What's your Pre-Bonsai Soil & Pot set up?

[chuckwc1]

Have a number of tropical and deciduous tree that are in need of a repot this spring and further growth before settling down into a bonsai pot. I’m still quite the beginner, but thought I could learn from everyone’s different setups. Read some older posts related to this, and learned a lot from all the different approaches.

Right now I’m thinking Pond Baskets, with a 50-50 mix of potting soil and perlite. I could also use the classic pumice-bark-lava soil for the trees that prefer being on the dry side. What do you use when your tree isn’t yet in the refinement stage?

 

[John P.]

Sifted pumice, orchid seedling mix, or a mix of the two.

 

[chuckwc1]

Sifted pumice, orchid seedling mix, or a mix of the two.

What's your thought process on which trees get the pumice or the orchid mix?

 

[jaycraig]

i’m currently looking for similar answers also i have 2 young shimpaku, a satsuki azalea and a chinese elm that i’d like to all repot in a 1 gallon training pot but not sure of the soil mixture

 

[Eckhoffw]

A nice open mix of what I have available.
usually around 50% Napa 8822, or / and calcined clay.
lava or/and pumice. about 30% All sifted to around 5mm.
Pine bark and maybe some compost. around 20%
The mix ratios and additives are dependent on needs though.

 

[HankDio]

Turface, 1 part peat, and a little bit of chicken grit for structure and weight. If I could find something cheaper, locally, that works better I'd use that. I also don't like oil-dry/DE because I'm paranoid the dust is carcinogenic.

 

[Kanorin]

Have a number of tropical and deciduous tree that are in need of a repot this spring and further growth before settling down into a bonsai pot. I’m still quite the beginner, but thought I could learn from everyone’s different setups. Read some older posts related to this, and learned a lot from all the different approaches.

Right now I’m thinking Pond Baskets, with a 50-50 mix of potting soil and perlite. I could also use the classic pumice-bark-lava soil for the trees that prefer being on the dry side. What do you use when your tree isn’t yet in the refinement stage?

Most potting soils that I have tried are too water-retentive for trees in pots. If you sift the potting soil - it can work OK for some species...in fairly tall well draining pots, but you can do much better. The mix you describe would probably be fine for pond baskets that you have in the ground, though (because the water column of the soil will help pull down excess water).

I see you are in St. Louis! Pumice is pretty cheap here at the hydroponics shops. Perlite is fine too.
The mix @Eckhoffw recommends looks pretty good. I haven't tried Napa 8822, but I'll probably give some a try this year with some saplings
Most of my young deciduous stuff growing out is in about 80% Pumice, 20% Pine bark.

 

[John P.]

What's your thought process on which trees get the pumice or the orchid mix?

I tend to use pumice only on more drought-tolerant plants, and a little bark on those that like more moisture. I also base the decision on how much soil volume there is in the pot, and how regularly the plant will be watered.

 

[chuckwc1]

Most potting soils that I have tried are too water-retentive for trees in pots. If you sift the potting soil - it can work OK for some species...in fairly tall well draining pots, but you can do much better. The mix you describe would probably be fine for pond baskets that you have in the ground, though (because the water column of the soil will help pull down excess water).

I see you are in St. Louis! Pumice is pretty cheap here at the hydroponics shops. Perlite is fine too.
The mix @Eckhoffw recommends looks pretty good. I haven't tried Napa 8822, but I'll probably give some a try this year with some saplings
Most of my young deciduous stuff growing out is in about 80% Pumice, 20% Pine bark.

All hydroponics shops, or is there one in particular? I have some pumice that I got from Timberwinds nursery, but it was relatively expensive. I think it was Japanese imported or some-such, and seemed to be a lot more 'fancy' than what I need.

 

[BrianBay9]

I use mostly pumice, often reused (sterilized and washed) in pond baskets. Both are available at most hydroponics shops. This kind of mix requires more frequent watering and weekly fertilization during the growing season.

 

[dbonsaiw]

I am relatively new to bonsai myself. There are few definitive answers in bonsai, but in my limited experience I would strongly advise against using potting soil. It stays too wet for too long and only causes problems. There will always be a water table at the bottom of your pot that is sopping wet. That's about as definitive an answer one can get in bonsai. After that, it's a whole lot of "it depends", especially when it comes to soil. There are as many soil recipes as there are bonsai practitioners. And everyone will tell you the other guy's method will kill your tree. Try to keep things simple and use mostly suitable inorganic material that is available. Add organic material as needed depending on your tree and to suit your climate and watering.

 

[Shogun610]

Colanders and training pots with drainage and wire holes.. but also have wooden grow boxes and Anderson flats . Went hard on the clay pots kinda like Scarface with cocaine on the table …. Depends what my goal is But mostly use 60% pumice , 20 % pine bark and 20% of whatever like peat/ perlite / leftover akadama or lava (kitchen sink) , older recycled substrate mixes.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

1:1:1 8822, Perlite, Pine Bark sifted to eliminate fines. Trees go in spare plastic pots for deciduous, and terracotta for conifers or trees that like it drier. Larger specimens or trees that I am looking to get bigger growth on in wooden grow boxes made from pallet wood for free.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Double posf

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Potting soil, coco coir, bark, bonsai mixes, perlite, peat, sphagnum.. Whatever I believe works best for the specimen at hand.

 

[Shibui]

So much depends on how you water, the conditions at your place, temperatures, climate, the species and so many more factors. There is never going to be one definitive answer to such a question.
In general:
. Type of potting soil less critical when using larger and deeper pots.
. You can modify your care and culture to suit almost any potting soil and still grow good trees.
. Using the potting soil you will use in final bonsai pots saves raking out and replacing previous soils when moving to the final shallower bonsai pot.

 

[sorce]

Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce

 

[jonf]

For pre-bonsai conifers, I personally use around 80% percent perlite and 20% pine bark. deciduous about 50/50. I have too many plants so I use cheap training pots off amazon with lots of drainage holes on the bottom, but I also have 4 pond baskets for my favorite stuff.

 

[dbonsaiw]

I get my maples set up in wooden grow boxes of about 14" square or bigger and 3.5" tall - long and short. 40% calcined clay, 40% pumice and 20% pine bark, all 1/4". I'll add sphagnum moss to that in smallish amounts.

While I've only had problems with potting soil, Shibui is spot on - So much depends on how you water, the conditions at your place, temperatures, climate, the species and so many more factors. Soil mixtures is a rabbit hole that has no end in sight. I try to stick to concepts and work from there, rather than rely on any specific recipe. Drainage and aeration are the key factors, but you can't have 100% of the water drain or the tree will dry out, so water retention is important as well. So long as your soil doesn't remain a muddy mess and also doesn't dry out in your climate, and based on your watering abilities, you should be fine.

 

[Underdog]

8822 and lava sifted and bark added to some.
@HankDio I've rinsed with water thru a colander then spread out on a table in the sun to dry to avoid the dust. More time consuming but it works even better than sifting dry.