Bonsai Soil (What You Need To Know)

This is a very informative video! Best video I've seen on how to build your own bonsai soil.

I'm curious why nobody ever mentions bio-char? It has great moisture and nutrient retention and nutrient availability properties. It's also good at maintaining healthy microbial environment for the tree roots. It's also very durable and takes years to break down. Maybe it promotes too much root growth or something? The roots loves the stuff and seek it out.

Very useful video, thank you! Information about internal structure of akadama and diatomite is especially interesting.

Best honest and transparent presentation I have seen on this topic! I would have considered discussing “briefly” Cation Exchange Capacity of each of the main substrates as many Bonsai growers do not understand the bio engineering aspects involved! Maybe a subject for another video!

One of the best videos on soil, thank you!

This is the best video I've seen on bonsai substrate. It's like reading 100 books in 20 minutes. Thank you!

Hi Jason, thank you so much for this informative video. I learned so much and I'm more confident now what I should use as soilmix for my indoor bonsai.

thank you for the education

The best soil is whatever works for your local climate.

Great video Jason 🙏👍👍

A complete study on bonsai soil. Excellent. Fortunately our bonsai club sells quality mixes, acadama, and pumice.

Bravo! A very exhaustive video

Great video on bonsai soil. You covered alot of ground 👌👍

👍👌🙂

Enjoyed the video Jason very informative

Thanks Jason. Nice to the point.

Awesome and comprehensive video Jason! This is the bonsai soil bible

Thanks very much for this video. I have saved it for further viewing next spring when it is time to a long overdue root prune and repot. To date I have been adding ' Leca '... lightweight clay balls (aka hortag) to aid drainage & aeration to soil or peat free. I am conscious of the importance of mycorrhizal fungi activity in soil for soil health... Where / how does that happen in bonsai substrate?

Good one.

Nice Show Jason!

Very well done and beautiful video. Thank you.

Very informative.

That was a brilliant presentation! Since most of my trees are in early development, I'm trying to learn as much as possible early on. Many traditional bonsai soil ingredients are extremely limited where I live (unless I order from Amazon), so understanding the properties and how to substitute ingredients is so helpful. Many thanks!!

Thanks

Sphagnum moss is also common. I add a small amount to all my mixes, to prevent complete drying out of the soil. Really helpful for any trees I plan to transfer indoors or the greenhouse.

The facts have been spoken! There is not just 1 type of soil for all trees!

Best resource I have seen on this topic. Well done

Truth be told, I am extremely lucky with materials to create ideal substrate for each tree. I can easily access free (collect the stuff) volcanic grit (1/2 hour away), granite (2 hours away) and get the rest of the materials I use locally and priced reasonably. There is a pumice mine 3 hours away that delivers to my door. I can get Turface (a molar clay) at a warehouse, perlite, vermiculite and fir bark at local big box stores. I use tiny amounts of worm castings (yup!) and have composted leaves and pine needles from the yard. I don't like akadama as it breaks down within 2 years here and is terribly expensive. I start with the inorganic and depending on the tree, add the other components. I live in an area with wet winters and brutally hot dry summers. My bonsai substrate has to be able to support my trees in these mutually exclusive weather patterns. As you so eloquently explain, it all depends! Thank you so very much!

Superb explanation of this much-discussed topic. Thank you for this well-researched video Jason.

Excellent. excellent content, Jason...far beyond the soil needs to be free draining. I grow succulents of which many make excellent bonsai subjects, which is why this is so helpful. This is a video that I will be revisiting. Even experienced growers can benefit from this basic knowledge that has been exploded in a way that makes it useful and memorable.

Thank you, I used 'cat litter' a couple of years ago. luckily it just caused the tree to stall but could have been worse. I have never seen, in spite of trying to find it, turface / molar clay for sale in Ireland. If you ever come see some that ship here I would love to know.

Very clear and very well explained. Entertaining as well. Worth waiting for Jason :)

Nice, thanks for sharing. Is Moler Clay like Seramis?

Allways good to remember the basics!
Grts
Kennet

Great, comprehensive look at bonsai soil. Well done!