What Is Bonsai Soil

When one grows a bonsai plant often a miniature tree in a very small container or bonsai pots home depot it becomes critical that the soil the plant is growing in meets its needs for water and nutrition. Soil for bonsai has to meet three different criteria. The irony in the term bonsai soil is that there isn t really any soil in most bonsai soil mixes.

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Organic potting compost akadama pumice and lava rock.

What is bonsai soil. The following tips focus on how to make bonsai soil at home. This type of mix provides an environment where the tree can more easily grow feeder roots that it needs to thrive. In addition the ingredients allow the roots to breathe air and prevent compaction. They are designed to provide an ideal environment for root growth.

The soil must itself contribute only limited nutrients to the plant to allow the bonsai artist to control the application when quantity and type of nutrients that the tree will receive. Soil components the most common components for bonsai soil mixtures are akadama pumice lava rock organic potting compost and fine gravel grit. Soil used in bonsai is a very widely debated issue due to every hobbyist having their own recipe mix for their soil. Akadama is hard baked japanese clay specifically produced for bonsai purposes and available at all online bonsai shops.

What is bonsai soil made up of. Bonsai soil is not your everyday garden or house plant soil. Ordinary soils are generally not good for a bonsai plant s health. Organic substances come from living things such as bark sawdust peat animal manure compost.

From left to right. The ingredients for bonsai soil must be large enough to allow for air pockets to provide oxygen to the roots and to microbacteria. There is no soil in bonsai soil the term soil is really somewhat of a misnomer. Generally bonsai soil include two main components.

A simple trick is to understand the basic requirements water air and nutrients of the bonsai plant which otherwise is a shrub or tree. Organic and inorganic substances mixed in a certain ratio. Therefore the gist is a soil works fine as long as it provides excellent aeration and drainage. One person s soil composition for tropical trees may be too light or too heavy for a different hobbyist s tree.

Can i use regular garden soil. As these organic materials decompose they release the nutrients necessary for trees growth. It must allow for good water retention drainage and aeration. Instead a mix of substrates like crushed lava rock are used which more closely resembles gravel than soil.

The components normally used to create a good potting mixture are in fact soilless. There are two basic types of bonsai soil a conifer mix and a tropical sub tropical mix. Bonsai soil is a mixture of ingredients which allows the water to drain freely and at the same time retain moisture. It is a fact that clayey soil retains water while volcanic lava allows quick drainage.

The soil must be able to hold and retain sufficient moisture yet water must be able to drain immediately from the pot.