A mound of soil is placed in the bottom of the container. This is a mix of fir bark, hyuga (a hard pumice), coarse river sand, fine black lava and akadama - a red clay soil in pellet form. It has all been sifted prior to this so the texture is very good, with excellent drainage.
It was a little too dry from storage over the winter, though. The soil should be dry to enable it to work easily into and between the roots, but not bone dry like this.
