Unlock the Secrets to Crafting the Perfect Bonsai Soil Mix - Expert Tips Revealed!

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How To Make A Good Bonsai Soil Mix - SUBSTRATE TABLE IN DESCRIPTION
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Welcome Back To Bonsai-En
In todays episode Josh runs through some of the important questions you need to ask yourself to help determine the Bonsai Soil Mix you need for your trees. Josh also goes over some useful tips that will help you successfully put your trees in the best mix possible.
When it comes to Bonsai Soils its hard to say any mix is perfect or even correct, but you can try to make the best mix possible for your goals and trees.
Here is a table found from the American Bonsai Society Journal which states the Cation Exchange ( nutrient retention ), PH and Water Retaining Levels of a few substrates, This should help you out a little bit.
Substrate CEC pH Water Retention
Kiryu River sand 11.7 5 low
coarse sand 0 7 low
Perlite 1.5-3.5 6.5-7.9 low
akadama 31.4 6.5-6.9 high
red lava rock (Scoria) 10-30? 6 med
haydite /calcinated clay 15-40 7 med
decomposed granite 1-15 6.5-7 med
pumice 15 7-7.5 low
Kanuma 62 6.4 high
Turface 33 n med
pine bark 53-100 4-5.1 high
charcoal +200 6.7-9.7 low
peat 100-180 3.9-4.9 high
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#bonsaisoil #Bonsai #soilmix

[@howardmckeown7187]

only person on utube who knows what they're talking about when it comes to substrate in different climates, thank you a million times, i like my learning curves vertical, lol, and have learned a huge amount in 1 yr, wish i'd found this and your other video about substrates a year ago, can't thank you enough, ☺☺☺☺

[@BonsaiEn]

NOTE: I have put a table from the American Bonsai Society Journal in the description ( can only be viewed properly.on a computer). This contains a list they put together of common substrates used in Bonsai and some of their ability's in terms of Cation Exchange, pH levels and Water Retention.

[@johnnyking895]

I've just found your channel and am loving it . Simple , straightforward & super informative. Its helping me heeps

[@gusvietnam5086]

Great video Josh! Very detailed information. 👍

[@robhumphreys7952]

Fantastic videos. Really great information in all of them.. Truly an expert in this subject. Thanks a million. Keep them coming.

[@robertobreglia2544]

Thanks so much for this very interesting video! 👍👍👍👏👏👏

[@reeffreak911]

Oh and great video appreciate the info

[@aidendouglas8672]

This video is exactly what I needed

[@SuperPeleke]

That was the most reasonable run down of soil I've heard before.

[@BonsaiEn]

Thank You.

[@1Mutton1]

That's the best explanation Ive heard for soil. As a beginner, it was the thing I struggled with the most. I ended up, and still do, just go middle of the road. A mix of blue metal, pearlite, some scoria when I had it, and ordinary potting mix. Tried kitty litter once but it was the wrong type and it was disastrous. Been wanting acadama for a long time but it's very hard to find except on bonsai nurseries.

[@BonsaiEn]

Yes this video is less about what you should be using but more about how to analyse what you need to happen in your bonsai pot for your goals. i find this will help people more then just telling them to use 1:1:1 akadama, pumice and lava rock.

[@michaelhrouda1466]

I learn so much from your videos ~ thanks for all you do!!

[@BonsaiEn]

You are so welcome!

[@billyshatterz6477]

Thanks Josh!

[@BonsaiEn]

No worries!

[@Erwin_AMS]

Thanks man!

[@dhirendaya5743]

First Comment 😏 Thanks Josh for the awesome videos. Keep it up. You really have helped with us avoiding a lot of mistakes

[@BonsaiEn]

Not a problem at all, thanks for being apart of the Bonsai-En community.

[@omekobrewox]

Thanks for the explanation. very helpful for beginners like me. Greetings from Indonesia

[@BonsaiEn]

no worries, thanks for watching.

[@OneChartguitarlessons]

Josh, I’ve started listening to your podcast, and heard you mention that you should cut juniper not pinch them. Could you do a video expanding on that please? I’ve always followed the pinch only rule. Thanks mate. Loving the podcast and your vids. Cheers.

[@jeffhurst4744]

Excellent breakdown and spot on explanations of soil mixtures. Simple, straightforward, and fully understandable. Yet another well made and presented Bonsai Video. Video and audio slightly off, audio slightly delayed. But this shouldn’t deter understanding presented subject matter.

[@BonsaiEn]

Thanks Jeff, Soil is one of those things that no body will ever agree on. These videos will always get some form of pushback. but if people can just take away the points of learning how to create a mix rather then looking for a pre defined mix they will do better with that in the long run.

[@bulebonsaibatam1758]

Great info. It took me almost 1 year to sort out my substrate. I live in Batam, Indonesia. My mix: 80% lava rock, 10% Perlite & 10% Coco Peat.

[@BonsaiEn]

i still play around with different mixes, once ive been doing this for 50 years i might find the perfect one haha

[@joelbell242]

I’ve only been doing bonsai for a few months now, and what I’ve learned is that there is no right or wrong and everything is basically an extended experiment.

[@BonsaiEn]

what it comes down to is there is a million variables in Bonsai, this fact makes it super hard to teach people specific information as it might be completely wrong for their situation. that's why i try to teach theory on how to analyse things rather then just saying " do this and it will work ".

[@davidmorgan3508]

Aussie Dave here, Thanks Josh

[@BonsaiEn]

Cheers Aussie Dave

[@GoodSamaritan1972]

I live in south east asia. What kind of mix would you advise please for a Christmas Pine Bonsai?

