AusBonsai

HI i ve previously posted this question on another thread but i think putting it on a new thread will have have better views and may be help others if the come across it, have any one of u heard about ceramic granule or granile. i ve come across that and the lady at the nursery told me it can be use as decorative on the top soil for pot or also used at the bottom of pot for drainage. a search or the net did not provide much info but it is mention on some gardening site. can someone please enlightened me

Coomy, I posted an answer in the other thread before I saw this one. I won't repeat the whole thing, but basically I think it might have merit for a drainage layer, and I wouldn't worry about a top dressing unless I were showing the tree, in which case moss is traditional.

sorry lackhand for your trouble and thank you for your ans.
it would be interesting to know from someone who is actually using it, as for water retention, i ve seen from some site that it is used in hydroponic culture, guess i ll have to carried some experimentation and update result on this thread

Drainage layer I thought the use of drainage layer went out with clay based potting mix there is plenty of evidence that a drainage layer actually impedes drainage and it is worse in shallow bonsai pots. Just use a well drained potting mix suitable for bonsai and forget about drainage layers completely.

Hi coomy20,
Shibui is right. I used to use drainage layers 20 years ago. You need all of the soil to be able to drain well. Use a mix that will not create wet pockets and cause root rot.

Regards Ray

hmmm,

really dont know if i will use it, they are rouded pellets about 10 mm in size, dont know if they are porous bit the small hole in it trap water when wet.

Hi coomy20,
With your description of this product I personally wouldn't use it. Add some Zeolite into your mix. This will work much better and is a well proven product.

Regards Ray

would have love to, but unfortunately no one supplies it in my country, only thing i have now is pumice, perlite and potting soil

Hi coomy20,
Use the perlite in your mix. It will certainly give you good drainage. I have used perlite for many years.

Regards Ray

sorry to ask ray, what is the ratio you used in your mix organic/inorganic

Coomy, I reckon pumice (assuming it's crushed and screened to about 3-6mm) and mixed 50/50 with potting mix would be a good start if you are a ficus fan.
The mix should cycle dry in about 2 days, depending of course your humidity levels and tree sizes.AnyWay, I'd love some pumice over here! We even struggle to get Diatomite!.got plenty of Akadama though ....Dog.

thanks bonsaidog,
u have ans one of my question wiithout even me asking i have pumice which is 20mm to 30 mm, i ve always wonder if i have to crush them first.

Hi Coomy.... what size/types of trees/pots are you dealing with?....Dog.

am a newbie, its the first time am preparing my bonsai mix, i ve use only potting soil before and have found out lately how devastating the can be for bonsai, ive various plant and various pot size, but my first mix would be use for repotting a bougie in a training pot size approximate 40cm*25 cm. i know bougie like well drained soil but as i live in a tropical climate. soil need to have some water retention capacity as well.

coomy20 wrote:am a newbie, its the first time am preparing my bonsai mix, i ve use only potting soil before and have found out lately how devastating the can be for bonsai, ive various plant and various pot size, but my first mix would be use for repotting a bougie in a training pot size approximate 40cm*25 cm. i know bougie like well drained soil but as i live in a tropical climate. soil need to have some water retention capacity as well.

Coomy, are you talking about a product called LECA? We have that here in South Africa. It is an expanded clay aggregate, and seems to vary in ball size from about 2 to 3mm upwards to quite large. I am using it along with crushed pine bark and palm peat as a mix for my olive yamadoris and they love it! Drains like a bomb, holds moisture excellently, but is very low in nutrients so I have to feed quite a bit to get the old olives to green up. If I were to use it in a propper bonsai pot, I think I'd probably add a bit of 3 to 5 mm gravel to heavy up the mix to make it more wind-proof (so plants don't blow out). I sieve the bags I get it in to 2 sizes. One for smaller pots and trees and the other for the beeeeeeeeg stuff, and I mean beeeeeeeeeg!

Don't ask me what proportions cause I'm not that scientific. I mix it all together until it just looks perfect!

Cheers,

Andrew