nurseries, in hardware stores, Supermarkets and
elsewhere. But just like fast foods they're more
pricey and it can be difficult to tell exactly how much
of each essential component they are made up of.
However, for absolute Bonsai beginners they're a good
temporary choice.
Sooner or later though, the avid Bonsai enthusiast is going to
want to mix his or her own Bonsai soil. And, since bonsai
trees are
confined to a small pot most of the time, that soil will need to be
topped up or supplemented.
The art of Bonsai, like so many other things offers
contradictory elements and must be carefully balanced to
maximize the health of the tree and create the desired
appearance.
Though a normal, not a dwarf, species, the tree must be
pruned to be kept small. Though growing toward the
light, as most plants do, it must be wired and shaped to
create the desired effect. But nowhere do these
competing elements need to be so precisely balanced and
tested as
in the preparation of the soil.
Bonsai soil must be able to retain water well, since
excessive drying is the easiest, and most common way to
kill a bonsai tree. Many so-called 'mallsai', Bonsai
bought at a store in the local shopping centre, are nearly dead by
the time they're purchased since they don't receive the
proper amount of water care and attention.
Water for your Bonsai tree is essential to life in itself, but it also acts
as a vehicle to deliver nutrients through the roots
system.
Humus, the organic components of soil that remain after
decomposition of organisms, along with clay are the two
major factors that help retain water and nutrients.
But the Bonsai soil can't be allowed to retain water too well.
It has to provide good drainage. When too much moisture
remains in the Bonsai pot, whether through excess watering or
compacted soil, root rot is almost inevitable.
Proper drainage is only achieved, in part, by
amalgamating the Bonsai
soil with small pieces of gravel or dirt. That helps create
small voids in the soil through which water can
easily travel. Water then drains through the soil, into
the base and out the hole found in all bonsai pots.
Examine a commercially packaged amount of Bonsai soil
and you'll often see small white chunks. Those
'aggregates' as they're called, help provide the soil
with the just the right amount of drainage.
In addition to allowing water access, and not
collect around the base to rot the roots, good draining
Bonsai soil allows for the easy passage of vital gases both in
and out of the mixture.
Carbon dioxide, oxygen and nitrogen need to pass in and
out of the plant and soil in order for photosynthesis
and other essential biochemical processes to proceed
properly.
Good quality Bonsai soil will have all those health supporting physical
characteristics.
