To sift or not to sift....

Do you PERSONALLY sift the soil for your prebonsai?

  • ALWAYS

    Votes: 19 35.2%
  • Sometimes

    Votes: 20 37.0%
  • NEVER

    Votes: 15 27.8%

  • Total voters
    54

wvbonsai

Sapling
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Huntington, WV
USDA Zone
7
Hey guys. I just wanted to post this little poll to get some honest feedback. Do you sift your soil for prebonsai (1 gal pots or wooden grow boxes)?
 
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Britanny, France
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I always sift the granular part of my substrate, as it is time consuming, I let my slave do it for me.
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darrellw

Mame
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Vancouver, WA, USA
USDA Zone
8
Yes, I sift. I mostly use recycled substrate for "pre-bonsai" stock (save the soil from repotting of more established trees, sift out the fines).
 

Bonsai Nut

Nuttier than your average Nut
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Charlotte area, North Carolina
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Depends on the tree and the substrate. If I am using Turface, I always sift the granular portions, and hand mix with the organics. If I am using pre-sifted akadama, or similar, I may just mix it right in with organic.
 

monza

Shohin
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Alberta, Canada
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Turface, granite grit and organic I always do and I really need a better system. I've bought and broken three this summer alone. Have not been able to fine a local source for the right size screen to make one. I must say the cement mixer above is a solid idea, I like it. I'm mostly conifers.
 
Last edited:

mrchips1952

Yamadori
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Colorado
Sifting

My collection is 90% conifers. I used 1/3 each of pea gravel, turface and fine mulch. I sift only the mulch to that I get the finest particles the rest is right from the bag. Dave in Colorado:D
 

rockm

Spuds Moyogi
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I stopped sifting soil ingredients long ago. I use relatively uniform largish particles. Sifting can also tend to smash organic ingredients into finer and finer dust...
 

mrchips1952

Yamadori
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I stopped sifting soil ingredients long ago. I use relatively uniform largish particles. Sifting can also tend to smash organic ingredients into finer and finer dust...
It's a very good point you make about sifting and the result is a finer dust which I would think would clog drainage holes, compact and do more damage than good. No more sifting for me.:eek:
 

rockm

Spuds Moyogi
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I guess it depends on what you're using as the organic component. If you're using composted pine bark mulch or (God fobid) peat moss, it is a big problem. If you're using long-fibered sphagnum moss that's been chopped up, or orchid bark, sifting isn't as much of an issue.
 

Dav4

Drop Branch Murphy
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It's a very good point you make about sifting and the result is a finer dust which I would think would clog drainage holes, compact and do more damage than good. No more sifting for me.:eek:

Your collection of yamadori alpine trees, in my opinion, should be planted in an 100% inorganic soil made up of similarly sized particles. I would sift the soil for those trees every time.
 
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