Many good arguments for and against here, very exciting reading and get input on this topic. I am fairly new to this hobby, but have been to Germany on courses and read a lot.

I use Akadama and have always used it. It is only now lately that I have thought a little about this, firstly it is very expensive for me to have it shipped here, and it is often of poor quality. Nor do I know if it is suitable in the climate I have here in Norway. Norway is known for very hot summers and very very cold winters. Inside there is low humidity and very hot dry air indoors.

I still have lots of 2:1:1 Akadama dominant mixes bagged up in my greenhouse, only because everyone says i can only use that mix. Everything else is psudoscience. But what do i know. Some even say moler cat litter works better, but i doubt that.

I maybe talked a little rubbish and of subject, for anyone who wants to see a really deep and 2 hour long science video of Akadama, going really deep into the science and why it is ”god soil”,



This video and my trips to german, are what made my mind in love with akadama. But love sometimes make you blind. Hehe
(Sorry for my bad english)

Yes, i have read it. It was from there i think i saw the comment from Harry.

I second what Harry has to say in Oscar´s article.

I have seen trees in akadama that broke down in a less than a year here (central Europe) and the trees were dying.
I never used it and never will.
For me the best choice (cheapest and with the best properties for bonsai cultivation) is Zeolite.
I use pure zeolite since the very start of my bonsai journey and never had any problem.
It doesn´t break down, holds water and fertilizer.
Maybe it dries out a bit quicker, but I cover it with moss and have people at home watering for me during the hot days till I come back home from work.
So - I basically do knot know how it feels to worry about the substrate.
For me it is clear for all tree species.
Deciduous or coniferous - they all love it.
Akadama in our conditions means only one thing to me and translates to "Business" ... or more like Dirty Business...

I will summarize everything so far:

1. Some people use akadama and it works real well
2. Some people use something else and it works real well
3. Some people are tired of repeating points 1 and 2 and will probably stop reading this thread

I hope that this isn't off topic. Should I replace the soil that came with my Ficus, which I purchased from Brussel's, with basic bonsai soil mix? If so, should I use an inorganic mix or one with pine bark added to the akadama, pumice, etc. mix? I'm a beginner, so any advice will be greatly appreciated!

pastorbk wrote: I hope that this isn't off topic. Should I replace the soil that came with my Ficus, which I purchased from Brussel's, with basic bonsai soil mix? If so, should I use an inorganic mix or one with pine bark added to the akadama, pumice, etc. mix? I'm a beginner, so any advice will be greatly appreciated!

If it is a ficus from Brussel's bonsai, don't worry about it. Just use common soil like you would for other houseplants.