AusBonsai

hi, i need to make up some soil mix and dont no what to use. i just live in a country town and i have had a good look around and these are the options i have.
perlite
better grow bonsai mix
propergating sand
peat moss
spag moss
vermiculite
Attapulgite (chandlers citty litter)
and the normal potting mixes.
i have figs and maples, elms mainly, also wisterias.
any tips would be great.

no ideas any one?

Perlite would be the go out of that lot, pretty expensive but its good gear, I just started using it for some of my big olives due to its light weight, when you have a 50 litre grow box filled with potting soil its impossible to move but Perlite weighs next to nothing, I paid $30 for a 100 litre bag and it only filled up two grow boxes so yeah its dear stuff but if you've only got small bonsai pots to fill you should be able to do quite a few, make sure you put some gravel on top to hold it down as it will all blow away in a strong wind LOL.

100%perlite?

i think 100% perlite might be too moist.
Jim. check pm and email

John

but i do agree with ozzy about the weight
very light weight

Can you source any 3-5mm course rough sand? Or perhaps get cracker dust?
If so, mix that with the best potting mix you can buy at around 50-50 and you should be right. If not mix perlite and best potting mix at around 30-70%. Soak the perlite before you use it and it will mix into the potting mix better.
Cracker dust isn't a bad additive to potting mix for Bonsai culture, but it must be sieved and washed properly to get rid of all the dust. Bit heavy for the big pots.

I dont claim to be a genius at Bonsia[ing] lol,but i have always used the highest quality potting mix that i could find and mixed it with 3 to 5 ml pebbles at a roughfly 50/50 mix also and have had good success with it..Obviuosly you should only use native mix for natives and so on,but thats not to say that as i progress as a Bonsia practitioner,that i wont change the way i do things in this matter...Good luck.