Bonsai Soil Mixture Ratio

It is often considered to be a mandatory component when creating your bonsai mix.

Bonsai soil mixture ratio. The only problem with this is it will break down in a few years. What aggregate and what organic material becomes a matter of personal choice depending on the availability in each area. Different tree species demand different soil mixtures so make sure to check our tree species bonsai guide to find the optimum mixture for individual trees. Some people also recommend the ph of the soil mix must be like the plants native soil.

For adding peat soil you can reduce the amount of clay and pumice to 5 2. This looks a lot like the high fired akadama clay but it isn t. Some bonsai experts suggest the ratio of 3 1 which means 75 per cent inert aggregate rock of one kind or another and 25 percent organic materials. The exact mix of bonsai soil is dependent on what type of tree species is being used.

An example bonsai soil mix boon s mix from superfly bonsai. Recommended bonsai soil mixtures. What aggregate and what organic material becomes a matter of personal choice and often considerable debate between bonsai people. The best suggestion is to use materials that are available in the local area.

Fertilize the bonsai approximately three weeks after new spring growth begins until the start of fall. I use sifted pine bark which leaves flakes of pine bark about 1 4 as half of my basic soil a 50 50 mix of turface rock for the balance i am in the southern part of the us so use that for some degree of comparison to your area. For deciduous trees like elms and maples that mixture is slightly different with a 2 1 1 ratio. A good general bonsai mixture should be composed of about 75 per cent inert aggregate and 25 per cent organic materials.

As for an evergreen bonsai the quantity of granular clay and pumice is maintained at 7 3 ratio. This component is ideal for mixing bonsai soil. If there are any bonsai clubs in your area ask them for the best ratio of organic to inorganic components. Use a balanced granular fertilizer such as a 20 20 20 blend on top of the soil re applying.

What should the ph value of your bonsai soil mix be. That said here are guidelines for two types of soil one for deciduous trees and one for conifers. We can however describe two main mixtures one for deciduous trees and one for coniferous trees. A ph value somewhere in the 6 5 to 7 5 range seems best.

For a deciduous bonsai tree keep the ratio of granular clay and pumice to 9 1. Meaning 2 parts akadama 1 part lava rock and 1 part pumice. Of course you can lower the amount of clay provided that peat soil is added for water retention. Prepare the bonsai soil mixture.

It should be essentially ph neutral that is neither wildly acidic nor basic.