AusBonsai

Bonsaiforest wrote:I'm not really familiar with diatomite and zeolite... What are the benefit

• Diatomite - Is all the rage because it holds a lot of moisture without staying 'wet'.

• Zeolite - Holds some moisture, not as much as diatomite so dries out quicker, but it has good cation exchange(holds onto plant nutrients well so provides some buffer for fertilisation)

• Composted & Sifted Pine Bark Nuggets - Holds lots of moisture but also stays wetter than diatomite so not as good for O2. Has good cation exchange so useful as a fertilisation buffer. Although this is organic it's still very useful if the other mediums dry out too quickly for you.

• Scoria/Pumice - Lots of O2 to the roots but doesnt retain moisture as well.

JaseH wrote:I just checked the wiki but its a bit light on as far as soil info goes - so this might help?


Hope that helps?

JaseH wrote:I just checked the wiki but its a bit light on as far as soil info goes - so this might help?

One thing to get your head around is that our trees don't need 'soil' as such, they just need a medium to provide the ideal environment for growth and health. This ideal environment can vary depending on the species but generally, for roots to grow and be healthy, they need a moist environment(not wet), oxygen and nutrients(NPK and trace elements).

I had some experience with hydroponics before getting into bonsai and see a lot of similarities between hydroponic methods and the way bonsai is grown today, in that the soil medium is mostly or wholey in-organic and the nutrients are provided as a separate component to the soil medium(in hydroponics this is generally via the water). Organic soil components that provide nutrients usually work against us in that they stay too wet and break down over time to clog the medium. This all restricts O2 and water passage to the roots = not the best for plant health.

When we seperate the nutrient requirement from the medium, this allows us to then maximise the other requirements(moisture and O2).

The medium then that provides the ideal environment is one that holds some moisture without staying damp or too wet. If the medium is too damp, the O2 is quickly exhausted and cannot easily be replaced as there is no air movement through the medium to allow this. The roots don't like this and health will suffer. On the other hand if the medium is too dry and does not retain enough moisture then of course we have trouble keeping water up to the plant and risk them drying out. So the trick is to find a happy medium(see what I did there! )


Everyone's 'happy medium' is different - some people live in a dry hot environment, or they cannot water as regularly as others might so prefer a medium that retains a little more moisture to reduce the risk of drying out. Others live in wet environments or prefer to water and fertilise more often so will prefer a faster draining 'drier' mix which also maximises O2 to the roots. The trick is work out your happy medium - what best suits your environment and care regime that also provides maximum O2 to the roots. Once you understand this you can then analyse the characteristics of the various medium components thrown around these forums and start experimenting to find your 'happy medium'.

• Diatomite - Is all the rage because it holds a lot of moisture without staying 'wet'.

• Zeolite - Holds some moisture, not as much as diatomite so dries out quicker, but it has good cation exchange(holds onto plant nutrients well so provides some buffer for fertilisation)

• Composted & Sifted Pine Bark Nuggets - Holds lots of moisture but also stays wetter than diatomite so not as good for O2. Has good cation exchange so useful as a fertilisation buffer. Although this is organic it's still very useful if the other mediums dry out too quickly for you.

• Scoria/Pumice - Lots of O2 to the roots but doesnt retain moisture as well.

There are many others, other forum members can probably suggest or expand on, but you will need to experiment to see what combinations work for you. A good starting point might be 50/50 (Diatomite/Pine Bark Nuggets) and play around from there?

All this also assumes you want to maximise plant health and will water and fertilise regularly. If you cant or don't want to provide the extra attention to your trees need but would just prefer to leave them be more often then lean more towards the traditional potting mix but maybe add a little something from the list above to improve the drainage a little and get some more O2 to the roots.

Hope that helps?

Diatomine and Zeolite are a lot lighter than soils and gravel hey? This would also come in handy with larger trees?

shibui wrote:

Diatomine and Zeolite are a lot lighter than soils and gravel hey? This would also come in handy with larger trees?

That's correct but the flip side is that pots are lighter and more easily tipped over in wind = broken branches and broken pots occasionally.

Bonsaiforest wrote:I'm not really familiar with diatomite and zeolite... What are the benefits of using these & are they easily sourced in Sydney?

kcpoole wrote:
Can you add all that to the Wiki ?
https://www.ausbonsai.com.au/wiki/index. ... onsai_soil

Ken

Homer911 wrote:

Bonsaiforest wrote:I'm not really familiar with diatomite and zeolite... What are the benefits of using these & are they easily sourced in Sydney?

I contacted Enfield and they said that they don't stock Zeolite anymore but they can order in some 1-2mm in!! I'm looking for about 5mm.

viewtopic.php?t=7073

Anyone know where else I can find some in the st.george area, Sydney?