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Bonsai Soil.
The preparation of a workable potting mixture in which to grow bonsai is certainly not the most exciting or interesting aspect of the art, but it is just as certainly one of the most critical. Because the growing space in a bonsai container is limited, it is important that soil placed into it should perform perfectly. The health and well-being of the tree are dependant on it. The right recipe for bonsai soil is like the right recipe for spaghetti sauce. Everyone has a slightly different idea of what should go into it, but the basic ingredients generally remain the same. Bonsai people will argue for hours about which ingredients will work the best. The actual fact is that most thoughtfully prepared mixtures perform fine so long as they provide for excellent aeration and drainage. The objective here is not to describe an exact mixture for making bonsai soil, but rather to discuss the principals and elements necessary for an effective potting mix so that readers can construct a workable medium tailored to their own individual needs and growing conditions. Bonsaists spend a great deal of time sifting various soil components through a series of sieves. The objective is to make all components approximately the same size. In the process not only are larger unusable chunks
eliminated, but also fine dust, which would plug up air holes between soil particles and inhibit proper drainage. Screening and mixing soil is mostly common sense and not rocket science. This is an important point to remember, because it is possible to get so involved in the creation of the worlds most perfect soil mixture that one can lose site of the principal objective... perfect drainage and aeration. The actual components and the amount of each component used in any soil mixture can vary from region to region and garden to garden. Exactly what should be included in the final preparation is an individual matter. Components included in the mixture will be determined by several factors. First, what types of materials are readily and economically available in the growers immediate area. Second, what are the demands made by the local growing conditions, i.e., do you live in a desert or a rain forest? Third, How large is the container into which the tree is to be planted, i.e., shallow pots will dry out more quickly than deeper pots. Finally, what is the moisture and pH preference (acid or base) of the particular variety of bonsai being planted into the soil mix. Any usable soil mixture must always meet two basic requirements if it is to have any hope of success. First, the mixture must drain water quickly. This is generally
A properly prepared soil mix for use with bonsai will contain ingredients of a uniform size. This is done to provide for perfect drainage of water from the container and to allow vital aeration of the root system.
gradually trim away heavier roots, thereby making more space for the growth of fine feeder roots which are better able to nourish the plant. It is the development of these fine, hair like, feeder roots that a good bonsai mixture is designed to encourage. This concept is fairly simple to understand. As proof, consider the kind of potting mixture which plant propagators use for the rooting of cuttings. Normally it is coarse sand or perlite. Both of these substances have a uniform particle size, drain water exceptionally well and have no fine dust which would inhibit air movement through the soil (aeration). These are exactly the same characteristics on which a workable bonsai mix is based. The actual ingredients from which you assemble your soil mixture are certainly important, but regardless of the components,... if the final mixture does not have good drainage and aeration, it is wrong.
referred to as perfect drainage. Second, it should be essentially pH neutral... that is, neither wildly acidic or basic. A pH value somewhere in the 6.5 to 7.5 range seems best. There are all kinds of pH testing kits available on the market. It is a good idea to get one and use it to test soils. Local agriculture extension agents also offer soil testing services for a modest fee.
A bonsai potting mix for use with smaller, shohin and mame class plants. This particular recipe contains pine bark chips, fired clay particles and river rock which have been screened to eliminate dust and produce particles of 1/8 to 1/16 inch in size.
it... crushed lava rock. The inert ingredient(s) can vary greatly.... but generally fall into three categories: hardened clays, expanded aggregates and non-porous aggregates.
Hardened Clays
Akadama Akadama and Kanuma are particles of pelletized clay which the Japanese use extensively for potting their
Inorganically Speaking
Aggregate is the largest and most critical component and will comprise an average of 65 to 85 percent of the total soil mass. Aggregate is the best term to describe these substances, although, rock, gravel and drainage material will also work. The aggregate portion of the mix may be composed of just a single component or a combination of components. The only requirement is that the aggregates used have a uniform particle size and a neutral pH value. It is not necessary to ship such materials across the country or around the world in order to obtain a workable potting mix. In all probability, they will be easily available locally. As one travels and meets bonsai growers in other locations they quickly discover that soil components change by region based upon what is available in a particular location. People in Florida use a lot of sand in their soil mixtures. Thats because they have got a lot of it. Colorado bonsaists can obtain all the decomposed granite they want from the sides of their mountains. In Hawaii the primary inert component in a soil mixture is... you guessed
All components of a good bonsai mix must be screened through several grades of mesh to eliminate both fine dust and large particles .
