A detailed list of this information is available in the video description, along with corrections and notes. Big shout-outs and thanks to @prana2000, @Nacho_Nacho, @AdornThyHeadset, @GUSTAVO_TORRES & my wife Julie for pointing out needed areas of future improvements! Keep those critiques coming - how else do we learn?! Love to you all!

This is one of the best videos comparing bonsai soil i have ever seen! Bravo! Good job!

Great video, but I will give some constructive feedback. It would have been immensely helpful to see a summary table or graph at the end. Thanks!

This is the best video on the web for deciding soil components. It leaves opinions and anecdotes behind and presents unadulterated fact. I love it. Thank you so much for the work you put in to make this information accessible. Keep em coming! Subbed!

superb research!! probably the best soil video I've seen! can't wait for part two! I like!!!

This is excellent content to help me decide on what to go with for a base bonsai mix. It seems like everyone has their own opinions, but it's great to see some actual facts based comparisons. I can't wait to see the other tests you do!

You have one of the best Bonsai channels, I love your style. I am currently binge watching all your Yamadori videos, I cant get enough.

Wow, great comparisons! This is exacly what i was looking for. Thank you

lovely presentation, simple & clear! Keep up the good work!

look forward to the future videos! i've just gotten into bonsai and this knowledge is very useful

This is amazing, what a great job, had been looking for a video like this!

Congrats on the 10,000. Good video and very helpful. Thanks

Incredibly detailed video. I've always wanted to see such an experiment

this is an amazing video. im not into bonsai but i make my own soil mixes. very helpful. ive come back to this video now a few times.

I always appreciate a scientific approach to bonsai, especially on the complex topic of soils. maybe your experiments will spare me from having to test the same things.

Thanks. Good job we have people like this because I would never have the patience. I would buy mine from a dealer who does all this kind of stuff for me, but I really find it interesting to listen to. Keep it up.

Very good, informative & professionally made video.

Always a great topic. Well done for how you covered it

Thank you for this thorough test!

This video is what I've been waiting for so long just wanted to know how it goes..I'm excited to try it ...cant wait to see some updates of your tees ...

Wonderful video mate. Very informative. I love it

keep up the great videos. always looking forward to them

Awesome video breaking substrates down... i waited long for a video like this..

A very good video for comparing different types of Bonsai planting material. I am impressed that Bonsai are grown all over the world. I have to admit that I do not have any Bonsai plants even thought there are many Bonsai nurseries near my home. I am thinking about buying some small Bonsai.

Very interesting test, thank you for sharing this magnificent work. Greetings from Marbella, (Spain).

Wow, you are thorough! Glad I found your channel. Very informative!👍

good show. now I have to watch it again and make notes when I have more time.

great video. I don't grow bonsias but the test is great and very helpful. I grow orchids in inorganic media. Glad I found your channel ♥

This is great info for houseplant growers also. I have been looking for this type of test for months and finally found you. Thank you!! Have you done the video on PH for each component??

Thank you so much for testing!

I just built one of those bucket stoves out of concrete and now I know what I can do with it! that clay baking deal is really cool. I like the idea of baking the clay, regular kitty litter just turns into concrete in the bottom of the pot sooner or later...

Hi this help me alot for starting here in the u.s. thank you. More power

Thank you very much for the informative video. I learned quite a bit.

Very, very good even this test, very good video, I think that little by little is helping me to identify which will be the best substrate, better percentage of the mixture for the plant, more drainage or not, I think I'll give a suggestion of test ok?

Great video, I'm just starting out so very informative. Thanks.

For peat moss, if you want to measure properly it's water renention, it need to be pre moistened with hot water. This will accelarate the water absorption. Further, it's better to sift the dust and smaller particules out to use it and get the best out of it.

Awesome!!! Methodical, and sciency. Pretty nice.

