Another poster asked about what kind of soil to use for Bonsai - you could ask 10 people and get 10 different responses, albeit the agreed upon properties of granular in structure and well draining. Where I live, bonsai supplies are hard to come by, so I started mixing my own soil, and I feel that I have gotten the formula right. Here it is:

Ingredients mixed in a 5 gallon bucket:
Base of medium size pine bark mulch. about 1/3 of bucket filled.
Few scoops of play sand
8-10 scoops clean, unscented clay kitty litter
8-10 scoops cedar chip hamster/gerbil bedding (great for keeping bugs away, drains very well)
Sometimes, fill the rest of bucket with a peat based light potting soil, and vermiculite

Don't know if this would constitute a "conventional" mix or not - but I have been very pleased with it. Anyone else mix their own?

The unscented clay cat litter will clump like clay does when wet.
I don't want to tell you what to use,but diatomaceous earth won't break down and it absorbs water to be released later. I use napa oil dry.

Good advice - yes I use it sparingly when compared to the volume of other ingredients. I haven't had any clumping problems, but I haven't used it very heavily in a pot yet either. I have been wanting to try Oil-Dri - heard good things about it.

Would you plese post some pictures of this....products

even better. Here's an article. it's a great read, as far as articles on cat litter go. haha

bonsai4me.com/Basics/Basicscatlitter.htm

good read - yes, I should say that I have experimented with several brands of kitty litter, and some of them are horrible. The best one I have found is actually from CVS drug stores. It is their store brand in a green, white, and blue bag. Very solid particles, no dust, very clean. I will most definitely get a bag of the Napa product however - sounds great.

This is so educational )))
Thanks

One test you should do to a cat litter before putting it in to your mix is this....
Put it in a bowl of water for a few hours. If it turns into mud, don't use it. For us folks who experience harsh winters....put that same bowl of water and cat litter in the freezer until frozen, then take it out and let it thaw. If it hasn't broken down..it's good.

Hi All,

Here is an extensive discussion that was posted previously on various soil mixes used by members. www.bonsaiempire.com/forum/repotting-and-soil/1312-mixing-soil There is also a good outline on soil mixtures on our site here: www.bonsaiempire.com/care/bonsai-soil
There are so many different opinions out there it can be very confusing. The mixture one chooses seems to be a matter of personal preferance. Hope this helps clarify things a little for you.