bonsai soil?

Question

im about to start a bonsai and am wondering what kind of soil i should use. i know the basics of pruning and wiring and such. is there a specific soil for bonsai? thanks for your help

Answer 1

Hundreds of tree/plant species are used for bonsai, but a good GENERAL soil will be 50% organic (50% inorganic or "grit"). Whatever you use, make sure you sift away the fine particles, using 1/16" screen for sifting. If you talk to 10 bonsai people, you'll get 10 different soil recipes. If you would like, email me at:
[e-mail] , and I'll email my recipe to you.
You're also welcome to check the Bonsai Care page of my site:
http://www.american-bonsai.com for more soil information.

Answer 2

I use a heavy soil, ours is clay around here, and the results are much better than light fluffy high organic soil. Many memebers of our club also use heavy soil with very good results. The Bonsai plants usually are the type that like regular soil when they grow in the wild, so Id assume that is why they do well in a heavy soil.

I mix with the heavy soil, about a cup or so of vermiculite to keep it from caking up solid and to improve the drainage, then i add a number of cross wires to the bottom of the Bonsai pot's soil to allow the roots to wrap around and hold the plant securly.

Answer 3

One part potting soil, one part sand, one part pearlite. You want a low nutrient soil that's not to heavy.