soil mix

Presently writing a bonsai media presentation. Thus I’m requesting some ground truth information on the main media mixes folks actually use. This data will be aggregated by geo area if enough comments come in. This data will lend some reality to the presentation. No names will be mentioned...

Could it be minerals from the water I’m using I am using bottled water to water my plants. I don’t know if that makes a difference but it’s forming little white balls in the soil on all of my plants. Any tips or advice? And I do not know what the one with the flowers is called if anyone does...

I usually use Bonsai Jack inorganic or organic mix on my trees, depending on the tree. Recently I got into succulents/cacti and have an extra bag of their succulent mix. I was just curious if anyone is using or has used their succulent mix for their trees. I could see some trees benefiting from...

I was trying to look for some organic soils I can use because I don't want to buy Akadama as it is too expensive in my area and it apparently doesn't last long especially with my local climate. I would also like to use the same organic soils for both my trees and other plants I am propagating...

Just curious what others use their sifted fines for? I was thinking maybe for cuttings or mixing in with my cacti/succulent mix. I got an overfilled 5gal bucket I need to free up. All of it is APL.

New to Bonsai and trying to come up with a good alternative to Akadama as it is expensive to get it here in my Nordic country. I have also heard it breaks down really fast in the cold weather. I am currently growing conifers and have read that a 1:1:1 soil mix of Pumice, Lava Rock and Akadama...

I've got two Bloodgood Maple air layerings out in my front yard that I've started a month ago. Still no roots but the sphagnum moss inside the air layer pods is still moist and just needs time. I know its gonna take at least another month or more for good roots to develop and I'll definitely...

It's getting closer to that repotting time and I think a big issue I had in my first year was not filtering out and going with set particle sizes for my substrate mixes. I learned this to be a big noob mistake as all the smaller particle substrate moves to the bottom as you water and you end up...

Hi all, I purchased three 1-gallon trees from Evergreen Gardenworks. 1 trident maple and 2 elms. Following Brent's advice, I would now like to move them from the 1 gallon containers to larger grow boxes. Does anyone have recommendations on a pre-mixed soil that is good but also affordable...

I'm trying to come up with a baseline soil mix at an economic price, using locally sourced products. After lots of searching, these are the products U've been able to source: -a product called SafeTSorb, which is Turfice, -Lava Rock that is used for charcoal BBQ's (which I have to manually...

Hi all, I live in the UK, with relatively restricted access to exotic soil components, particularly pumice. We have plenty of wet weather and cold winters, but also lots of moderately hot days scattered throughout the year. What do you guys think of this for the temperate UK climate? I only...

So I made the mistake repotting my yew in a mix I'm not sure was best. Now I don't know if I should repot in a better mix or wait till next year. I put him in a 33% Akadama, 33% Lava, 20% Pine Bark, 10-15%~ Peat Moss. I should not have added any peat moss and now worried it won't allow for...

So I just picked up a nice red azalea at Lowes for $10 and gonna try and bonsai him. This is my first azalea and I've heard they prefer more acidic soil. I've read a Kanuma mix is good for them. I have Akadama, Pine Bark, Lava Rock, and Perilite. Will any or a specific mix of these work for the...

I’m new to bonsai and have heard that having a good granular water retaining draining soil for bonsai is almost essential. I currently have an orange jessamine and a Chinese juniper and am planing to grow more plants of the latter and also a few ficuses. The only available soils/mediums...

I found a weeping redbud (I assume, it wasn’t tagged or labeled) and am asking for insight on it. The 4+ feet tall leader had already died back when I purchased the tree, and I snapped some of it off by hand. When Is it ok to transplant from nursery pot into slightly smaller pot (not ready to...

Tried to find this topic, but couldn’t find an answer. If this has been discussed (which I bet it has) then I apologize. Where do you guys buy your soil components? At first I bought those expensive “bonsai soil” packs, but the more trees I get or make the more I look for cheaper options. I‘ve...

Location: Central Pennsylvania I should start by saying I'm completely new to bonsai... so, there was a small boxwood shrub in my grandparents garden, and I've been REALLY wanting to get into bonsai for like, years now, and I overheard the gardener talking about how the other small boxwoods...

A member in the local bonsai club had a beautiful blueberry tree and I wanted to try one out. luckily I found them at Home Depotso I picked up 2. They are each different variety but a blueberry none the less. So I decided to do a test with two different types of soil, cheap vs not so cheap...

Hi! I live in Memphis, TN (8a hardiness zone) and am looking to purchase a bonsai or pre-bonsai to work on while I wait for my Delonix seedling to grow. I am completely new at this as I have never cultivated a bonsai before, so I am looking for recommmendations for a good beginner bonsai or...

Hi all, I have a question that I cant seem to find an answer to online or in my books. I live in zone 6b and I am just getting into conifers. I currently have a small white pine and a cypress. Im not trying to bind them yet or anything. I just want them to be happy and healthy for a year or...

I have posted about this maple this week. I collected it from the woods. I want to know peoples suggestions for soil once it stabilizes enough to be repotted. I don't know the specific species. I believe it is Acer Rubrum the Red Maple. Others have suggested the "Freeman" Maple hybrid and the...

I've been trying a mix of Brazilian akadama (Qualitá), wich has acidic PH (5.7) and some cat litter (Diatomaceous Earth-DE), which is alkaline, averages 8ph,+ or -2 in my soil mix. So the result is neutral PH. For azaleas, I add pinus bark and less DE; for the others, crushed fired brick. All...

Dear people! Since I've yet to encounter complete information on all kinds of bonsai soils, I've decided to make a datasheet with as much information about soils as possible. It's a bit of a mess for now, but if you would like to contribute; please send me an email! For now, you can place...

About a year ago my children and I planted apple seeds from the apple we ate. No idea what kind. One has grown great, the other is stunted and the roots are showing on the surface. I think it will be a great bonsai. I need to know what soil mix would be best. Thanks to any and all.

Here is the second resource developed from the thread "Introductory Soil Physics". It is a document explaining how the important physical properties in soil and substrates combine to control the amount of air and water in the pore space of soils. It discusses what a drainage layer does and how...