[@joint-heirwithchrist5241]

I agree; Joe Blow knows there are too many variables to ask a tree to follow a standard set out by a thriving tree under very different environment conditions, substrates and care. My Yamadori's live in Canada in subzero for at least three months. They live best in the soil that is right here. I wonder, if bonsai was started in Canada, would the common bonsai sub straight be lava rock?

[@GabrielGuzman18]

Perfect timing lol, looking for the best mix or option for development

[@BonsaiEn]

for development, organic materials. some organic mix you buy can have lots of very fine particles so its good to run it through a sieve with a 1-2mm screen. Failing that you can add something like scoria or perlite at a rate of about 20% just to open the mix up slightly to prevent it becoming starved of oxygen and holding too much water.

[@GabrielGuzman18]

@@BonsaiEn this is so helpful, thank you so much!

[@jeffhurst4744]

@@BonsaiEn yep, not adding or extremely restricting the “organic” ingredient portion - during development stage - is something I learned the “hard way” to include. Live-n-learn, and watch videos from sources that give you straight easy to understand - like Bonsai-En - is something that has and continues to help us on our journey in our living artistic hobby. Much appreciated.

[@joelhiggins6156]

It would be helpful to explore the inorganic substitutes for akadama for those who do not have access/cannot afford it :)

[@BonsaiEn]

yeah its something people have been searching for as there is a chance we could run out of Akadama or it wont be able to be mined anymore. im sure someone will find something it will just take some testing and trial and error.

[@sadoldgit313]

Molar Clay! Often marketed as non clumping kitty litter! Doesn’t break down like Acadama and is around a fifth of the price! There are many forms of kitty litter so you need to check the ingredients for Molar Clay or Dimorphous Clay, non scented non clump forming!

[@howardmckeown7187]

@@sadoldgit313 kittyfriend pink in the uk and ireland, 100% molar clay

[@reeffreak911]

Im in south florida if i only use inorganic material it dries up to quick id have to use a deeper pot its hot and humid and we dont get as much rain as some people might think we go threw a lot of drought

[@horanbenjamin]

Maybe another thing worth considering is how big is your pot and tree something like perlite can make things a little easier to move plants

[@BonsaiEn]

i just try to avoid trees that are too large haha

[@howardmckeown7187]

big issue for me, damaged heart, want to keep pots as light as possible

[@jn4922]

Im trying to grow some oaks on flat slate but trying to find the right mix for it that holds together cause in the uk it rains alot and dnt want it to wash away or dry and crumble

[@BonsaiEn]

You need to create a muck wall, some people use keto but its hard to source, i personally use akadama dust mixed with long fibred sphagnum moss and some peat. ive had trees grow in this with heavy rain for a few seasons and it hasn't fallen apart yet.

[@jn4922]

Thank you so much i will give it a try

[@cherylandrews3195]

I find that its easy to make a well draining mix with inorganics but what drains really well with organics?

[@BonsaiEn]

Organics dont drain real well, which is why its important to use a tall nursery pot and avoid putting it in a shallow bonsai pot. The higher the gravity column the better it will drain. When using organics for development i usually suggest running it through a sieve with a 1-2mm screen to remove all the super fine particles that clog up a mix. failing that or if you live in a super wet area you can add some scoria or perlite at a rate of around 20% to help open the mix up and drain better.

[@cherylandrews3195]

@@BonsaiEn I really enjoyed your video but at the same time I wish someone could just tell me what is a good mix for my area lol I did learn some important information from yours that I hadnt heard anywhere else which explains why I have had trouble with my soil but I wish someone would give a good mix for each climate. anyway, thank you for replying and thank you for the explanations. If you ever have time I would love a video with even more on the topic :)

[@katyb2793]

Also a great tip is wear a mask when using soil! The dust particles can be really harmful in some ingredients 😷✌

[@mirandusings]

Which ingredients?

[@katyb2793]

@@mirandusings I think most of them to be honest...even normal potting mix. Not only can the ingredients be toxic/cancerous, but I think the dust particles are not good for the lungs either. Maybe Google the ingredients of your mix, you'll find research articles etc about the dangers. I can't speak for every ingredient. I can say I looked up zeolite last night (used as kitty litter too) and the particles are cancerous when breathed in according to research. So people really should be wearing a mask when changing the kitty litter too.. At least we all have masks these days! 😂 And it's much warmer when repotting in the cold! ❄

[@BonsaiEn]

Great tip! In organic materials can get very dusty. i usually make sure im out in the breeze and the dust is blowing away from me.

[@ralphaucamp2786]

In south arrival its 4 season in 1 day bad not in winter time

[@averyprice9422]

I am a bit away from bonsai pots- pretty much letting em grow right now... Edit:. Still can learn something now tho

[@BonsaiEn]

id say your 10 steps in front of most beginners in bonsai if you are letting your trees grow rather then putting them straight into a bonsai pot! you'll be rewarded for that one day.

[@nikpostolov]

why are you saying AKS all the time instead of ASK :D Good work Josh

[@iamshredder3587]

Hey man have you tried "aerostones"? Ive used them a couple years now asa pumice alternative basically (which i love. Pumice) a better one according to the marketting. An engineered product made from perlite ore. And i must say im quite suprised how much i like it. Love it. Idk yet if prefer to good pumice..but maybe. Anyeay check it out if you get a chance

[@dirtydp4vp917]

A very good presentation about soil mixtures. Spot on for the most part. The only thing I personally disagree with is the smaller particle size at the top of the mix. In my experience smaller particles on the surface leads to it blowing off or getting flooded off when watering. There is also the whole "it's not bonsai if there is layered soil". Which however I don't believe in, but if you're trying to be a purist you may want to know.

[@dirtydp4vp917]

Ideally, moss should be your top layer.