Really great vid. I am trying to get into Bonsai... I have been collecting some specimens to this end. I have a 7 year plus lemon tree, an osage orange sprout, avocado, some kind of pine, a mexican poppy and a mulberry... so far, my ginko seeds have failed. I have collected some pots and other materials for making soil. I am doing everything with found materials, or thrift store flotsam. I haven't yet taken anything out of its regular soil... I want to make my soil from the get-go. I am thinking of using broken brick, pottery, lava rock, maybe broken-up limestone chips, I have some ash with borer rot that I want to try to use... maybe charcoal... and I have been trying to think of ways of turning cow manure into rock form... maybe through boiling with baking soda and firing it without air. I would also like to dig up local clay and fire that as well. I imagine there are several factors I will have to take into consideration... water retention, nutrient source, weight and ph. I imagine Mulberry to be a great primer in my experiments as it is hardy and proliferate... also, the osage orange, I believe is hardy as well, and the most rot resistant wood in North America. But the Osage Orange specimen I have sprouted out of some steps I put into a hugelkulture pumpkin patch bed that I made for a neighbor... it has a great form and strong sentimental value... so I am hesitant to experiment with it. Also, I keep red wrigglers and Bokashi compost... so I will amend my water with these. Oh, and I want to make standard in my plantings the use of moss... which I have obtained an aquarium to begin cultivating. Any advice anyone might have to offer would be greatly appreciated. Again, thanks for the great video. I have subscribed to your channel and given a thumbs-up to ... "praise the good..."

Great video, I have watched tonnes of bonsai videos about soils but none of them this accurate :D

Super video, I would love you advise now what to use or have you already made a video to suggest it ?

Love the video. I just repotted a cheap indoor ficus bonsai, because the soil was very dense and cheap. I used a Zeolite and Pumice mixture but i wasn't sure if i had to add something :) maybe ill add a little bit of moss just incase

Wow! Excelente video, muy didáctico, gracias por compartir.

Awesome video. Great methods

So much great information! Thank you!

Thank you! That was very helpful.

EXELENTE MUY BUENA LA ACLARACION RETENCION DE AGUA DE LOS DISTINTOS ELEMENTOS...

Good work my friend, thank you.

Very informative. Thanks.

That was so interesting and informative thanks for that!

Excellent video. Thank you.

Thank you ! I love tests like these and your glass selection was good. If possible, try out crushed brick pieces too. I believe in america, you can buy it from some garden shops, else crush enough for the test. i liked the rankings given in the description and your video could have been organized like a countdown - say, from 10 to 1 and show the full rankings at the end of the video. But you are now aware of it, judging by the comments. Good work ! Looking forward to the remaining parts. Will it be about drainage and aeration ? It would be great if you can touch upon the benefits / drawbacks of self watering bonsai and the role of substrate from that perspective. You have inspired me to finish my own documentary on pot design, which went into hibernation due to writers block, a general disinterest from my attention demanding plants and some life distractions. Restarting tonight. Script is half done.

Yea, really nice video...very interesting and useful...

Great test and very usefull.

this is helpful. thank you!

Great videos! thanks! Can you tell me how do you prepare your soil? type of element used and proportions? I see that your soil is tiny size.

New to the channel. This was excellent! Curious what part of Appalachia your in & best soil mix you've had luck with?

Great video and test! (And glasses!) My only suggestion would be to include a sort of summary at the end, perhaps just the numbered lists of which materials held the most water in each category.

Wow. Exelent video. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I use akadama 50%pomice 20%lava rock 20%. 10%. Pine Barck. For deciduous trees. But akadama is expensive material. I’ll try this year 25%akadama and 25% mvp turface. I’ll see what happens.

I have been following you for several months now. Thank you for a very informative and clear analysis of water retention in bonsai soils. I have one doubt I would like for you to check, on you percentage calculation for pine bark. I ran you numbers and I get 33.3%, loss not 14.8. Thanks again.

I guess for succulent and cacti use, the less water retention the better. Please correct me if I am wrong. Thanks for the great video.

Cool! very useful, thank you!

Great information in a single video. May I know which is best for bonsai ?

Hey congrats for your videos. Great job. Can you please tell me what kind of soil mix do you use for your trees? Thnks a lot i would apreciate that. Congrats from Portugal.

Thanks for making

Amazin vids, really like the content

Very interesting, thank you.

