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Requirements
of Bonsai Soils
The Basic Requirements Of Bonsai Substrate

One of the most widely debated subjects for most Bonsai enthusiasts is soil
composition. Good Bonsai is not merely on the design, but a good Bonsai should
portray a healthy tree that grows in a small container and this strongly depends on
the soil used.

It is the fact that still many people have misperception that Bonsai is being tortured
to be small, and this is absolutely wrong. Bonsai need extra loving cares and
suppose to be healthier than a tree living in the nature due to the limited space it
grows. Either the misperception or the unavailability of good quality soil, there are
still many Bonsai are planted with poor quality soil which consequently affect the
slow growing, unhealthy foliage or even sudden death of the tree.

Because Bonsai is planted in a relatively small quantity of soil throughout the year
on which its existence depends. Through the soil in the pot, the tree must be able to
obtain water, nutrients and air in order to grow for very long time. For this reason, a
Bonsai must be planted in a good quality Bonsai soil.

The quality of the soil that is used, directly affects the health and vigor of the tree.
It is my experience that unhealthy trees that lack vigor are very often planted in a
poor (often organic) Bonsai substrate; or the worst some are planted in normal
ground soil. Such soil easily harden when get dried which give no advantage to the
growth of Bonsai. contrary it is very harmful to the tree.

There are a number of qualities that are required in a good soil mix

1. Good water-retention. The soil needs to be able to hold and retain

sufficient quantities of water to supply moisture to the Bonsai between
each watering.
2. Good drainage. Excess water must be able to drain immediately from the
pot. Soils lacking good drainage are too water retentive, lack aeration and
are liable to a build up of salts. Too much water-retention will also cause
the root rot and kill the tree.
3. Good aeration. The particles used in a Bonsai mix should be of sufficient
size to allow tiny gaps or air pockets between each particle. Beside the
need of oxygen for the roots, it is also important to let the good bacteria,
mycorrhizae to live so the processing of food will take place before being
absorbed by the root-hairs and send to the leaves for photosynthesis.
4. A particle-based, well-structured inorganic soil allows fast drainage of
water and allows fresh air to continually enter the soil. A compacted
organic soil that lacks any structure also lacks aeration and drainage and
this can lead to ill health in the roots and tree and root rot.

Organic or Inorganic Soils

Soil mixes are described as being either organic or inorganic. Dead plant matters
such as peat or leaf-litter or bark are described as being organic soil components.
Inorganic soil mixes contain little to no organic matter such as volcanic lava, calcite
(baked) or fired clays.

Organic Soil
In past decades, Bonsai enthusiasts tended to use organic soil mixes, using a large
proportion of peat, bark and leaf-litter mixed with grit to aid with drainage. As time
passed, the knowledge and understanding of Bonsai increased, it is now
acknowledged by most enthusiasts that organic soil components such as peat are
not conducive to the good health and vigor of a tree.

Peat and other organic soil components have many disadvantages; they can be too
water retentive, leading to the soil being continually sodden, particularly during
periods of rain in Autumn, Winter and Spring. Conversely, during periods of high
temperatures, dry peat can be difficult to thoroughly water, leaving dry spots inside
the root ball of the bonsai; and this will be harmful for the growth of root-hairs. Tree
without healthy root-hairs will never have healthy foliation; and tree without
healthy foliation will grow very slow and easily die.

Possibly the most serious problem with organic soils is that though they may consist
of appropriate sized particles when the Bonsai is first planted, they continue to
break down in a Bonsai pot and become compacted. As the soil compacts it
becomes airless and drains poorly. Such waterlogged and airless soils soon suffocate
the roots and can lead to rotting roots and ill health in a Bonsai. Furthermore, the
compacted soil will cause problem when repotting because it is difficult to wash out
the old soil or will damage the root-hairs which may lead to the death of the bonsai.

Inorganic Soil
The advantage of inorganic materials is that they hold their open structure for a long
time without breaking down into mush. Inorganic materials retain a certain quantity
of water and any excess is immediately flushed through the bottom of the pot;
Akadama is Japanese baked clay, Akadama is the soil of choice for many Japanese
Bonsai Masters and enthusiasts. This is partially due to its relatively low price in
Japan where it is also easily obtainable, but very expensive outside Japan. However,
while Akadama might be considered a good quality soil, but in fact no better than
the cheaper and more easily obtainable fired-clay soils that are available in some
countries. Furthermore, Akadama can break down into a solid mush within 1 or 2
years. This old soil must therefore be washed out of the roots every one to two
years. For this reason it is not recommended for species that will not tolerate regular
bare-rooting (Pines for instance).

