Is Ceramic Clay Balls Good For Bonsai Soil

Akadama is a mineral rich granular clay ball soil that s highly prized for its plant nutrition and good water retention drainage in bonsai.

Is ceramic clay balls good for bonsai soil.

You can find it in small sizes like 4mm to 6mm and it is commonly used as one of the components in bonsai soil mixes. I believe good drainage aeration begins with the pot not bonsai soil. Akadama is the standard soil for most conifers including pines. Akadama is a naturally occurring clay like but not clay mineral found only in one region in japan.

Likewise if the center of the root ball is hard pack clay it may resist absorption of water and roots will not grow. Soils lacking good drainage are too water retentive lack aeration and are liable to a build up of salts. It is essentially a type of semi absorbent ceramic with non interconnected spherical pores. While most people can end up getting it right on the first try many do not.

The soil needs to be able to hold and retain sufficient quantities of water to supply moisture to the bonsai between each watering. The only time you can use them outdoors is if you have raised garden beds. Hence the relatively high dollars paid for good bonsai pots. Can t find bonsai soil here in my small town i ordered some bonsai roses an i need to know how to plant them please.

Good article and i relate to the question why not have pots with holes. The success of a good soil mix can be severely impaired if it is not uniform throughout the pot. That haydite is most definitely not a good ingredient for bonsai soils. Hydroton is the same as leca light expanded clay aggregate.

In the end using clay pellets for hydroponics has been proven to work effectively. But it is meeting specific requirements then matching appropriate pot shape size color matte or glossy to species size design of tree that is difficult. We recommend that you don t use a 100 or a super high percentage of akadama soil due to its water holding properties. It is excavated from quarries between an upper layer of topsoil and a lower level of sand in akagi yama in honshu 75 miles north of tokyo.

Akadama from bonsai today masters series pines literally translated akadama means red clay balls. People here say don t crush it so i guess it is better to buy in the adequate sizes. The clay watering spikes work better in potting soil than they do in many inorganic bonsai soils. Too much water retention will.

As for the de cat litter i ve been using it with success. If the old soil mass holds onto more moisture than the new soil mix it may remain too wet and a condition of root rot will set in. One rule about bonsai pots i don t understand is minimal amount of glaze on inside of pot. They work but i worry a bit about them in my most granular inorganic mixes.

It s a bit more expensive than other soils but this medium truly does do wonders. Lastly don t use clay pebbles instead of soil outside.