Do you want a happy bonsai? Then you need to know the secrets of preparing the best soil for it to last longer. The soil has to have all the “ingredients” this small tree needs to grow harmoniously, including proper drainage, good air circulation and excellent water retention.
You probably already know how sensitive the bonsai is, how many nutritional needs it has, and how important it’s the environment where it develops. Learn to prepare the soil for a bonsai.
Bonsai Soil Ingredients
You need three categories of ingredients to prepare the soil for your bonsai to grow nicely:
– organic materials: bark, peat, leaf scraps and other vegetal parts;
– inorganic materials: pumice stone powder, volcanic soil, clay, granular clay;
– common ground for pots.
Bonsai soil proportion
Once you’ve collected the 3 main ingredients, you need to determine the concentrations of each component. You need to consider the type of plant and its specific needs, which you can learn from a specialist. Generally, the amount of water-retaining ingredients (such as granular clay) must be bigger than the other ingredients.
For a bonsai with falling leaves, keep the grain clay and pumice stone rate at 9/1. If you add enough peat, you can reduce the amount of granular clay to balance the extent to which the soil manages to retain water.
For an evergreen bonsai, the granular clay / pumice stone ratio is ideal at 7:3, and if you put the peat, this ratio may drop to 5:2. Take into account these coordinates, and mix all the ingredients, for an excellent soil in which the bonsai can survive without problems.
Adding the soil to the pot
Ensure that the container where you grow the bonsai has drainage holes and put a filter on the bottom of it, along with a few pebbles, then a thin layer of the soil you’ve prepared. Plant the bonsai as usual and wet it well, so you can check the drainage of the water.
To keep the bonsai in good shape, strictly follow the watering, fertilization and trimming ritual, as required by the bonsai species you care for.
Image Credits: Adamaskwhy
