Did you k
now that soil could age? One important thing to remember is that it is important that the soil’s life expectancy be coordinated with the schedule of repotting. What this does is ensure your Bonsai will not be fighting and struggling in soil that is old and collapsing.
Most people are unaware that soil does in fact age and when this happens, it will break down. This consists of the particle size changing, thus retaining too much water. When that happens, too much water can be retained, which can cause root damage to your Bonsai.
You see, pots that are newly potted do not require as much water as Bonsai that are already established. With the roots, they are compromised when the repotting occurs, coupled with combing out old soil and pruning, and things could be a mess.
When you are in the process of establishing a new root system, fertility and aeration are crucial to success. Typically, people think the amount of water held by the soil is what helps but this is not the case.
As your Bonsai’s roots grow and new foliage and shoots develop, the transpiration will increase. To handle this, you can prune, which will help cut back the transpiration. Additionally, you will want to increase the water while cutting back on the amount of sunlight. When your Bonsai has its rootsestablished where they are strong and not in a position to collapse, you will need to keep the soil aerated.
Shelf Life Again, soil actually has a shelf life that is important for you to know. Many of the soil mixes that you can buy at nurseries or growing centers are designed to help with quick growth. While this is fine, these mixes also have a very short life cycle.
In a perfect world, your Bonsai should never stay in the same soil longer than two years. When they are in the soil longer, the soil will collapse, or you will be dealing with root bound problems.
Instead, you need a soil for your Bonsai that will last longer while also being more stable and flexible to give the support needed during training and pruning. Now keep in mind that when your Bonsai is in a training pot, you might consider using lave, perlite, and fresh bark to help the soil last longer.
One way to help the soil last longer is again, using inorganic components such as lava rock or pumice. Even using an unstable inorganic material such as clay or akadama will help the soil to last two to three years. If you notice the soil breaking down prior to this time, then you would need to repot earlier.
Drainage and Water Retention
The key with soil for Bonsai is that while you want it to stay moist, you also want it to drain quickly. Typically, keeping the level of moisture at 25% isperfect. Additionally, you want the space of air after the first drainage, which is called the saturation point, also to remain at around 25%.
As mentioned, peat moss is the best medium when it comes to retaining water without causing problems for drainage. In addition, peat moss hasexcellent nutrition retention. Another good choice when it comes to drainage is vermiculite. Once it begins to break down to clay, it will retain both moisture and nutrients.
Pathogens
Keep in mind that whenever you use compost that has not been thoroughly composted or pasteurized, or if you use native soil, then there will always be risk of pathogens. Other problems in this case include insects and other types of pests.
If you have concerns about pathogens affecting your Bonsai, you can put the soil in an oven bag, the type you would use for roasting chicken or beef, add just enough water to moisten it, and then bake at 160 degrees for about 30 minutes. Once the soil is cool, it can then be used as pasteurized.
Soil Collapse/Root Colonization
Just remember that the soil you would use in a regular garden versus the soil for your Bonsai is very different. First, the size of the particles has a direct correlation to the amount of air that is retained as well as water retention. If the particle size is small, then the air and water retention will also be small, with the opposite being true for large particles.
Therefore, as long as the organic material has particle sizes not too small, then you could use clay soil to help with the aggregation. This works in that the organic soil particles and the clay will clump, forming larger particles that will then trap air and water. The result is better aeration and air in the soil.
In fact, clay is wonderful for Bonsai in that it holds nutrients. If you do choose to have a Bonsai container with little to no clay, then you will need to fertilize on a regular basis. You will also find soil-less mixes on the market, which mean they do not contain any earth. These are generally deficient in trace elements, meaning that they too would need to have
some type of other matter added.
The soil you will find at nurseries that are “soil-less” may or may not contain compost. Regardless, they are typically comprised of three things:
By allowing the roots of the plant to fill the pot first, the soil will not collapse. As the roots form their colony, it serves to support both the plant and the soil. This is beneficial when it comes to watering in that it helpsthe maintenance of water drainage.
While this process when associated with organic soil elements can happen quite fast, with inorganic elements, the process tends to be slower. However, if the soil has volcanic additives, then it could be faster. Because of this, you need ensure the soil life matches the root growth rate, as mentioned.
When it comes to root colonization, this will vary depending on the plant or tree species you choose, as well as the degree of watering, sunlight, fertilizing, and pruning. Since each of these factors are independent, that means the plants will grow the best when each of these are at their optimum.
For instance, Bonsai that are grown in shade or less than optimal conditions will not have as much time needed for the roots to colonize in their new pot. That means that the Bonsai will suffer because the growth is slower and the soil will generally stay too wet, which then increases the organic decomposition rate.