Two examples of hardened clay products. At left: Turface and on right: Japanese Akadama.
bonsai. They are virtually unobtainable in the west except from a retail bonsai dealer. There are several different grades and sizes of these clays.. Some have been fired until they are rock hard like the turface described below. Other grades are simply small pellets of clay that will break down when they become wet. In either case the particles will absorb water and nutrient and release it back to the plant gradually. Purists in the art of bonsai will tell you that growing trees in kanuma and akadama is the only way to go and that if you are not using this product, you are not really doing right by your trees. While certain types of trees like to have a little clay included in the soil mixture (notably wisteria and azalea), The rush to include akadama and kanuma in western potting mixtures is somewhat of a fad. Its popularity is based on the belief among many western practitioners that if it comes from Japan it has got to be better than anything available in the west, i.e., Japanese bonsai are very beautiful. Therefore Japanese soil ingredients must be the answer to growing beautiful trees. The inclusion of minor amounts of Japanese clays in a working bonsai mixture may improve and will certainly
not impair the mixtures usefulness, but its overall benefit is a matter of debate. In any case, the importation of pelletized clay from half way around the world as the primary ingredient for a soil mix will quickly prove to be a very costly business. If you have a lot of trees, you may want to consider less expensive domestic materials. Turface Turface looks a lot like akadama, but is not. This product is used for the aeration of grass on golf courses and baseball diamonds. Turface is usually only available in fifty pound bags, from turf supply and lawn maintenance companies and generally not available at local garden stores. Essentially it is clay that has been heated in a fire until it becomes hard and will not break down and turn into mud with prolonged exposure to water. If you were to take a terra cotta pot and crush it up, you would have essentially the same thing. Each particle is full of tiny holes which absorb water and release it back to the plant slowly. Its pH is relatively neutral. Proper sifting of a 50 pound bag will net you about 25 pounds of usable material for bonsai. You can use the rest to aerate your garden.
Two examples of non-porous aggregate. River rock and fragmented granite (Poultry grit).
Three examples of expanded (porous) aggregrate. Left: Haydite, Center: Lava Rock, Right: Permatil
Lava rock (left) is an excellent example of porous aggregate which contains holes that absorb and release moisture to the plant. River rock (right) is a non-porous aggregate and does not absorb moisture.
Although turface is the term generally used to describe fired clay, it is, in fact, a brand name. Other manufactures market similar products under the names such as Soilmaster or Terragreen. There may be others. Note, however, certain brands of cat litter and oil absorbent products on the market contain fired clay as their prime ingredient. You should be extremely cautious about using such products because they often contain chemical additives which would be detrimental when used in a soil mix.
Lava Rock Yet another expanded stone product is lava rock. This is usually available in garden centers and is red in color. Bonsai people are fond of using lava rock as a finishing dressing on the surface of the pot, but it can also make an excellent primary aggregate component for any mix. Like expanded shale and slate, lava rock is full of tiny holes which absorb water and then release it back to the plant slowly. Unlike expanded shale and slate, it was the volcano gods who did the expanding and not man.
Expanded Aggregates
Haydite Haydite is another brand name and is the rock equivalent of turface. Similar products may be found marketed under names such as permatil and staylite. They come in different colors (brown or gray usually) depending upon where it was made and what kind of stone was used. Historically, expanded rock is the primary ingredient used in the manufacture of concrete blocks to make them lighter. Only in recent years has this products value as a soil amendment been discovered. Haydite, which is brown in color is expanded shale. Permatil is grey and made from slate. The term expanded means it has been heated to over 2000 degrees which causes these two types of porous rock to become even more porous. Like the turface it is full of tiny holes which absorb water and release it back to the plant. Some research even indicates haydite releases water more readily than does the turface and is less inclined to accumulate salts from watering. Depending upon where it comes from, expanded rock may be slightly pH acidic. This can be easily corrected by adding a little horticultural lime to the soil mix.
Non-Porous Aggregates
Poultry Grit Weve used this substance for years and swear by it. You can purchase it by the bag from your local feed or farm supply store already separated into the correct grades. Poultry grit is composed of fragments of crushed granite which farmers feed to their chickens to help them grind up corn. (As it turns out, chickens have no teeth). The particle size in any given bag will vary depending upon whether it is intended for baby chicks or full grown turkeys. Unlike clay or expanded rock, crushed granite is dense
Commercial bonsai dealers often offer a variety of pre-screened and pre-mixed soils and soil components for use in transplanting bonsai.
