Bonsai  SoiI

Bonsai Soil Mixtures and Supplements

Bonsai soil is important because plants survive and grow by taking in and processing nutrients just like animal do.

However, unlike animals, plants cannot go find the required nutrients. The  nutrients must come to them.

Plants get a large portion of what they need by  absorbing sunlight and taking oxygen from the air, but the rest comes from the  soil. 

Gardening sections at nurseries and hardware stores sell ready-made soil  mixtures. The mixtures are a good temporary choice for beginners, but they are  more expensive than mixing your own soil.

It is also difficult to tell exactly  how much of each component the ready-made mixtures contain. 

Eventually, most avid bonsai enthusiasts attempt to mix their own soil. The soil  will occasionally need to be supplemented or replaced. Here are some attributes  that all bonsai soil mixtures should have.  

Various seemingly contradictory elements must be carefully balanced to ensure the  health of the tree and create the desired appearance.

Bonsai are ordinary trees rather than dwarf species. They need to be pruned in  order to be kept small. Even though they tend to grow toward the light, bonsai  also need to be wired and shaped to create the desired appearance.

These competing elements need to be precisely balanced, especially in the preparation  of the soil. 

Excessive drying is the easiest way to kill a bonsai. Thus, bonsai soil needs to  retain water well. Many bonsai plants sold in stores at the mall don't receive  proper water and care. Thus, they are nearly dead when they are purchased.

In addition to being essential to life in itself, water also acts as a vehicle to  deliver nutrients to the tree's roots. Humus is the organic components of soil  that remain after the decomposition of organisms. Humus and clay are the two  major factors that help soil retain water and nutrients.  

However, the soil should not be allowed to retain too much water. Root rot will  occur if there is too much moisture through excess watering or compacted soil.  Thus, the soil needs good adequate

Infusing the soil with small pieces of gravel will aid the drainage by creating small  spaces in the soil through which water can travel. The water drains through the  dirt out of the hole at the bottom of the pot. 

Commercially packaged bonsai soil often contains small white chunks called  'aggregates.' They help provide the soil with the correct amount of drainage.

Good drainage doesn't just prevent water from pooling around the base and rotting  the roots. It also allows for easy passage of vital gases into and out of the  mixture.

Carbon dioxide, oxygen and nitrogen need to pass in and out of the plant and soil  in order for photosynthesis and other essential biochemical processes to proceed  properly.

Good soil will have all those health supporting physical characteristics.

Growing Bonsai and the Expert's Tool Box >>

 
If I can do it, you can do it!
Tina Timms, Bonsai Babe

 Bonsai Soil