can i plant bonsai in silt ?

hi,
since i have visit the forum and other sites about bonsai i started to like this art.my question is that can i plant my bonsai i silt as i do other plants in containers. as my other plants are doing best in silt and it also available easily in my town.please help me i want to start my first bonsai.
thanks

rashid you have asked for one of the most debatable and complex question of bonsai art. remember the bonsai soil is the basic key for a good bonsai.
as in Pakistan we have silt available very easily and without any cost, it is very good for your lawn or container gardening.
never think of using it as bonsai soil.
please read a topic on bonsai soil in the forum then you will get the basic idea. after that ask for any problem i hope we will solve it.
here is the link
https://pakbonsai.forumotion.com/some-basics-about-bonsai-f6/bonsai-soil-t14.htm

@ pak bonsai,
why we cant plant these tree in silt, i have planted all my plants in silt with little mix of buffalo manure they are very health and good.then why we cant plant these tree ?

dear imran,
there is much difference between bonsai and a simple garden plants. bonsai wants much more attention and care in compare to other garden's plants.you will be happy to listen that there some bonsai which are quoted 500 years old or even more. you if you want to keep a 500 years old tree just in a 6*12 inch tray with the depth of 2 inch you need some special care and materials for it.
so you cant keep these plants in silt,but its not mean they will not grow but they will be slow and silt cause their roots to damage.

so what i should us to plant a bonsai..

rashid wrote:

so what i should us to plant a bonsai..

now thats pretty question and much difficult and so easy...
you are going to experience some thing new.
its according to the species of plant you have.
generally you need a soil.
which can hold required water for plant
drain the water easily and fast
can give nutrition to plant.
just follow these three rules.
i will post a new topic on soil just wait for it. meanwhile read the basic section about bonsai in the forum for reference.
take care

@pak bonsai i have read soil section.
where to find pine bark for bonsai soil ?

in northern areas you can find it,other way use shesham ,jamun or other plants bark.

so what we do now to make soil.

imran wrote:

@ pak bonsai,
why we cant plant these tree in silt, i have planted all my plants in silt with little mix of buffalo manure they are very health and good.then why we cant plant these tree ?

imran,

There are very good reasons why drainage, particle size and structural integrity are so important in bonsai mediums.

1. Oxygen is just as important as water for roots to thrive. A medium with small particle size (silt) excludes oxygen and creates the possibility for the roots to rot.

2. Although it may not seem to be so, a shallow pot does not drain as well as a taller one of the same volume. You can demonstrate this with an ordinary sponge. Soak a sponge and then pick it up in a flat position (horizontal) after the water has drained rotate it on end (vertical) and see how much more water drains. From this we can see that drainage is very important when using shallow pots, as in bonsai.

3. it is not unusual for bonsai to remain in the same pot for a number of years so it is vital that the soil drains well, not only today but in the future as well. The particles must not degrade or become compacted too quickly.

Of course your climate and the components available to you are different so some adjustment of your mix will be required. That is where this forum will benefit your local community.

Norm

thanks Gnome for your comments.
@imran, silt is not so good for bonsai i have two plants in silt since ten years,i will post there pics.
they are not so well as other plants in soil mix's we use for bonsai.even you will not believe that they have age more than 10 years.
second problem with silt is re-poting.
when you re-pot the bonsai due to silt the roots will be damaged and tree can experience some problems.so silt is not recommended.
though you can use a little amount of it in bonsai soil.

Imran,

The soil mix also varies depending upon the species. As an example, a jade tree (P. afra) will need a much dryer coarse grained sand mix with a free draining soil compared to say a Ficus which needs more moisture and humidity.
Norm (Gnome) has rightly clarified the issue.

Can you pls advise what species you want to work with?

Shaukat

where to find pine bark for bonsai soil ?

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pine bark can be found in our northern areas.