Soil Recipe
My soil recipe is simple. Like most bonsai soil, it consists of 2 components: Organic and inorganic.
Organic
Let me preface by saying: I have tried it all. Expensive bonsai soil and cheap dollar-store dirt that stained my hands black for a day. And I have settled on Wal-Mart's version of Miracle-Gro potting soil. It has a very weak time-release fertilizer. Yet I have never had a problem with regular fertilizing. I sift the very large and very small particles out, then there it it- perfect organic. (See my Sifting page)
Inorganic
My inorganic consists of two components: sand and vermiculite. The sand I use is swimming pool filter sand. Do not use play sand or river sand, because the grains are too smooth. I mix the inorganic 2 parts sand to 1 part vermiculite.
The Mix
As with everything else, I try to keep everything simple. 60% org and 40% inorg for deciduous and the opposite for evergreens. I can feel a lot of you shaking your head at this. The reason I do this is because the majority of my trees come from a deserted gravel pit. The soil if full of chemicals and is mostly pea gravel with a little sand thrown in. So these trees are not used to the finest in dirt!
