The Bob Ross of bonsai. So many happy trees! Very informative in every video even if you are discussing basic trim methods or style ideas for your trees. Thank you for creative ideas for my own!
Hello Mr. Saunders, my name is Li and I'm a bonsai beginner I got into the art of bonsai like a year ago and I been watching your tutorials there some of the best I've seen so far please keep up the good work.....THANK YOU SO MUCH BECAUSE I'M LEARNING A LOT FROM YOU....GOD BLESS YOU AND ALL YOUR BONSAI CREATIONS....I will keep watching and thumbs up.
Nigel so happy I found you. You are a natural at instructing. I really appreciate your work. I have been collecting and cultivating Bonsai for over 40 years, but always enjoy learning from the experts.
Mr. Saunders I would really like to thank you. I accidentally found a video of yours a couple years ago, and it started a fire in me that has turned into an obsession! Bonsai has become my life. It's taught me patience and serenity. I was a really uptight guy. Easily bored and had a bad attitude. But finding your channel, and growing as a person while growing trees has changed my life. God bless sir! Keep it up!
Very nice to hear Christopher. Bonsai can change your life, it changed mine in a very positive way. It almost becomes a lifestyle and changes the way you think about nature and yourself. All the best Christopher in your bonsai adventures!
Nigel Saunders, The Bonsai Zone thanks Nigel.. the fact that you have 76,000 subscribers, and you have responded to all my comments means a lot! Thanks again brother. Be well!
Thanks for the wealth of great info! I do a little sifting for my succulents, but on a smaller scale. I was worried when I saw all the dust flying! Please consider wearing a mask, with all is good but at least with the perlite. Perlite is a silicate. Long-term inhalation can cause silicosis and cancer at worst, at best make you much more vulnerable to respiratory problems. It's awkward but worth it and I wanna watch a lot more of your videos! Which are so far, awesome! I'm having a ball digging through and learning :)
Thanks Nigel, this is the best tutorial video i seen so far because you start off by explaining is about us , how often we wanted to water and what weather we in , etc and than going into the mixture ratio
I don’t even have a tree as yet. I want to start with a tree that I choose from the wild and practice and learn on that. I have been reading and watching videos and am amazed that any living things can live on the inorganic soil that most use for Bonsai. Mr Saunders has explained some of the reason why but there is more that I need to comprehend before I choose a tree and a mixture.
You're a courageous man, Nigel. Soil mixture is a difficult subject to convey but you've done well! I use (1) non-perfumed cat sand (instead of turface), (2) pebbles, and (3) potting soil - although after seeing this video of yours I think I'll start using compost/peat instead of potting soil. Nice video!
I just have to tell you Nigel, you have me completely addicted to this soil mix. I use it for EVERYTHING. Bonsai, houseplants, now even non-bonsai outdoor plants - at least as a base for just about everything. If something's not sifted, I get all twitchy! (I also started using a moisture meter, but mainly just on houseplants.) I lose a lot less plants now, it's wonderful.
@@TheBonsaiZone unfortunately I cannot just up and repot as spontaneously as in the past, I dislike how long sifting takes. But, what can you do.... eh?
On a serious note. This video was very helpful. All the soil videos ive seen before just go on about Akadama and lava rocks, but you are the first i found to actually talk about the organic aspect of the soil😅 thanks for another informitive video and am currently bingeing your channel. Keep up the good work
sir at first of all I am wanted to thanking you for such kind of good videos from you, your videos are always really helpful for me and specially in this video it just clear my all doubts about the Bonsai soil your videos are always very good and always helpfull to me in gardening thank you sir thank you so very much...
hi, I'm Aamir from Pakistan I have seen some bonsai videos of yours, you are doing best of bonsai learners. i'm also your fans I think you are best bonsai docter. thanks for sharing good videos. please make a mimosa poudica bonsai video.
Thanks jeffer for your advice. I will stop using charcoal for my bonsai :) I am trying laterite stones now with compost and perlite and yet to see the difference.
Him saying "Do you live in Canada" and the sound of the mourning doves flying in the background was a clear indicator for a fellow Canadian like me to use a similar type of soil
Love your vids, really helpful! I have a question if you could find the time to answer, it would be fantastic : I recently bought a couple of Japanese red maple seedlings, about 15cm tall, not really sure about age - but I'm guessing around a year old. Placed in a 1.5 liter pots. But I really hate the soil, typical garden soil and not so good in general.. So my question is - can I root prune and transplant them into quality pot soil with perlite right now, or should I wait for winter when they're dormant (or even spring)? Or should I just move them to a bigger pot, altogether with that garden soil, fill the rest of the pot with quality soil/perlite and then wait for spring and root prune? Thanks in advance for your reply!
