cycl
beginner's corner
SELECTING THE
RIGHT SOIL
After the tragic death of his
bonsai tree, Alan Ray did
some research on which
soil he should have used.
Here’s what he found out.
by Alan Ray
120
grow cycle
I
stared in relative disbelief at the
rust-coated plant on the table in front
of me. If Chernobyl produced a Chia
Pet, this would be it. If it were a build-
ing, the city would condemn it. Only
months ago, it was this beautifully
green, happy, and healthy little bonsai.
What happened?
Overall, I’d say I’m pretty good with
plants, so I was truly puzzled as to what
process transformed my oriental orna-
mental into this ghostly doppelganger.
I’d fed it, watered it regularly, and even
introduced nutrient-packed soil to
replace the old medium, yet still it fried.
So, with my dream of becoming a
bonsai artist now toast, I began back-
tracking my care of this little plant to
discover where I’d gone wrong. As it
turns out, pretty much everywhere.
Oops.
One of the major sins I committed had
to do with the soil—I introduced the
wrong type. Apparently, all soils don’t
always work for all plants, trees, and
vegetables. So, I decided to learn more
about soil types. Here’s what I dug up.