norm

  • bonsaibean
    17 years ago

    Since you will likely hear so many opinions on this topic, I thought I'd weigh in too. Our bonsai group has made our own soil as our January meeting for several years, and I believe we've all had good luck with it as a starting point. Of course, as I said, someone may very well come right behind this post with another recipe that is very different.

    1 part grushed granite (chicken grit)
    1 part Turface
    2 parts ground pine bark.

    As mentioned in earlier posts, drainage is very important in soils designed for containers and keeping healthy roots.

    We sift all of the above so it is bewtween 1/8" & 1/4" before we mix it.
    If you make some as a mix, then keep some of the components separate as well, you can customize mixes based on the tree, climate, pot size, etc.

    Craig

  • Bonsai_mike_gmail_com
    13 years ago

    Think if this chap lives in Dubai ,then it depends on his lifestyle,if he is at home a lot then an open mix might work ,but the temps in Dubai are incredible during warm months, he could be watering the better part of the day,if he is away at work then that is serious,although I do not like organic material ,it is more water retentive ,peat ,leaf mold ,John nines no .2 potting soil,can be used effectively as long as it is sieved and mixed with grit,make sure it does not compact and drainage holes are not clogged.you might be able to get soil mixes from eastern Europe which will reduce shipping costs,good luck

  • ryan_tree
    13 years ago

    Please do not revive old threads. This one is 5 years old.

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