Your dry soil makes the roots really strong! I always watch the way you soil the trees, and I wonder how it is mixed? is it made from the soil only? could you guide the elements please?
it's REALLY hot here all year long, is it better for me to not sift my soil as much as you so it won't get dry that fast? or should I just water more frequently?
It is better to water more frequently if you can. You can place some flat stones on the surface of your pot to help stop surface evaporation, just lift them off when you are watering. Moss or sand on top of your soil will help to hold moisture in the soil also. The spaces between the particles in the soil are important to give fresh air to the roots. Roots just love to grow in these spaces!
Thank for for such a great resource to begin bonzai ! Im starting with my first bonzai from Wallmart FUkien Tea tree, although it came with no drainage hole ! I got a bag of Qualisorb from canada tire, its diachotasomething earth. i hear i should mix Pine bark mulch with this .any suggestions would be great thanks !
Hats off.... you arre my most watched youtube bonsai handler..... your way of presenting and explaining, demonstrating etc etc are just too perfiect.... ( u should really go for a pro documentary videos :) )..... Thanks again...
Hey Nigel! Love the videos! I’m learning everything I’ve done wrong so far :p. Question though. Once you’ve mixed up the soil how long will it last in storage and is there any care you need to give it while it waits to be planted in?
7:30 so true! i do always feels the "bonsai soil" is more like the grow medium that support the plants to stand and hides the roots in dark, like other style of clay pebbles, not the actual soil which can provides a lot more stuff for helping or confusing......... great content
Looking forward to the Mars planting. If I may ask, would a mix of pumice, perlite,and bark be ok? I have many things currently planted in it, guess we'll see come spring :). I've found if I spray water, then floating isn't an issue with the perlite. Thank you for sharing your craft with us. I get so happy when I'm notified of new content.
I bought into the NO ORGANIC WHATSOEVER pitch, and now I wish I had given it some more thought. I'm going to have to come up with a way to mulch my trees until I can repot them next spring. The mercury is hitting the lower 90s already where I live and its only early May. I believe I can live with a little decomposition. I'll be spending most of my time watering and fertilizing this summer, just trying to keep them all alive. Not much time to enjoy their beauty or plan any future styling unless I'm doing it under shop lights. Lesson learned the hard way, straight aggregate is not the way to go unless you live in Argentina, or Alaska. Great video Nigel. Thanks.
Eric Brown Thanks for your insight on inorganic soil, I think your idea of adding a mulch layer on top will keep the humidity at a nice level and allow you to water and fertilize less.Some people will put white plastic over the top of the soil to keep it cooler and stop surface evaporation. Check out Walter Pall's talk on inorganic soil and feeding.... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Q11HMWatCxY.html
Nigel Saunders I have Nigel. It's a great video and very educational. I'm working on a automatic watering system at the moment set to come on just before sunup, then I'll water manually in the evenings. I sort of compounded my problem with the use of terracotta pots. I'm going to purchase some organic fertilizer to keep on the soil surface at all times and feed every ten days as Walter suggested. My next batch of soil will however contain either turface or vermiculite, possibly even pine bark. Straight aggregate is a bit too fast for me and doesn't leave me any room for an occasional miss. Lesson learned the hard way. I be able to breathe a sigh of relief once I get my sprinkler system set up. Thanks for the link.
Hey Nigel, I love your channel you are extremely informative and your videos have aided me greatly. Im curious if you have a bald cypress or not, and also would like to know what you recommend for a soil mixture for this species. I tend to water my trees accordingly to the weather but as this species is mainly found in the swamps around the gulf of mexico and I am near Philadelphia im curious to what you would recommend. ps: the weather here during spring and summer is very humid and rains at least 0-3 times every two weeks, sometimes more.
Hey i was thinking about making a soil using Akadama and triple mix. I plan on growing my plants mostly indoor because most of the time its really cold here. We only get good weather from later may to mid september. Since its gonna be dry inside due to the heat i was planning on using that to retain the moisture in the soil using akadama and providing nutrients using the triple mix. Please advice if i can use this to grown: jacaranda mimosifolia, weeping willow and flame tree.
