What is your opinion of Sakadama for bonsai ?

[longd_au]

I recently came across a bag of sakadama. I was advised to mix it with akadama for longer lasting mix. Anyone tried Sakadama?

[KIRKY]

It’s a South African product “supposed to be like Akadama” it’s more expensive. I have read it has a high ph of 9 which is not good in the long run for trees. Just a bit of info on ph (google search) I came across for growing trees:- “Values between 7 and 8 are not immediately harmful for the plant. Nutrients such as iron, phosphate, and manganese are less available which will lead to deficiencies (chlorosis and development problems) in the long run”.
Lots of reading on google and forums if you want more info on Sakadama.
From all that I have read on it… not for me.
Cheers
Kirky

[treeman]

I asked the manufacturer who was pushing it real hard on Bonsai Nut why they claim the pH was neutral when I tested it at 9. I received no reply.
I have used it sparingly for some bonsai mixed with more acidic materials. I also used it in a mix for potting up some desert cacti from Northern Mexico and Southern USA which grow on limestone and they seen to be doing well. Maybe washing the dust out before use might be worthwhile? It does have good physical properties.

[kcpoole]

From what i understand it more like the American Turface.
IIRC its fired to about 600 Deg which makes it very hard and will nt break down
Its nothign like Akadama which is softer and allows the roots to penetrate and break it apart eventually

I also did not knwo about its High PH

Ken

[Bougy Fan]

I have been using it mixed with 1/3 kiryuzuna and so far the results are promising. I am using the medium size. I like it because it is so hard as already mentioned. A lot of the akadama being sold is ridiculously soft and breaks down very quickly. At one point during covid it was all that was available. The ph issue sounds like the same argument about maidenwell vs kleensorb. None of my trees ever complained to me about the ph level in Kleensorb. Perhaps if I had given them a test kit it may have become an issue ?

[SuperBonSaiyan]

By baking it to 600C, it removes the main benefit of Akadama, so I don't see the point of Sakadama.

Pumice holds some water, doesn't break down, has a slight CEC, and is mostly neutral.
Zeolite holds some water, doesn't break down, and has a high CEC, and is slightly acidic.

Both of these are cheaper (AFAIK) and are readily available.

[tgooboon]

do you have any info on where you source Zeolite?

[SuperBonSaiyan]

I don't use it anymore, but when I was I got it from Woolies - their orange bag of cat litter.

If anyone does decide to use this, try to get a feel for the bottom of the bag. I've gotten batches where there was hardly any fines, and batches where there were quite a bit of fines.

[SquatJar]

I haven't tried Sakadama yet but seeing as they are touting it's calcined to 600c I would expect any pH value above neutral to be short-lived as the soluble particles will be washed away quickly and it will then degrade slowly.

As it is calcined I haven't seen any convincing reasons mentioned as to why it would be better than the readily available and cheaper alternatives of zeolite and pumice. That is the main reason I haven't tried it yet.

To the poster above enquiring about zeolite, woolies orange cat litter is usually pretty reliable, and it's cheap. Escott mines is another Australian source, I find the quality exceptional but it is quite heavy, good for small pots and tall literati types. In my experience zeolite seems to get best results when used <50% of the total mix.

I still haven't heard any reasonable explanation/s for why akadama produces such great, fine root structures. Any mix I've tried above 30% akadama seems to have noticeable improvements. The proposed mechanism that is oft regurgitated of root tips penetrating the tubular structure and dividing/scaling the particle is implausible, the tubules are nanometers and root hairs are microns, it's akin to parking a bus inside a hypodermic needle. The only media I've seen produce similar fine roots is the old diatomite. It also has a porous nano-structure so maybe there is something to it, potentially regarding gaseous exchange? Who knows.

[SuperBonSaiyan]

I still haven't heard any reasonable explanation/s for why akadama produces such great, fine root structures. Any mix I've tried above 30% akadama seems to have noticeable improvements. The proposed mechanism that is oft regurgitated of root tips penetrating the tubular structure and dividing/scaling the particle is implausible, the tubules are nanometers and root hairs are microns, it's akin to parking a bus inside a hypodermic needle. The only media I've seen produce similar fine roots is the old diatomite. It also has a porous nano-structure so maybe there is something to it, potentially regarding gaseous exchange? Who knows.

I think of it like this: roots can grow into akadama, just like they can grow into pine bark nuggets. The key difference with akadama is that it breaks into smaller particles when roots enter it, thus bifurcating the roots.

Pine nuggets break down and bifurcate roots as well, but maybe not as dependably as akadama.

What happens below the soil is mirrored above, more bifurcation = more ramification.

This is all theoretical as I've never used akadama myself. I may when I have a tree in refinement, if I can find a good source.

The bags of double (triple?) line akadama I've seen don't have much dust in the bag which I think is an easy indicator of quality.

[treeman]

The proposed mechanism that is oft regurgitated of root tips penetrating the tubular structure and dividing/scaling the particle is implausible, the tubules are nanometers and root hairs are microns, it's akin to parking a bus inside a hypodermic needle.

Yes it is implausible because it's made-up. What actually happens is that the roots grow in the pore spaces BETWEEN particles and as they grow and expand the pressure increases until the particles break and slowly form a finer and finer medium which the inevitable effect on root diameter and ramification.

[Grant Bowie]

Mixed with other product it should be fine, I’m just starting to use it. DO NOT USE TURFACE, it’s dreadful unless in small percentage. I tested it years ago while t the NBPCA and dropped it without any hesitation.