AusBonsai

Hi everyone, do you use a soil sifter when you prepare your bonsai's soil? Is it really needed? I've seen expert people growing their tree in normal good soil before repotting in a bonsai pot.... So I wonder is it really necessary to flush out all the small particles? Won't they go away anyways when watering?

Thank you!


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I don't sift mine. Never had a problem. Depends on your mix as long as it drains well and doesn't turn to clay or dry out like concrete.
Cheers
Kirky

What are you using? I use Diatomite which I think is worth sifting to get all of the dust out. It seems to make everything in the pot join into a big clump and not a good one like Walter Pall's Japanese Maple. It also means I can grade the particles. I use the smaller stuff for small pots and the larger for larger pots and a base layer. Some I mix together (I'm still figuring out whats best for me).

It doesn't take long and seems worthwhile. I base a lot of my bonsai jobs on time vs perceived benefit.

I hope this helps some.

Cheers,
Nigel

KIRKY wrote:I don't sift mine. Never had a problem. Depends on your mix as long as it drains well and doesn't turn to clay or dry out like concrete.
Cheers
Kirky

Thank you, what soil do you use? I do a roughly mix of 40% diatomite 40% coco peat and 20% normal soil...


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I just chuck a piece of flyscreen cloth in a 300mm orchid pot for siving my diatomite. Seems to help its drainage to me.

Cheers,
Pearcy.

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Pearcy001 wrote:I just chuck a piece of flyscreen cloth in a 300mm orchid pot for siving my diatomite. Seems to help its drainage to me.

Cheers,
Pearcy.

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Ok but how do you know it helps? Have you tried without sifting? Wouldn't all the finer particles wash away?


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pureheart wrote:Ok but how do you know it helps? Have you tried without sifting? Wouldn't all the finer particles wash away?

I use a mix of 50/50 diatomite and pine bark nuggets. I never used to bother and when I watered, the top layer of substrate would always lift and shift about. Since I have been removing the diatomite fines the water just runs straight through and everything stays where it is. In saying all that, it was never enough of an issue to bother me. I just didn't want to risk a build up of the fines over the 12 months making it claggy when it comes to repotting. I've only been in the hobby for around 2 years so take my experiences with a grain of salt

Cheers,
Pearcy.

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Pearcy001 wrote:

pureheart wrote:Ok but how do you know it helps? Have you tried without sifting? Wouldn't all the finer particles wash away?

I use a mix of 50/50 diatomite and pine bark nuggets. I never used to bother and when I watered, the top layer of substrate would always lift and shift about. Since I have been removing the diatomite fines the water just runs straight through and everything stays where it is. In saying all that, it was never enough of an issue to bother me. I just didn't want to risk a build up of the fines over the 12 months making it claggy when it comes to repotting. I've only been in the hobby for around 2 years so take my experiences with a grain of salt

Cheers,
Pearcy.

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Thank you for the explanation! I assume your soil would be quite dry no? Do the pine bark nuggets retain a lot of moisture?


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I'm a sifter. Here's my mix for most things in pots up to about 200mm
Larger pots will need more sifting.
Very roughly equal parts.
Bark
Sand
Clay
Composted coco peat for thirsty species (before sifting)
Mix A mix without dust or very fine particles allows you to feed and water more heavily which leads to faster healthier growth. You have to keep on top of the watering though!

treeman wrote:I'm a sifter. Here's my mix for most things in pots up to about 200mm
Larger pots will need more sifting.
Very roughly equal parts.
Bark

P1100318.JPG

Sand

P1100320.JPG

Clay

P1100321.JPG

Composted coco peat for thirsty species (before sifting)

P1100322.JPG

Mix

P1100329.JPG

A mix without dust or very fine particles allows you to feed and water more heavily which leads to faster healthier growth. You have to keep on top of the watering though!

You are really convincing me that I should be sifting.... Although I'm worried that it will make my mix too dry in summer, being able to water only twice a day before going to work and after... What do you think?


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pureheart wrote:You are really convincing me that I should be sifting.... Although I'm worried that it will make my mix too dry in summer, being able to water only twice a day before going to work and after... What do you think?

I believe some people on here add coco peat or chopped spagnum moss to their mix to help retain moisture? Unfortunately never done it myself so cannot comment, although in summer I do plan to add a layer of spagnum moss on the top of any of my pots that dry quicker.


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Place any concerning tree's on a tray of water with some scoria inside and you'll be fine over the warmer days.

Boics wrote:Place any concerning tree's on a tray of water with some scoria inside and you'll be fine over the warmer days.

What does the scoria do?


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My sieve is one of the best bonsai investments I've made. Prior to using one I also found that the soil clogged up eventually but now it continues to drain well. I use diatomite and normal potting mix (the too busy to experiment much mix!)

teejay wrote:My sieve is one of the best bonsai investments I've made. Prior to using one I also found that the soil clogged up eventually but now it continues to drain well. I use diatomite and normal potting mix (the too busy to experiment much mix!)

teejay would you please tell me where you bought your sieve? Anyone would recommend one to buy ?


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