PS looking for a GOOD book...

As far as 'natural' soil goes, you don't want to use it for other reasons. Yes, if you dig a tree for bonsai you would initially take some of the soil to help with the transition to being grown in a container, but that's the only time it's done because you are taking the chance of bringing in who knows what pathogens that may be in there, and/or insect eggs, or things just not desirable for growth - all apart from the fact the soil would very likely end up compacting on itself from the weight, making it impossible for roots to absorb the water they need. Most 'bonsai' mixes are mostly grit, but depending on the tree and other factors, various small amounts of organic components are usually added as well to help hold some moisture, and provide trace elements of chemicals needed that aren't always available in fertilizer. As for trees dying from not being in their own soil, most can in fact be grown in almost anything that is supportive - experiments have been done with everything from broken glass to children's blocks - and is clean and holds enough water for growth. And of course not having the whole "ground" (terra firma) for drainage is vital (see the start of this note). Tiny pots are not natural for growing trees in, but if done carefully and knowledgably, can be used and the trees end up being happier and living longer sometimes than they do in nature.

One last thing - you don't want to make your trees look like bonsai. You do want to make your bonsai look like trees. And while the end results cannot perfectly mimic "real" trees, as the relative proportions would make them undesirable some of the time, we try hard to make the illusion of reality as close as possible to nature, vs just creating some fantastically unnatural looking thing, which is why you'll often hear bonsai people talk about "mall-sai" (very young trees mass produced, usually in China) for sale in big box stores, Wal-Mart, etc., all of them looking alike, all called "bonsai" though none are anywhere near being that yet, and all trained into what we call "S" shapes, or some other shape nature had nothing to do with creating. While a very good, and/or patient grower can occasionally make a passable bonsai out of such 'starters" we generally like to bypass them for healthy nursery plants instead.

And one last thing - digging trees for bonsai is more complicated than you would imagine. They are called yamadori, by the way, and require experience and knowledge to get away with, and without those (and very often even with them) you most often will end up with dead trees. It's not the same thing as e.g. moving one yard tree to a different spot in the garden. And so it is always strongly advised to NOT acquire your trees that way - there are plenty of other sources.

I'm getting off topic. If you're serious about wanting to try on bonsai to see how it fits, and want to learn the basics of how soil works, you can follow the link below to another forum and a thread that explains why native soils are problematic for container culture. You can also interact with others and ask all the questions you want - here of there, it makes no matter.

Al

I'm getting off topic. If you're serious about wanting to try on bonsai to see how it fits, and want to learn the basics of how soil works, you can follow the link below to another forum and a thread that explains why native soils are problematic for container culture. You can also interact with others and ask all the questions you want - here of there, it makes no matter.

Al

Any book recommendations?

Thanks, S

The books that held the most value for me were not specifically targeted toward bonsai. They were books about general and woody plant physiology, and books that went into great detail about the science of plant production in containers. That's how I learned how plants work and how to keep them alive and healthy - probably the most important key to a rewarding bonsai experience. The revolving door plant syndrome will soon frustrate the beginning bonsai practitioner who can't keep his/her trees alive, so an early focus in the areas I mentioned will save a lot of future heartache if you're in it for the long haul.

Al

Can you recommend a woody plant physiology book.

Thanks- S

Al