Ready to use soil mix

It arrived today and I checked it out. Based on my 35 years of bonsai enthusiast experience, I’d say it deserves 5 stars as a very good professional mix. I usually make my own soil for cost reasons, but I’m glad I bought this.If you are new to Bonsai, here is some advice regarding this soil.You already know that really can’t put bonsai trees into bonsai pots using 100% potting soil - (the typical retail store potting soil that you buy for houseplants). In general, 100% potting soil will eventually kill most bonsai trees in bonsai pots due to drainage issues. (Big pots, used for more rapid growth as training pots are a different subject, but generally speaking most types of potting soil for houseplants are nit suitable for bonsai trees in smaller pots - unless used in small amounts).This soil is vastly different than typical potting soil. It’s a combination of chunky materials, about a quarter inch or less in size, and if you use it as 100% of your soil, your trees, generally speaking, will be very happy — PROVIDED YOU ADOPT the highly attentive tree care attitude of a bonsai enthusiast. This is excellent soil for the tree - and it puts the burden on the user to properly care for the tree. That last sentence, in my opinion, is the right way to begin creating Bonsai as a hobby. Please read on... I have some tips below.If you tend to kill your houseplants through lack of knowledge and attention, this bonsai soil will not change that outcome for your bonsai. If however, you can develop a greater awareness of your trees’ needs, you can be successful and this soil will be a big help in growing trees you can be proud of. The words “greater awareness of your tree’s needs” means, on a daily basis wondering - 1) Is it too dry or too wet, and 2) on a weekly basis, does it have the nutrients it needs. — (other awareness issues like temperature, sunlight, rootbound, insects, are secondary issues to the matter at hand, as we’re talking only about the bonsai soil.)This soil drains very well and will dry out fast because (by design) it’s without much organic material to soak up water. It will strongly resist the development of a very serious common problem called root rot caused by drowning the roots in poorly draining soil.Separately, this soil, when compared to potting soil, is by design, lacking in the many nutrients bonsai need. Bonsai need added nutrients. So, to make up for what the soil does not provide, high quality slow release granules can be added periodically or high quality, heavily diluted liquid fertilizer can be used daily or weekly depending on the dilution level and instructions.If you are inexperienced, seriously consider mixing this soil with more organic material, especially if your tree is outside, out of your view, and it doesn’t rain every day. Adding more organics will help hold water and will reduce the frequency of watering and the amount of fertilizing. If you forget about watering on a sunny, hot day, it may save the tree. When adding organics, its best not to add a lot of finely powdered material like dusty peat moss. Too much water retention is unhealthy. Try to use materials that will tend to be chunky or gritty and drain, like slivers of pine bark/mulch, dried compost, dried earthworm castings, potting soil that’s not mostly peat dust or loam muck. Consider adding organics so that by volume, your additions make up to 10, 20, but not more than 30% of the final mixture. Stay away from adding 20% or 30% organics if what your adding is going to be wet muck once its in the pot.To sum it up. In my opinion, this will be a very good bonsai soil when used skillfully. If you’re new to bonsai, I think it is a well designed, robust soil to start with as your basic foundation. I suggest experimenting with this foundation by adding other materials, organic, depending upon the care requirements of the tree species, the pot, and the environment that your trees will live in.Please keep in mind that I’m not a professional, and I don’t own or work for a bonsai nursery. I’m just an enthusiast, who despite many bonsai training classes at an awesome bonsai nursery, has learned to create Bonsai the hard way.

I really like this potting mix. Great balance between drainage and water retention. The majority of my trees are Portulacaria afra, but I use this mix with my other trees as well. I have even started using it as an amendment for some of my house plants that like well draining, chunkier soil. I’ve been very pleased with the root growth and health since I have started using this mix. Overall very happy with this product from The Bonsai Supply.

This mix is perfect for bonsai pots to grow ones tree. Check other places but only had mix for orchid s which is much chunkier. This mix is a smaller course mix more suitable.

Drains well. No need to worry about root rot.

Great price for the size great quality good texture

Light weight. Looks good. Great product

The blend is chunky and perfect for my succulents and cactus. It mixes well with other amendments, so I ordered another bag! Great price, and value.

I too spent a year pondering what good bonsai soil is. Which mix to use. What degree of chunkiness. I'm the kind of guy who would want to mix this myself. It's not hard. But before I do, I need to recognize what good bonsai soil is. After using up eight quarts and a year of good growth with this mix, I can declare that this is "Good" bonsai soil.I'm from Houston and I mainly grow tropicals. Portulacaria Afra, Ginseng Ficus, Fukien Tea, Adeniums, Schefflera, and even a money tree. These things grow well in my neck of the woods. This soil works well with my pre-bonsais. The only thing that has died so far is a danged procumbens nana juniper but it's probably not because of the soil.I used to think it was expensive until I tried to make this by myself. This stuff is actually cheap! I thought I would save some coin making my own. It's just pine bark, turface, black lava, and pumice, the same stuff that's in this bag. How hard can it be? It's not hard at all but it takes a lot of time. It's much cheaper in regards to the materials and you can make a huge tub of this with just forty dollars, but your time may be worth more. I spent hours sifting the turface to eliminate everything that's less than 1/8". Then I spent an hour and a half sifting landscapers mix not once, but twice, to extract the right size pine bark. I can't find pumice in my area, so I'm using expanded shale instead. Home depot has red lava rock, not black lava. Red lava should be good enough except I have to take a hammer and pound it down to the right size. I have to sift it too. What the hell, it's too much work. Just buy this stuff and stop complaining about the price.