What Is In Bonsai Soil

What is bonsai soil made up of.

What is in bonsai soil. As the terms indicate organic soil particles include bark peat leaf litter and plant parts. Organic substances come from living things such as bark sawdust peat animal manure compost. Whereas inorganic oil comprises pumice volcanic soil sold as kanuma fired clay soil and granular clay sold as akadama and turface. This soilless mix is designed to provide trees with fast drainage good aeration and high water retention.

Akadama is a hard baked japanese clay that is available online. Instead a mix of substrates like crushed lava rock are used which more closely resembles gravel than soil. Ideal bonsai soil should be ph neutral neither acidic nor basic. It might shock you but there is no soil in a good bonsai soil mix.

The best suggestion is to use materials that are available in the local area. Some people will even mention that bonsai soil is not even soil at all as it can contain no soil in the traditional sense. A good general bonsai mixture should be composed of about 75 per cent inert aggregate and 25 per cent organic materials. Organic potting compost akadama pumice and lava rock.

Akadama is hard baked japanese clay specifically produced for bonsai purposes and available at all online bonsai shops. From left to right. Generally bonsai soil include two main components. What aggregate and what organic material becomes a matter of personal choice and often considerable debate between bonsai people.

Bonsai soil is a mixture of ingredients which allows the water to drain freely and at the same time retain moisture. Therefore the gist is a soil works fine as long as it provides excellent aeration and drainage. Many people will prefer to call their bonsai substrate mixes to back away from actually calling it soil to mitigate confusion. 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.

Organic and inorganic substances mixed in a certain ratio. The most common components for bonsai soil mixtures are akadama pumice lava rock organic potting compost and fine gravel grit. As these organic materials decompose they release the nutrients necessary for trees growth. The common ingredients in bonsai soil are akadama pumice lava rock organic potting compost and fine gravel.

The irony in the term bonsai soil is that there isn t really any soil in most bonsai soil mixes. A ph between 6 5 7 5 is ideal. This type of mix provides an environment where the tree can more easily grow feeder roots that it needs to thrive. The ingredients for bonsai soil must be large enough to allow for air pockets to provide oxygen to the roots and to microbacteria.

It needs to be sifted before use. Most of the bonsai masters use soil mix that consists of fired clay river rock and some organic component like pine bark.