Bonsai Gardening Secret
now that soil could age? One important thing to remember is that it is important that the soil’s life expectancy be coordinated with the schedule of repotting. What this does is ensure your Bonsai will not be fighting and struggling in soil that is old and collapsing. Most people are unaware that soil does in fact age and when this happens, it will break down. This consists of the particle size changing, thus retaining too much water. When that happens, too much water can be retained, which can cause root damage to your Bonsai.
You see, pots that are newly potted do not require as much water as Bonsai that are already established. With the roots, they are compromised when the repotting occurs, coupled with combing out old soil and pruning, and things could be a mess.
When you are in the process of establishing a new root system, fertility and aeration are crucial to success. Typically, people think the amount of water held by the soil is what helps but this is not the case.
As your Bonsai’s roots grow and new foliage and shoots develop, the transpiration will increase. To handle this, you can prune, which will help cut back the transpiration. Additionally, you will want to increase the water while cutting back on the amount of sunlight. When your Bonsai has its rootsestablished where they are strong and not in a position to collapse, you will need to keep the soil aerated.
Shelf Life Again, soil actually has a shelf life that is important for you to know. Many of the soil mixes that you can buy at nurseries or growing centers are designed to help with quick growth. While this is fine, these mixes also have a very short life cycle.
In a perfect world, your Bonsai should never stay in the same soil longer than two years. When they are in the soil longer, the soil will collapse, or you will be dealing with root bound problems.
Instead, you need a soil for your Bonsai that will last longer while also being more stable and flexible to give the support needed during training and pruning. Now keep in mind that when your Bonsai is in a training pot, you might consider using lave, perlite, and fresh bark to help the soil last longer.
One way to help the soil last longer is again, using inorganic components such as lava rock or pumice. Even using an unstable inorganic material such as clay or akadama will help the soil to last two to three years. If you notice the soil breaking down prior to this time, then you would need to repot earlier.
Drainage and Water Retention
The key with soil for Bonsai is that while you want it to stay moist, you also want it to drain quickly. Typically, keeping the level of moisture at 25% isperfect. Additionally, you want the space of air after the first drainage, which is called the saturation point, also to remain at around 25%.
As mentioned, peat moss is the best medium when it comes to retaining water without causing problems for drainage. In addition, peat moss hasexcellent nutrition retention. Another good choice when it comes to drainage is vermiculite. Once it begins to break down to clay, it will retain both moisture and nutrients.
Pathogens
Keep in mind that whenever you use compost that has not been thoroughly composted or pasteurized, or if you use native soil, then there will always be risk of pathogens. Other problems in this case include insects and other types of pests.
If you have concerns about pathogens affecting your Bonsai, you can put the soil in an oven bag, the type you would use for roasting chicken or beef, add just enough water to moisten it, and then bake at 160 degrees for about 30 minutes. Once the soil is cool, it can then be used as pasteurized.
Soil Collapse/Root Colonization
Just remember that the soil you would use in a regular garden versus the soil for your Bonsai is very different. First, the size of the particles has a direct correlation to the amount of air that is retained as well as water retention. If the particle size is small, then the air and water retention will also be small, with the opposite being true for large particles.
Therefore, as long as the organic material has particle sizes not too small, then you could use clay soil to help with the aggregation. This works in that the organic soil particles and the clay will clump, forming larger particles that will then trap air and water. The result is better aeration and air in the soil.
In fact, clay is wonderful for Bonsai in that it holds nutrients. If you do choose to have a Bonsai container with little to no clay, then you will need to fertilize on a regular basis. You will also find soil-less mixes on the market, which mean they do not contain any earth. These are generally deficient in trace elements, meaning that they too would need to have
some type of other matter added.
The soil you will find at nurseries that are “soil-less” may or may not contain compost. Regardless, they are typically comprised of three things:
- Organic structural elements, which hold water and nutrients such aspine bark, fir bark, redwood chips, and so on
- Inorganic structural elements such as perlite, lava rock, baked clay, sand, pumice, decomposed granite, and so on
- Water holding element, which would include vermiculite, peat moss, or compost
By allowing the roots of the plant to fill the pot first, the soil will not collapse. As the roots form their colony, it serves to support both the plant and the soil. This is beneficial when it comes to watering in that it helpsthe maintenance of water drainage.
While this process when associated with organic soil elements can happen quite fast, with inorganic elements, the process tends to be slower. However, if the soil has volcanic additives, then it could be faster. Because of this, you need ensure the soil life matches the root growth rate, as mentioned.
When it comes to root colonization, this will vary depending on the plant or tree species you choose, as well as the degree of watering, sunlight, fertilizing, and pruning. Since each of these factors are independent, that means the plants will grow the best when each of these are at their optimum.
For instance, Bonsai that are grown in shade or less than optimal conditions will not have as much time needed for the roots to colonize in their new pot. That means that the Bonsai will suffer because the growth is slower and the soil will generally stay too wet, which then increases the organic decomposition rate.
Bonsai Gardening Secret
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