Organically Speaking
There are some bonsai growers who believe a good bonsai soil mix need not contain any organic ingredients whatsoever. They maintain that drainage and aeration are the two single most important aspects of a good bonsai mix and that you, as the grower, have the responsibility for supplying all the nutrients and moisture your bonsai may require. This is absolutely true, but it sounds a little too much like hydroponics for most people. Although there is some merit to the argument, the preference among most bonsai growers is to include something in the finished soil mixture which, at least, looks a little like dirt. The organic component in an average soil mix is usually about 20 to 30 percent of the total volume. This organic will decompose gradually and in so doing, release nutrient for the trees use. In addition, it will retain a bit more moisture than the inert components and will also absorb more fertilizer. The exact nature of the organic component used is largely up to the grower. One of the most popular is pine bark because it is inexpensive and easily obtainable in fifty pound bags from local garden centers. One bag yields about 25 pounds of usable material after it has been passed through three sets of screens. Some people use oak leaf mulch, some garden soil, old compost, or even decomposed sawdust. The list can get quite long. Remember that the organic component is simply a vehicle for dispersing nutrient and moisture and that it should be pH neutral. You should also avoid using anything that might be too hot (too much nutrient) for tender young roots, such as cow manure or fresh compost.
Pine bark is a good organic component to include in a bonsai soil mix. In this case the bark has been passed through three sets of screens to yield particles suitable for standard potting needs (on the right) and shohin potting
and solid. It absorbs no water, is completely inert, neutral in pH and has sharp edges on each particle which cause fine feeder roots to split and divide when they hit them. A word of caution. Make sure the chicken grit you are buying is granite. We have found certain brands that are composed totally of crushed sea shells, which might be fine for the chickens, but would be highly pH basic and disastrous in a bonsai soil. We have also seen chicken grit manufactured from pink granite with white flecks. It works fine mechanically, but like perlite, is not aesthetically pleasing on the surface of a pot. If you cant find poultry grit, check with your local stone quarry. You may be able to buy the same product, but will have to sift it through several screens to obtain the necessary particle sizes. Construction Gravel This is the substance most often included in a good bonsai soil mix. It is basically river rock and is the ingredient usually mixed with cement to make concrete. You can find it down by the riverside; or at your local construction site; or at the local concrete manufacturer; or in bags from building supply centers. (If you purchase it by the bag make sure it is all rock and not a rock/cement mix which would only compound drainage problems the first time you watered.) Seriously,... river rock, a.k.a. - construction gravel, is one of the best products you can include in your soil mixture. It is non absorbent, dense, inert, pH neutral and readily available in most areas. Dont get it confused with the childrens play sand and the blasting sand also available in home centers.
Amendments such as activated charcoal, horticultural lime and peat moss may be used to adjust pH or other qualities of a soil mix.
A Couple Of Tips
Moss - Decorative ground covers such a moss can add a great deal to a bonsais appearance. They can also be dangerous. Dry moss will actually shed water away from the plant. If you use moss on your bonsai make sure that the moss does not cover the entire surface of the pot and that you are always able to inspect the moisture condition of the soil. There is a Japanese rule which says moss may be permitted to touch only three sides of the container. If followed it means that you will always be able to inspect the condition of your soil easily.
Old Soils - Try to insure that as much of the old soil as possible is removed when transplanting. Incompatible soil mixtures can cause problems in maintaining adequate moisture levels and fool you into thinking the soil is completely saturated when it is not. The success of a good soil mix can be severely impaired if it is not uniform throughout the pot. If the old soil mass holds onto more moisture than the new soil mix it may remain too wet and a condition of root rot will set in. Likewise, if the center of the root ball is hard pack clay it may resist absorption of water and roots will not grow. Such problems are usually only encountered with plants collected in the wild. Trees that have been grown in a proper bonsai soil mixture for a number of years normally release most of their old soil particles upon transplant making the job of soil replacement much easier. This is another advantage of growing trees in a properly prepared bonsai mixture.
Standard Bonsai Mix - Components should be passed through two sets of screens to produce particles of about 1/4 to 1/8 inch in diameter. Eliminate dust. Haydite - 1 part Granite or River Rock - 1 part Turface - 1 part Pine Bark - 1 part
Shohin & Mame Bonsai Mix - Components should be passed through three sets of screens to produce particles of 1/8 inch to 1/16 inch. Eliminate dust. Haydite - 2 parts Turface - 1 part
NOTE: This article and images it contains were written and photographed by Randy Clark, resident bonsai artist at the Bonsai Learning Center in Charlotte, NC. They are intended for private use only. Reproduction of this material for commercial purposes is strictly prohibited without the written consent of the author.