I'm not in the re-potting phase at the moment but want to be prepared. Is it best to make my own soil based on a bunch of future research and trial and error, etc? Or would purchasing a professional Bonsai soil from say, BonsaiBoy be just as good as anything I could create on my own ... from googling the subject seems there are oodles of differing opinions? TIA for any advise.
Robert

risky topic. You'll get as many opinions as the number of people upi ask.

Buying bonsai soil.. I find they do not meet my criteria. I have very draining soil. The only organic component is 10-30% pine bark. I just mix lava with bark, and at times kitty litter type baked clay.

I will refrain from commenting on this subject

If you have helpful advise I'd like to hear it please ... Thanks

i think it would be good and useful to make your own soil as it shows you know a lot. the thing i would do would be to mix akadama, humus matter and pumice in a ratio of 3:3:2. you can make a soil mix to benefit individual trees, so you get healthier tree. i think you should start off by getting akadama and work your way up the scale of soils. many "bonsai soils" are full of peat, a substance that is easy to retain, cheap and profitable. it would be better to make your own soil mix, but this is my opinion.

hope this helps

Good question, perhaps so good that one answer wont suffice

We asked several experts on this topic to share their best practices; read it here:
www.bonsaiempire.com/blog/akadama-soil

Good luck!

Awesome thanks ... that will be a great help!

Bear in mind, different species have different needs, eg Dawn Redwood likes a lot of moisture in the soil, Junipers don't, so while bonsai soil always needs to be free draining you need to look at what you are growing, and what conditions it needs. Experiment by all means, I use sieved potting compost with a greater or lesser proportion of inorganic material depending on the tree, vermiculite is useful and fairly cheap if bought in bulk, there are various opinions on cat litter (not the type which goes to mush when wet!), personally I find it useful and inexpensive.


Dave