Sym
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Posts: 26
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2013 1:46 am
Location: Mississippi

Bonsai Soil...

I have some general questions about Bonsai soil
Over the last couple of years or so I have I have collected and experimented with all type of potential bonsai material and most have died.. luckily most plants were collected near the house or while strolling through the woods.
One of the biggest of my adventures was when I collected about 10 small red cedar trees.. of course I didn't know any better then but I figured that since the trees were already growing in this soil that I should be okay by using this same soil in potting them. Horrible assumption. But I caught one before it got too far gone and I used a mixture of oil spill gravel and potting soil (the commercial bonsai soils are not in the budget) and he made it through a couple of winters. Of course I feed every now and then.. Needless to say I am learning what works for different plants.
But the questions is.. what are the major properties of bonsai soil that makes it work?? Is it the mineral content or the course texture??

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Gnome
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Joined: Wed Jul 05, 2006 12:17 am
Location: Western PA USDA Zone 6A

Sym,

Start here:

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/vi ... =36&t=3422

Make sure to follow the links too.

Norm

tomc
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Location: SE-OH USA Zone 6-A

Sym wrote: But the questions is.. what are the major properties of bonsai soil that makes it work?? Is it the mineral content or the course texture??
Its how much air bonsai soil keeps.

The less stress a tree undergoes in the summer, the more air the soil needs to retain. My trees in NH were in soil of one part granite grit, and one part pine bark mulch with a sprinkle of oystershell and finished compost (and some osmocoat pellets for fertilizer).

Here in Ohio that finished compost (or peat) is more like a quart to one gallon scoops of granite and bark mulch

In the deep south that might bump up to a second quart of organic fine.

if you lived in the tropics you might actually build soil in thirds (one part each) granite, bark mulch, peat-sphagnum-coconut coir.

Soil is still going to look like a bag of gravel with something added.

A tree in a garden setting has thousands of gallons of soil to supply it with the air it needs. In a pot not so much, so we have to make unnaturally quick draining soil.

If you have the way to water more than once daily in the summer, you could forgo the bark mulch altogether. But I don't recommend it unless you are very fleet of foot and have nothing else to do June to September.

I have not had success with akadama or "high fired" clay products. Your south of me and the water such soil holds, might work for you.

If you read about bonsai on the internet probably half of the people who reply will also tell you to use a chopstick as a tester of soil dampness. Its not a luxury, buy a bag of cheap disposable sticks. you will wear them out testing soil or as a prod.

If you were growing farkleberry or azalea you might also acidify your soil with sulfur.

Sym
Full Member
Posts: 26
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2013 1:46 am
Location: Mississippi

thanks for the information guys..
This has been very informative.. it seems that the only thing consistent with previously researched information is that plants need soil.. duh.. do think I stumbled up on an equivalent mix of the the 1/3 organic to 2/3 inorganic; as this is pretty much what is working now..
works good with the weather and elements.. Mississippi weather can be brutal.



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