My Bonsai Soil Recipe

I explain one of the benefits of using a bonsai substrate, as opposed to potting soil, and share my soil recipe (one part pumice, one part fine bark, one part calcined clay).

[@DavesBonsai]

If it’s working for you, that’s all that matters. Looks good! Keep up the great work.

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Thanks! Yes, it's indeed working much better than regular potting soil for me - there's much less guesswork involved in determining whether a plant needs a watering or not.

[@Vince-ml9gw]

Dude. That’s awesome. I had no idea about this. I figured that one would use a nutrient dense potting soil. Just starting this path of Bonsai.This was a very enlightening video. Thanks.

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

I'm glad you found the video helpful, very gratifying for me. My way is definitely not the only way. Some people do likely grow successfully in denser, more organic soils; I've heard that for trees in development (growing trees strongly to increase trunk size), an organic mix might be better. But to my understanding, most bonsai professionals and amateaurs like me use more open, less organic (many use no organic substrate components) soil mixes with larger particle sizes, like the mix that I describe here. It certainly works better for me than potting soil. Best of luck to you starting out!

[@bonsaisn]

Chào bạn tôi rất may mắn khi được xem video này, cảm ơn bạn chia sẽ chúc bạn thật nhiều may mắn trong cuộc sống ❤❤❤❤❤

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Thank you!

[@acer_p_bonsai]

Hey! Always happy to find another maple fanatic! Great video!! Looking forward to being back on the west coast in a few years where the pumice is plentiful!! 👏🏽 🪴 🍁

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Thanks for the message. I recently discovered your channel - love your content, so much information. Are you taking your trees with you when you relocate?

[@acer_p_bonsai]

@@BonsaiNorthwest yessir. It’s going to be a full scale operation 😆 I’ve already started major air layers on some of my mother trees, so I’ll be able to pot them and fit them into a moving truck. 🚐 🪴 💨

[@backbudbonsai]

Solid video. 👍

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Thank you!

[@dalewilson4233]

Terface can be had at almost any sports field supply store. ie; baseball, football field, turf supply stores. And nothing beats akadama, pumice, lava rock, at least for refined trees. Good reason the pros use it !!

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

I've looked around a bit for local turface but no luck (I'm in a somewhat rural location). If I do find it, I won't have to buy my calcined clay online anymore. Definitely - akadama, pumice and lava rock seems to be THE soil mix, used by many. The only downside for me is that I have no local source for akadama or lava rock. If I ever do find a cheap source for those, I'd throw them into my substrate mix as well. I put bark in my mix partly for the hot dry months of July and August. It gives me a little piece of mind that some soggy bark might save my trees from drying out.

[@mikec3820]

im making my own my media for 10years. its changed over the years a bit. but now i use equal parts turface. pro mix(or other brand similar). perlite. pine bark mulch. and sometimes sand or vermiculite. wish i had access to a decent priced pumice. its not soldhere in the north east us

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Sounds like a nice mix - I imagine there could be some advantage to having a variety of materials in a substrate mix, kind of like diversification in an investment portfolio. Not that simple mixes can't work well. I indeed feel blessed to have access to cheap pumice here in the NW US.

[@nathantyler5675]

I'm also in the PNW and started collecting yamadori conifers (Red Cedar, Spruce, Fir, Pines, etc...) last year. I use a 25% Calcined Clay, 25% pumice, 25% small Lava rock & 25% refined Peat and this mix provides really good drainage. Such good drainage that when the temp rises to over 75 degree's I water both in the morning and evening thinking that with such good drainage and warmer temps that I wasn't over watering. Some plants are doing well but the majority have started to yellow. I'm now watering just in the morning and the yellowing continues. I'm assuming that I have lost these tree but wonder what you think. Your stuff looks really great. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Thanks for your messages! Your soil mix sounds nice and open, so it should be hard to over water. So I don't know if over watering is causing yellowing needles. It's hard to say what's causing yellowing without knowing all the details. For conifer yamadori (which I haven't done much of but have had some success, so I'm no expert!): 1) I collect during spring 2) I disturb the roots as little as possible, so I don't remove all of the native soil 3) I leave in the shade for awhile, like months, before transitioning to full sun, and 4) I go slow, meaning I wait for the tree to put on strong growth before training. I'm really excited to finally put a Douglas Fir that I collected a few years ago in a bonsai pot next spring. It's finally over collection shock but it took 2-3 years for that to occur. I'm much more familiar with using nursery stock, which has already been accustomed to being in a pot. Yamadori, especially conifers, is hard and not always successful (I've killed a couple western larches that I've collected), so I hope you don't get discouraged if you kill some.

[@mynameisdork4131]

Are there tree types that can't be made into bonsai? What are the best types to start with?

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Thanks for the question. Most every tree species can be made into a bonsai, at least the loosest definition of bonsai, which is basically a plant in a pot. However, some characteristics make for more convincing bonsai, which more strictly defined is a miniaturized version of a large (often made to appear old) tree. Some of these characteristics are 1) small leaves, 2) longevity (so you can train it for many years to achieve that old appearance), and 3) interesting trunk/wood, often through trunk movement, or the capacity to create this movement through wiring or pruning, just to name a few. For beginners, tougher tree species that can tolerate a variety of conditions are nice. Some popular beginner tree species are 1) junipers, 2) ficus, 3) elms, especially Chinese elms, 4) Crassula and Portulacaria, 5) maples, and 6) cotoneaster. Note that these are recommendations are for temperate climates with seasonal change (although Ficus, Crassula, and Portulacaria do very well hotter more tropical climates). For beginners, I'd also recommend growing species that thrive in your climate. For instance, I love larch (a species adapted to colder climates), but I would never try to grow one in Arizona or Florida.

[@mynameisdork4131]

@@BonsaiNorthwest Thank you so much for the detailed response, I've got some research to do but I want to start one of my own 😊

[@backbudbonsai]

@@mynameisdork4131yup, first answer is good. Start with trees/plants that are native to ur area. Then, IMO, either go deciduous, conifer, or fruiting and flowering. In the beginning, it was helpful for me to not have too many species too fast…… each type needs different needs. Then once u gain some confidence and experience, get as many as u can!! But start small and learn as u go.

[@nickrobson2753]

Or have normal soil & don't over water.

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Yep, that's also an option.