bonsaiTALK Community - View Single Post - Lava Rock in the bottom of the pot

2 things; 1/2" to 3/4" particle size is a bit large for anything bonsai--that's like gravel! And 2 to 3 inches of this gravel is overkill; how deep is your pot? We try to keep the rootsystem as shallow as we can without causing danger to the health of the tree. If you're using 2" of almost 1" particle size gravel for drainage, that leaves little room for "soil". This would mean you'd need a 5 to 6" deep pot to make it work.

Let's say you have decided to use a 3" pot (deep) Let's say you'd like to have a drainage layer. I'd use a particle size no larger than 3/8" for this drainage layer and would fill the bottom of the pot no deeper than 3/4" deep with this drainage layer. You can use lava if you like.

15-Mar-2007	#4
gregb bonsaiTALK Master Join Date: Jan-2005 Location: Hood River OR Country: U.S. USDA Zone: 7 AHS Heat Zone: 4 Posts: 461	2 things; 1/2" to 3/4" particle size is a bit large for anything bonsai--that's like gravel! And 2 to 3 inches of this gravel is overkill; how deep is your pot? We try to keep the rootsystem as shallow as we can without causing danger to the health of the tree. If you're using 2" of almost 1" particle size gravel for drainage, that leaves little room for "soil". This would mean you'd need a 5 to 6" deep pot to make it work. Let's say you have decided to use a 3" pot (deep) Let's say you'd like to have a drainage layer. I'd use a particle size no larger than 3/8" for this drainage layer and would fill the bottom of the pot no deeper than 3/4" deep with this drainage layer. You can use lava if you like.