Sangat membantu dan membangun .....hal yang penting ..... terima kasih .....

Very good video, thank you.

All right Master you're so good at this please take me for Apprentice

Thank you for this really well put together video and test! +1

There is always more to learn. haha Another great video bro!👍

Nice video. Thanks.

Thanks! Very interesting

Nice sharing. And i loveeeeee your cat

Very informative. It would be worthwhile to test charcoal and zeolite. Thanks

nice explanation of bonsai soil thanks

Bro I been waithing for your new videos

Gracias por compartir señor.

I already congratulated you for the tests. You had a brilliant idea. I now have a few questions regarding your protocol: What was the volume of each component? Why soaking the substrate for an hour? Would a minute or two be more representative of a normal big watering? Why have you chosen 105 minutes for the first weighting and 315 minutes for the second? I am asking you those question because I want to run similar tests using also chabazite so I can compare it with the other components (perlite, diatomaceous earth, kanuma, Turface MVP and expanded shale . I will try to measure the water loss every 15 minutes for 4 hours so I can draw charts. I will be more than happy to share the results. Best, Pierre

Hi Ben, I take my time to watch the video 2 to 3 times before comment, the work is excellent and very informative, thougth I had to write down all data to understand and compare. I think is a little confusing, you mention two ranks, the first one is for density of material, wich is not relevant to even make a rank, and might confuse with the water retention that is the main thing. Maybe in the end would have been good to have a chart or something. The most important is that I want to say thank you, I have all data and studied them a lot ! For future maybe you could make one of CIC with TDS measuring. Thanks again for sharing this, you are awesome

Con mèo dễ thương quá đi

Maybe a test of using lava rocks or the crushed granite mixed with mushroom compost, sand, and pine bark? that seems like it would be a great mixture

Very intresting test ;-)

Very helpfull !

Very helpful video indeed, thanks! Just wonder if it is a mistake about pelite vs sand. It says they retain 14g and 12g of water respectively, quite similar, but the loss is about twice larger for sand - how can it be?!

Well YOU probably sick of hearing this but I agree the best vid I have seen Very informative. I have subscribed to your channel. I look forward seeing other vid. Bob, Ontario, canada

Fantastic!

commenting because I always want to find this back

You are very creative thank you sr

Thank you for put the dates I description, Is very good. I'm so sorry for my verybad english I live in Cd Victoria tamaulipas México I like your channel Greetings

please make a video on heat rentention and temperature rise of different media in full sun...

What materials you use for DECIDUOUS TREE. LIKE JAPANESE MAPLES. AND PROPORTION OF MATERIALS. THANKS.

Very nice video and presentation. One small note I'd like to address though is that, while they are markedly similar, calcined clay (which looks like what you used in this video) and diatomaceous earth are not the same thing, even though they have very similar properties. diatomaceous earth generally does not break down as easily as calcined clay (turface is also a type of calcined clay) and is made of fossils of diatoms (which gives it the name) two common sources of these are the napa and advanced autoparts oil absorption products, one uses diatomaceousmearth, the other is calcined clay.

well done... methodological and data oriented. i read a few online discussions where turface or calcined clay has lost some favor in the bonsai world. i tend to favor pumice and lava rocks. what is your take?

That was the most precise approach to this kind of video that I have seen on KZfaq. Congratulations. That was very well done. Eagerly waiting for the next one. P.s: What the fuck was that black magic boiling water in the end of the video? xD

so what is the number t best material for succulents..I live in the south of Manitoba, Winnipeg.canada

Thank youuuu😫❤️❤️❤️

What’s your opinion about using 20-30% vermiculite instead of 20-30% coir for a succulent potting mix ? I see that vermiculite retains far less water . But if it was mixed with pumice and turface , it might round itself out . I’m considering trying this because I keep getting fungus gnats with coir despite sterilization. I’m thinking vermiculite might be less attractive to pests in general. Thanks for the awesome vid. I’ve watched it many times . Very interesting 🤔

very engineering. i like it .

Wow your voice is so... 1940s training video style it’s so nice