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IndorBonsai
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Posts: 268
Joined: Sat May 02, 2009 5:15 pm
Location: Seattle area WA

A guide for Making Bonsai soil. with pictures :)

There Is several different ways to make Bonsai soil. This Is just a example of ingredients that can be used. I took photos of this batch I made today to try and help beginners out with Bonsai soil and how easy it is to make your own.

Here is the ingredients I used today for this batch of Bonsai soil.
( CLICK THE PICTURES THEY GET BIGGER )
[url=https://img20.imageshack.us/my.php?image=soil1h.jpg][img]https://img20.imageshack.us/img20/883/soil1h.jpg[/img][/url]
This Cactus Mix is high organic and mostly neutral PH.

[url=https://img29.imageshack.us/my.php?image=soil2.jpg][img]https://img29.imageshack.us/img29/4015/soil2.jpg[/img][/url]
Basically small sized Lava rock. I use Lava rock pumice because it has a little weight to it, and is less likely to wash away when watering your Bonsai.

[url=https://img38.imageshack.us/my.php?image=soil3.jpg][img]https://img38.imageshack.us/img38/3724/soil3.jpg[/img][/url]
This is Fir tree Bark. High PH ( acidic ) Bark is good to use as a organic material in your soil. It soaks up moisture and holds it over a period of time. This helps keep your soil from drying out to quickly.

[url=https://img39.imageshack.us/my.php?image=soil4.jpg][img]https://img39.imageshack.us/img39/3996/soil4.jpg[/img][/url]
This is the first time I have tried Charcoal in my soil mix. I am not sure what it will do. I know it will help with drainage and wont hurt anything so I thought I would add some and see what happens.

[url=https://img40.imageshack.us/my.php?image=soil5.jpg][img]https://img40.imageshack.us/img40/1912/soil5.jpg[/img][/url]
This is larger sized Lava Rock. Used to improve drainage of the soil.

[url=https://img41.imageshack.us/my.php?image=soil6.jpg][img]https://img41.imageshack.us/img41/1507/soil6.jpg[/img][/url]
This is a picture of my soil sifting screen. The quarter and penny are there so you have a idea of the screen size.

Ok that was a list of what you need. You can use any kind of ingredients you think will work. Basically you just want a good draining soil when your done. Here is how I make my soil.

Sift all your ingredients over a screen. This gives you larger particle size that helps the soil drain.
[url=https://img529.imageshack.us/my.php?image=soil7.jpg][img]https://img529.imageshack.us/img529/8966/soil7.jpg[/img][/url]

The smaller particles fall through the screen. The bark and a few other ingredients you will have to pick particles that are to big out by hand.
[url=https://img8.imageshack.us/my.php?image=soil8.jpg][img]https://img8.imageshack.us/img8/3342/soil8.jpg[/img][/url]

What is left on the top of the screen is what I want to keep. I sift a couple of small hand held shovels full at a time. Then I dump what I want to keep in another container where I mix it by hand with the other ingredients.
[url=https://img14.imageshack.us/my.php?image=soil9.jpg][img]https://img14.imageshack.us/img14/6676/soil9.jpg[/img][/url]

This is what it looks like when it is done and all mixed together.
[url=https://img20.imageshack.us/my.php?image=soil10.jpg][img]https://img20.imageshack.us/img20/5933/soil10.jpg[/img][/url]

Directions for this mix.
I used a small hand held shovel for measuring ( it is in one of the previous pictures)

8 shovels of cactus mix
10 shovels of bark
1 bag lava pumice ( 4 quarts- or 4.4 liters )
3 shovels charcoal
3 shovels larger ( red ) lava rock

I will be using this mix for my larger sized trees out doors. For smaller trees I would leave out the larger (red) lava rock.

Don't forget the stuff that fell through the sifter screen, it can be used for some Tropical Bonsai or starter plants.
[url=https://img29.imageshack.us/my.php?image=soil11.jpg][img]https://img29.imageshack.us/img29/1161/soil11.jpg[/img][/url]

Hope this is helpful.
Any suggestions or comments?
Please share your ideas or recipes for bonsai soil. I always like trying new things.

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Gnome
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Posts: 5122
Joined: Wed Jul 05, 2006 12:17 am
Location: Western PA USDA Zone 6A

Jason,

Thanks for the pictorial. You must have a pretty good garden center in your area, I have never seen some of those products locally. I can't get the Pumice or the small Lava Rock. And I have never seen Horticultural Charcoal, although I do have some that I think was intended for some sort of filter bed.

I think you'll prefer this mix for outdoor trees over the straight moss you use indoors. In your climate I would not think you need such a highly water retentive medium as moss outside. In fact I would think it would be the just the opposite, trying to keep things from staying too wet.

I'm curious about something though; since you are incorporating your own bark and inorganic ingredients what do you feel the Cactus mix provides that your other components do not? It seems that perhaps you could eliminate the Cactus mix and end up with a similar result.

Norm

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IndorBonsai
Senior Member
Posts: 268
Joined: Sat May 02, 2009 5:15 pm
Location: Seattle area WA

Yes after screening the cactus mix there wasn't much left, so it is not necessary in the soil mix. I was hoping that the cactus mix would have more bark in it.

I use this mix on almost all my outdoor plants and trees, When it is rainy the excess water runs straight through it. And when it is hot and sunny out this mix seems to hold its moisture all day long, I check the soil every night and water when necessary.

I bought these ingredients from a store called FredMeyer ( kinda like a wall mart ) but you should be able to find similar products from other stores.

Haesuse
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Posts: 168
Joined: Sun May 03, 2009 9:18 pm
Location: Birmingham-AL, USA

1 note: you could eliminate all need to hand pick bigger pieces from the pile, if you had 2 screens. sift everything through a 6mm screen, then through a 4mm screen. what remains in the middle is what you want...

thegildedswamp
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Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Jan 29, 2015 9:32 am

thank you for a simple and great recipe for bonsai soil mix. I like the scoop measuring system and pictures all the other ones I looked at were getting way to technical. Thanks again! Thegildedswamp



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