Eric answers one of the most common questions he receives: What soil does he use, and why? In this video, he shares the four different soil components we use at Bonsaify.
00:00:34 Eric actually uses two different soil mixes, 1 for early and middle development, and a 2nd for late development and mature trees.
00:00:49 For early & middle development, he uses a mix of perlite and cocoa coir. He explains why he uses 80% perlite by volume; 20% cocoa coir.
00:01:38 Eric uses perlite #3 on the bottom of some containers with trees he knows want more air than they’d get with coarse perlite.
00:02:16 Perlite as “Rock Popcorn”!
00:02:50 Why fertilization on-ramp is needed when using new perlite.
00:03:07 Cocoa coir is basically ground up, partially composted organic matter (process husk of coconut). It’s relatively inexpensive, and Eric prefers it over peat moss-based soils.
00:03:48 For late development and mature trees, Eric uses a mix of akadama and pumice or lava. Akadama (Eric buys the Aoki blend from Bonsai Tonight at https://store.bonsaitonight.com/collections/bonsai-soil) must be imported from Japan, which is why it’s really expensive.
00:05:14 The percentage of akadama used effects the way plants grow; the higher the percentage the slower the tree’s growth.
00:05:42 Best practice: wash soil particles before using, especially Lava!
00:06:48 Sift fine particles out of pumice and wash!
00:07:09 Using an early development Kishu juniper as an example, Eric shows the working properties of the first soil blend.
00:07:54 Look at the roots; healthy, good coloration, with root division inside the center of the root ball.
00:08:36 Infamous example of a soil substrate that is not good to use: Turface!
00:09:07 Why Eric adds some perlite first and raises the root ball before placing the tree back into the container.
00:10:00 Example of a more mature tree: Itoigawa juniper in a mixture of lava, pumice, and akadama. Eric dumps the mixture out to look at the roots. Again there is good root growth and root division.
What experiences do you have with soil mixes? Do you use other mixtures? Let us know in the comments below! Thank you for watching; please like and share this video with all your bonsai friends and PLEASE SUBSCRIBE to our channel for more great bonsai videos!