Hello Nigel, I aspire to keep bonsai succulents and am establishing a number of cuttings and new propagation in attempted sekijoju formations. Would a soil mix typical of succulents (1 part compost, 1 part sand and 2 parts grit) still work for bonsai with succulents or is it still a necessity to use bonsai specific soil? Thanks.
Dear Nigel - thank you for this recommendation. I've been buying the premium stuff, and simply cannot afford to keep that up. I just purchased your exact recommended mix and look forward to trying it out soon. Given that the first bag is 1/2 the soil, and I can get 8 cubit feet for 5 dollars, I think my Bonsai Soil costs have gone down by about 90%! Thanks again for all that you do! David :)
Let me know how it works for you David, I'm using 1/2 perlite and 1/2 turface and then if I have composted pine bark, I'll add about 10 to 20 percent to the mix.
@@TheBonsaiZone I shall indeed! Our weather is virtually the same as yours (we're just a couple hours from KW. I could not find a pine bark compost at the available stores. Do you expect an organic potting soil might do for the 10-20% organic compound?
@@DavidWilliamRose The potting soil may clog the air spaces in between the soil particles, it would be better to leave it out. We get our composted pine bark from the orchid society, they get it shipped in in large quantities. You could use ground up coconut husks instead, even peat moss, if you screen it to remove the dust and fine particles.
@@TheBonsaiZone Thanks so much for your advice and guidance! One more question I promise...Must the bag actually say "compost", or will simply something that says pine bark do? The stuff I'm finding looks drier than what you've found. My options for finding this locally are very limited. Thanks again Nigel :)
@@DavidWilliamRose I sometimes buy the bags of pine bark mulch that doesn't say composted pine bark, I leave the chips out in the rain for a few months and then use it. You might have to cut the pieces into smaller chunks, some people use an old blender to do this. It's very time consuming, but it help out the trees a bit. most of the time I make my soil without pine bark, just because I don't have any made up! What city are you near Dave?
Thanks for the video Nigel. As always it was thoroughly informative. I do have a question. I recently repotted a Fukien Tea Tree in a mixture of pumice, lava rock, calcined clay and pine park fines. Is that a good soil?
For succulents I'm guessing more pumice and less organics to let them dry faster; or do they mostly care about the time between waterings? Or I'm completely wrong and they only require special treatment after root pruning?
Thanks for all the advise and great detail in your video. I think I will be heading out to get these ingredients tomorrow and start using this mix. Have you changed any preference in any of the ingredients since this time?
I have just been using perlite and turface lately and it seems to work really well. You do need to watch your watering carefully on warm dry days and I fertilize every time I water with a very dilute mix. Here is my video on this..... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-gXIIpxUqxdY.html
I repotted my ficus this spring. It spent the last 2 years in regular potting soil. This year I potted it up in a some cactus mix (a great draining soil) and I add vermiculite. I'm hoping it with act like perlite and also make it so I don't have to water it as much. This plant has been grown indoors and I'm watering it every 3 days which is more often then other plants I have. If it does well after this repotting and root trim, I'm hoping to move it outdoors for the first time.
Sorry I have had a lot of questions lately Nigel, your videos are just so good and im just starting out. In a later video you said that you now just use perlite and turface, you don't mention Pete moss or compost. Do you still use this formula or have you adjusted it?
Thanks for the detailed info. Would clay balls work instead of this turfus that you have shown? I can get perlite here in India but not sure about the other material. All bonsaists here use regular red soil with sand and manure. I do believe it compromises the root growth though.
The clay balls used for hydroponics should work well, it they are too large, you might be able to break them up to get a smaller particle size. They may use a different soil in India because of the heat, and the trees need to have more water content in the soil. Water conservation may be another factor. The soil I use does need to be watered at least twice on a hot dry day here in Canada.
One other thing I have been considering is using a cheap blender to break down the chunks of pine into manageble sizes. In addition, I will try and put pine needles in the blender and see if this works to add to my mix.
It is good to sift your soil for this purpose, but in the case of adding horticultural sand which goes between the sieve, what is the use of this sand in soil ratios approximately? finer particles hold more water so i notice sand is used in lower quantities.
cosmiceon I would use sand in my soil mix for trees that like moisture. Trees such as Larches and Cedars are happy in a constantly moist soil. Sand drains well, but it will hold moisture for a long period of time. I would use about 25 percent sand at the most. Trees will grow in almost anything, as long as you water and fertilize properly. With a free draining soil, your chances of over watering are reduced. I finer soil has more of a chance of over watering and having your roots rot. I think roots have an easier time growing with little pathways through the soil created by a bigger particle size. As your soil gets finer, the roots lose these nice air spaces to grow in. Hope that helps a bit.
