Because of recent emails from bonsai gardeners that are willing to grow black pine bonsai with the Expertise soil mixture, I decided to Reveal the truth about black pine bonsai soil mixture.
What is the best soil for Japanese black pine bonsai? A pine tree can grow in acidic and alkaline soil conditions as well and these trees prefer to grow in well-draining soil that mixed with clay, sand, gravel, or loamy soil. Akadama, pumice, & lava mixture in the same amounts will be the best soil.
And do you know that what is the secret to the best soil mixture for black pine bonsai trees? It is the 1-1-1 method. This method gives you an amazing result.
What is the best soil for Japanese Black Pine bonsai trees?
Black pine bonsai trees need different growing mediums than they do need in the wild. Because when growing bonsai trees in pots there are many limitations to plants.
As you know earlier Japanese black pine bonsai trees would like to grow in well drainage soils. Because these trees want some space to grow their roots.
The main and important factors that you have to consider when choosing a soil to plant black pine bonsai trees are porosity of the soil, water holding capacity, and Density of the soil.
When you growing black pine trees as bonsai, always use lightweight medium and that soil must be able to retain water. As well as it should allow satisfactory airflow and drainage.
There are many species of black pine bonsai trees, and most of them have the ability to grow in alkaline and acidic conditions and they have good growth, But they do need sandy soil that has good drainage.
That is common among the pine family and there are few species like lodgepole and loblolly that have the ability to grow in wet areas. But those species are rare to find.
# PH levels of soil #
As well as the PH level of the soil is also considered when growing black pine bonsai trees. Do you know what is acidic and alkaline soil? This is referred to as the ph level of the soil.
Most pine trees prefer to grow in neutral to acidic PH levels.
| A low PH level | Acidic soil |
| High PH level | Alkaline soil |
A pH level of around 5.5 and 6.5 is best for these black pine trees and remember to provide those pH levels in the soil.
Also, we can’t forget the main requirement of trees from their growing medium on another hand from the soil. It is nutrients and it is the main fact that wants to be considered.
# Nutrients for soil #
When you grow black pine bonsai trees, you should give them all the nutrients they get from the soil when they grow in the wild.
You can use some slow-releasing fertilizer to the soil before you plant and it will help the plant, but keep in mind NKP amounts must be balanced in that fertilize.
According to garden expertise, Black pine bonsai trees need a good nutrition supply from the soil. These trees should be given a fertilizer with Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium in 5-4-3 From rates.
As well as this black pine is a evergreen tree, so these trees like to grow in acidic soil with more organic content.
Also you can use manure to Black pine bonsai soil. Followings are NPT rates of manure.
| Animal | Nitrogen (N%) | Phosphorous (P%) | Potassium(K%) |
| Cow manure | 6 | 2 | 5 |
| Horse manure | 7 | 3 | 6 |
| Poultry manure | 11 | 8 | 5 |
| Guano ( from bats ) | 10 | 3 | 1 |
The best soil for Japanese black pine bonsai.
The best soil for Japanese black pine bonsai is the expertise mixture. This mixture is composed of three soil types and it will help your plant for quick and healthy growth.
And further drainage system in the soil is also considerable and let’s discuss how to make this expertise mixture of soil for Japanese black pine bonsai trees at your home.
How to find suitable soil for your black pine bonsai tree?
As I wish this will be the next trouble faced by black pine bonsai gardeners. How to find Suitable soil for your black pine bonsai tree? it is not hard.
You can find soil for your black pine bonsai tree from your surrounding, Most commonly compost, Akamada, and granite soil is used. But always you have to think about the PH level of the soil and you can change it by using various methods.
The above soil that you get from your surrounding must be examined before using to plant your black pine bonsai tree. There are 5 main factors you have to be aware of when you are up to grow such a tree.
Main factors that anyone have to consider when choosing a soil to black pine bonsai are,
- PH level of soil,
- Average moisture of soil,
- NPK rate of the soil,
- Drainage facility of the soil,
- The density of the soil.