Advantage of volcanic lava soil

Another inorganic soil considered as the best for Bonsai is volcanic lava, but not
easily obtained in some countries where no volcanoes found.
Originally natural. From volcano containing natural nutrients which benefit to
trees.
Porous. The porosity is beneficial to the growth of root-hairs. Healthy root-hairs
will give healthy foliation that lead to healthy tree.
Good water-retention. Water-retention is important to maintain the sufficient
quantity of water in the soil to keep the moisture.
Good drainage. Good drainage will maintain the quality of the soil, avoiding too
much water that may cause the root rot and kill the tree.
Good aeration. Good oxygen flow in soil is important for the living of good
bacteria, mycorrhizae to live which is needed to process the food in the soil.
Not easily break down. Break down will form the soil to solid mush and disturb the
drainage and aeration. The compacted soil will also disturb the growth of root-
hairs and damage the root system during repotting.
Neutral in ph. The neutral ph around….is suitable for all kind of bonsai.
Inexpensive. Volcano lava is much cheaper compare to other inorganic soils and
costless in comparison to the benefit.

Example of Bonsai using volcanic lava soil.

This Bonsai has been in the pot for more than 2
years. The soil surface looks very hard and ready
for repotting to change the soil.

This is the soil condition when taken out from the Just by gently shaking, all the soils are loosening
pot. and separated from the roots. And the roots look
very healthy with the good condition of root-hairs.

The root system is perfectly maintained with the root-hairs undisturbed. This is the
condition expected by Bonsai enthusiasts when doing the repotting to make sure
the Bonsai will be healthily survive after repotting.

Root System Condi on Of Using Di erent Soils

This Bonsai has been growing in the pot for more

than 2 years. When taken out from the pot, the
root ball shows a perfectly healthy condition of
the root system without any sticky soil attached
on. This is the result of good water-retention and
good aeration of lava soils. This condition ensures
the healthy growth of the bonsai.
Using normal ground soil
This Bonsai has been growing in the pot for more
than 3 years. When taken out from the pot, the
root ball shows a very compacted soil condition
without root-hairs. This is the result of poor
quality soil where the root system can not grow
healthily.

Using Volcanic Lava Bonsai Soils Using normal ground soil.

Simply by soaking in the water, all the soils are

loosening off without damaging the root system
and the root-hairs are well remained. This is the
result of good drainage and no break down of lava
soils. This condition ensures the Bonsai will
continue to grow faster and healthily survive after
repotting.

The sticky soil can only be washed out by high-pressure water spray; but this will
damage the root-hairs. This is the result of poor drainage, poor aeration and the
easy break down of the soils. Bonsai will never grow well in such soil condition.
Although this Bonsai has been growing for more than 3 years, but the root system
does not grow well with very few root-hairs; and the worst is that all the root-hairs
will be destroyed and washed out with the sticky soils during the cleaning. This can
easily kill the trees if this happens to conifers (pines and junipers). By changing to
use volcanic lava soils, will make this Bonsai grow much faster and healthier.

Tips For Bonsai Potting & Repotting

The best season for Bonsai potting or repotting is early spring or early autumn and
NEVER in winter. The reason that most of trees are giving new shoots starting
spring and autumn. The best time to repotting Bonsai is when the Bonsai is still in
healthy condition and do not wait until the Bonsai starting getting weak. The reason
is when we do repotting, the tree will get disturbed and a weak Bonsai may not be
able to challenge the stress and can get worse.

The repotting interval depends on the tree species; some trees (broad leaf /
deciduous trees) need more frequent repotting than conifers (pine and junipers). For
conifers, do not repotting right after severe styling process or right after the carving
of jin-shari. It is better to wait for one year. When repotting conifers, try not to
disturb the root system especially the root-hairs; but on some deciduous trees, root
pruning can be done. Any root pruning during the repotting is better followed by
some pruning on the foliage, especially on deciduous trees.

Written by: Robert Steven, Indonesia - "Bonsai artist, collector and teacher who is
traveling intensively around the world giving lectures, demos, workshops and
judging. Own his permanent Bonsai display center in Jakarta, Indonesia with over
500 Bonsai collection and has won more than 200 awards in national and
international contests. Well-known with his aesthetic and artistic approach in
Bonsai art. His books “Vision of My Soul” and “Mission of Transformation” have
become best-sellers Bonsai books. More information on his profile and Bonsai
creations can be viewed at his Facebook account or here in his Bonsai artist profile;
Robert Steven."

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