Thanks for clearing things up, i added too much sand to my shimpaku i believe. it is in a mix of 20% Hort. sand, 50% sifted pumice and 30% coarse fir bark. The sand is quite fine. I did not consider how having this tree under a shade cloth would drastically reduce evaporation and lead to moisture retention for even longer periods, now i think the sand was a bad idea. the soil on top dries out but about an inch down it remains wet and that is where the sand has settled. i guess ill have to water more carefully and keep it on the dry side, since now i no time for a re-potting. What would be your suggestion? i live in San Diego.
cosmiceon As you said, careful watering will be the key. I would suggest water thoroughly when the soil begins to dry out, then just water with a misting bottle, to keep the top layer moist until the soil begins to dry outevenly, then repeat the process. When you repot, you may want to use a graduated soil mix, larger particles on the bottom, graduating to finer particles on top. This should help your soil dry out more evenly. Much of the drying out of your soil can depend on the condition of the roots. Roots tend to grow in the ideal zone, where moisture levels are just right in the soil. Places where the soil is too wet or too dry will not grow roots as easily. We try to have all the soil in the pot kept at this ideal moisture and air space level for maximum root growth and vigor. The pot size and shape can also affect moisture retention, generally the taller the pot, the better drainage you will get. Good luck with your Shimpaku!
Hey Nigel, im wondering if its too risky or safe enough if i repot my bonsai trees, specifically just to change to a better soil mixture? Only concern is that i repotted them 4 months ago, in mid spring. I got some of the ingredients you mentioned and want to change the soil. No root pruning. Any advice? Thanks! Very helpful video to help me understand what my bonsai need!
thanks for all the educational videos. it's also a pleasure to just listen to you, when I have to work at the computer. anyway, as far as I know, perlite is quite brittle. don't they break into smaller, and thus unwanted, particles whey you mix them with turface like that? also, would it be better to use dusk mask, at least a basic one?
Yes, a dust mask should be a must, the dust is bad to breath in! The perlite generally seems to hold it's particle size and shape even after several years in a bonsai pot. I have seen very fine roots grow in the soil so I believe it acts a lot like akadama in the fact that the roots will grow into the particles and split them apart. This may depend on the type of tree and the time between re potting, but I have seen this happen.
Wow... this is an old video, but just what I needed. I love your videos, so informative. Love your patience! Thanks a lot! I'm trying to do my first bonsai using a baby Flanboyan tree I grew from seed. Have you done any Flanboyan tree? Should I use this same mixture? Please answer. Thanks again!
I don't have one in my collection, but there are a few RU-vid videos showing them as bonsai, I hope they can answer your questions! I think the soil would work well for them.
Great video! I wonder if one can use non-clumping cat litter instead of safe T- sorb. Canadian Tires carries Fresh Start Non-Clumping Cat Litter, Unscented. I am not sure, but it seems to be the same as safe T-sorb, but it less than half the price I paid for T-sorb.
Great channel Nigel! I am considering tryig out some bonsai on some local PNW species. I am having issues finding Turface locally. I tried to go to Autozone to look for Fuller's earth there, but instead I only found diatomaceous earth. It is also sold as an absorbent and is of fairly large particle size. Do you think this will work as a substitute for Turface? Cheers!
Here is an article that explains the difference..... sciencing.com/differences-fullers-earth-diatomaceous-earth-8432515.html I think diatomaceous earth will work well in your bonsai soil, see this article.... www.bonsaiempire.com/forum/repotting-and-soil/1312-mixing-soil
Mr. Saunders, thanks for making this video. I was looking for the alternate method of making the soil on the cheap since akamada and the other mixing ingredients specially made for bonsai can be pricey; I find this awesome. The part I'm lost is on the compost part. I understand that sifting the materials to get the thicker parts and removing the finer parts are important but so far locally, the organic compost seem to be very fine, granulated and not thick material aquarium gravel like. Can you guide me a little deeper in that part?
I haven't been using any organic material in my soil and so far the trees are doing well after many years, at least 7. I find that the birds and animals are attracted to the organic material and are always messing up the trees. Since I switched to a non organic soil, I have had far few problems. The soil I use is 1/2 perlite and 1/2 turface. The turface is sold as Safetysorb at TSC.