You have to examine all of the above factors one by one to check if your soil is suitable to grow a black pine bonsai plant. If all of those are in your soil, you can use it for your plant.
# check the PH level of soil #
There are few ways to check the PH level of your garden soil that use to plant your bonsai tree. You can use a PH test kit and it will be easy than other methods. But you can do it with these methods.
- Vinegar and baking soda experiment
- Red cabbage water PH test
And after all, as I told earlier most of black pine bonsai plants love acidic soil and probably most of these trees have long lives in these soil conditions.
But do not worry at all, if you have alkaline soil and you want to grow a black pine tree, you can reduce the PH level of soil and make acidic soil.
To make acidic soil from alkaline soil the only way is reducing the PH of the soil. You can reduce the PH level of soil by adding a large amount of peat moss into your soil mixture.
# Average moisture of the soil #
You can measure the soil moisture by a Tensiometers and the moisture level required by a black pine bonsai tree in the soil is around 200gm-3 to 400gm-3. It means for one cubic meter of soil their must contain 200g of water.
# NPK rate of the soil #
NPK must be in 3-1-2 rates. Because these trees love to grow with more nitrogen amounts so you can use a fertilizer with more nitrogen amounts.
# Drainage facility of soil #
As you know at earlier black pine bonsai trees usually have a tendency to grow in soil where there is good drainage available. But that soil also should able to retain some moisture.
You can increase the drainage facility of soil by adding decayed granite to the soil and also adding some gravels is also suitable.
# Density of the soil #
The density of soil is also a considerable factor when growing black pine bonsai trees. But there is nothing to worry about density if your soil fulfilled the above four factors.
How to make the best soil mixture at home?
Here is the thing you looking for, How to make the best bonsai soil for your black pine bonsai tree. It is not very hard and let’s discuss it step by step. As well as most black pine bonsai owners and environmentalists also recommend this soil mixture for black pine bonsai trees.
First of all you have to consider about drainage system and PH level of the soil. As well as next you have to think the nutrient amounts of the soil.
You can use various types of soils, Decayed rock parts, Composts, Fertilizers and so on. Main thing is all those things are able to find at your surrounding.
According to many bonsai gardeners and after many reserches i found most relevent and suitable soil types that are suitable to mix with your black pine bonsai soil.
1-1-1 expertise soil mix for black pine bonsai is also a result of experiments and it is the most suited mixture for those trees. let us lean into all those things Gradually.
# Types of soils that you can use #
- Akadama
- Sand with coarse grains
- Decomposed granite
- Pumic
- Turface
- Dianomite
- Sandy clay
- loamy soil.
# 1-1-1 Soil mixture #
Here you can mix Akadama, Pumic and lava in this rates. As example, you can mix 100g of Akadama soil with 100g of Pumic soil and 100g of Lava soil.
You can use this soil mixture without any problem with black pine bonsai tree of any age. With this soil mixture you can use several fertilizers, which will increase the growth rate of your plant, but always pay attention to the nitrogen composition.
Because a high level of nitrogen burns your tree and tree roots. Use the above manure management table, it will help you.
Do black pine bonsai need these things in soil?
Yes, if so, black pine bonsai trees need all of the above factors we discussed earlier for good growth and a healthy life.
When you grow plants in a pot, the plant cannot absorb everything it needs from the soil, the only option for the plant is to absorb anything from the soil in the pot, so make as much soil as you can.
Give all the facilities to your tree in the pot, good drainage, Best PH level, Well nutrients, and also water. if you full fill in all those factors you will be able to have a nice Black pine bonsai tree in your collection.
How to know when it is time to change the soil?
After planting a bonsai tree you can keep it in same pot more than 2 years and you have to change the soil and repot it.
Also when the soil is wanted to re-pot, you can find it from the tree. the growing speed decreasing slowly. So you have to re-pot the plant or change the soil of the plant.
Recommend to read : Why do juniper bonsai trees are brittle?