I am using 1/2 perlite and 1/2 turface for all my trees and so far they are doing well. Here is my video on watering and fertilizing this soil.... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-gXIIpxUqxdY.html
Sure, i have made some plant from seed ie; Apple, Orange, pomegranate and olive. Once they are big, i will share visuals with you :-) Also i am hunting Acacias and Ghaf from wild life :-) Thank-you Nigel. You are a big support!
Sir good day can i use pebbbles organic compost coco peat and loamy soil for my for ficus tree? Is that a good mix sir for tropical country like philippines thanks 😊
Hi Nigel, in my country (The Netherlands) I don't believe turface is sold. What would be the best replacement for turface if I wanted to make, for instance, a 50/50 mix of perlite and turface?
I use 1/2 perlite and 1/2 turface. The Ficus really like this free draining soil mix. Here is how I water and fertilize this soil.... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-gXIIpxUqxdY.html
Nigel, I recently bought a bag of turface and perlite to make my own bonsai soil. I do not have a compost pile at my house, so would it be ok to substitute potting soil as an organic component? I also have a bag of pine bark. Would 10% pine bark be enough so I would only have to fertilize once or twice a month?
Thanks for the great videos. Thanks for the tip on the Safety Absorbent. I was buying the actual "Turface All Sport" product from a local Jon Deere dealer for an arm and a leg. The product you recommended is a bit more affordable from the local TSC. Plus I can get my chicken grit there, I also mix a little of that into my soil. I tend to get lazy, so often I don't get a chance to water my trees. I use a bit more organics in my mix. I also don't always remember to fertilize on schedule, so I figure more organics won't hurt me. So, you start out at the quarry? I thought we would see you buying yards of various soil ingredients!
Some people use pumice, crushed lava rock, some types of kitty litter, etc. Crushed stones may not hold the moisture as well, but if you can keep up with the watering, it should be fine.
Got it. I think the idea is to let air flow as much as possible, somehow retain the moisture, and supply nutrients. It I can do that, bonsai plants should do fine. Thanks again and keep coming up with new videos.
I remove the nursery soil and begin the root work. Most people recommend you keep the soil around the root base and slowly remove sections of the old soil with each re potting. This is fine and safe to do, but it will take a long time to get a good looking root base. I go at it right away!
Hello, I really enjoyed watching your video so many thanks. I have just purchased my first Bonsai (Carmona microphylla) from an online retailer. Its an indoor Bonsai and is approximately 8 years old and still a small (1ft tall) plant in a small pot. The soil it has come with appears to be completely organic so compost and/or pete mix. I've noticed that the soil does not seem to drain very well and looks wet for a long time after watering so Im worried about root rot. I have ordered some Akadama and Kanuma before watching your video and am planning on taking the tree out of the pot and mixing about 50% of its current organic soil with the Akadama and Kanuma. I would appreciate your thoughts before I do this as Ive very worried I may kill the tree if I do something wrong. Many thanks in advanced.
Chris Parkin It sounds like you are thinking in the right direction. The health of your roots is very important to the health of your tree. Here is a link to some care tips for your tree.....www.bonsaiempire.com/tree-species/carmona If you are careful removing the old soil off your roots, the tree should take to the new soil without any problems. You may want to mist the tree after on a regular basis, or keep the tree in a large clear plastic bag, after re potting to keep the humidity up until the tree recovers. Good luck with your first tree!
I don't have access to compost or pine bark. Can I use potting soil as the organic component? I'm not sure how to sift that, though. It is all fine, isn't it? Also, what is your opinion of sphagnum or peat moss in the soil? I have an endless supply of that!
I add the pine bark because studies have shown it has a beneficial effect in keeping the tree disease free, maybe the increased acid levels in the soil? Here is a good article on soil..... www.colinlewisbonsai.com/Reading/soils1.html
Coco Peat can be added if you want your soil to stay wet for a longer period of time. As a general rule, you want your soil to dry out in one day if the weather is hot and sunny. Yes it is fine and will fill some of the air spaces in your soil. You will have to watch the watering and only water when the soil begins to dry out. In cool cloudy weather, this may take several days.
There are certain types of cat litter that work well. The clay needs to be fired at a high temperature so it doesn't go mushy when you add water. It's best to test it out first before using it on a good bonsai tree!
