This Hawthorn in bloom is from Walter Pall’s Bonsai Adventures, as is the article below. The rest of the photos in this post are from Walter’s online gallery.
Walter Pall, world famous bonsai artist and much more… We’ve feature Walter’s bonsai numerous times here on Bark (and in Bonsai Today) and will continue to feature them for as long as we continue posting. I won’t say much more, except that Walter produces quality trees by the hundreds (seemingly at least) and he also sometimes produces worthwhile and even provocative ideas about bonsai. What follows may be his most fascinating and provocative idea yet.
The first few paragraphs of Walter’s article begin just below the photo… (note, Walter uses substrate where most of use soil). I look forward to your comments.
This sturdy, barely tamed beast of a tree is a perfect example of Walter’s naturalistic style. From his conifer gallery.
Feeding, Substrate and Watering
Methods of Walter Pall (edited by Victrinia Ridgeway)
“First, I set aside everything that has been written in most bonsai literature about the subject. As technology grants us access to new and more effective methods and products, the way we care for our trees has progressed beyond the boundaries of tradition. It has been a new and modern world for some time, but many have not realized this. Even if some measure of success is achieved with the old methods it can be dangerous if used with modern substrates and practices, or even deadly.
Substrates (soil): Good substrate material must: be of equal particle size, have the ability to absorb water and release it back, have no fine particle organic material, must not decompose easily, be as lightweight as possible when dry, preferably inexpensive and should have an aesthetically pleasing appearance. This would then be: lava, pumice, baked loam, Turface, zeolite, Chabasai (a type of zeolite), coconut pieces, bark pieces, Styrofoam pieces (no joke) and a few more which you can find yourself if you have understood the principles. Please note: Some of these materials may not be available in your area…” (continued after the photo and caption)
Another naturalistic bonsai. Naturalistic doesn’t mean ‘left just the way you found it.’ This and others in Walter’s collection may have spent numerous hours being transformed from raw stock to what you see. But what you see, is a tree that looks like it has barely been touched by human hands.
“Normal akadama is questionable as a good substrate as it inevitably decomposes, especially when exposed to winter frost. It can become deadly loam in the pot, choking the flow of water and air into the soil. This is especially true for trees which are only rarely repotted, like collected conifers and old bonsai in general.
Substrates which are not useful: soil, compost, stones, sand etc. Trees grow in sand and flower soil, of course, but it is not an optimal growing medium for health in bonsai culture.
All substrates can be mixed according to your liking and it makes almost no difference. They can also be recycled and used again, but make certain to sift and clean any recycled materials as needed.
There is no such thing as an ‘ideal bonsai substrate’. There are in fact thousands of ideal substrates. I believe that IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT YOU USE AND IN WHAT MIXTURE as long as it is a modern substrate…”
This should be enough to stimulate your interest. Here’s the rest.
The clean, elegant lines and simple crown give on this bunjin style pine a more refined look that the two trees just above.
Wayne,
This article is three years old, and the concept has been successfully duplicated all around the world. A more recent concept – perhaps a great follow-on article for your blog – is Walter’s hedge pruning method of tree development.
Cheers,
Michael E., Ontario
Thanks so much for printing this! In my younger days I made my soils up from granite chips, turface, and pine bark. As I have aged almost as well as some of my trees I had to find a method that did not require as much sifting, and was lighter weight. Fortunately I moved to another city where expanded slate and coir chips were readily available.
I started working with a mixture of these two last year and am glad to report that it seems to work just fine. I wash the slate through a screen to remove dust and other fines. Both of these are lightweight and easy to mix. I place each ingredient in one 5 gallon bucket and cover over with water whenever I am ready to pot/repot. Much easier on my back which is not in the best of shape.
Would really love to hear from others who are using this or similar substrate mixes
I’ve been hedge pruning for years. This only takes you so far, then you have to concentrate on ramification
Hi Michael,
Thanks for the info and the tip.
Three years. Still my guess is many people haven’t seen (including me) so no harm. Especially given that it has been successful for people.
I’ll look into his hedge pruning article.
I find it odd that Walter dismisses akadama out-of-hand when the vast majority of bonsai in Japan – yes, even in the North end of Honshu and Hokkaido, use akadama as the basis of any soil. His arguments for his particular “substrate” are valid, but his dismissal of akadama is not borne out by practice of hundreds of experienced artists.
Hi Dave,
Good point. How can so many people be wrong? Especially Japanese bonsai growers, many of whom are horticultural masters, at least when it comes to bonsai.
However, I have noticed how fast Akadama turns hard and solid on the trees that I allow to get well below freezing before putting them in my garage. It only takes one winter here in Vermont. Still, most of my trees are in akadama or akadama mixes, though I’m giving serious thought to switching over to a ‘modern’ soil mix.
Hi Wayne,
Interesting article especially if you click on the link and read the whole thing! Whether people agree completely with everything Walter says or not, I like the fact that he speaks his mind and backs up his statements with examples based on his experience. I also like reading his answers to the comments. They are also informative.
Hi Sandy,
Yeah. Agreed. Interesting ariticle. I’m thinking about switching from akadama and various mixes, to one soil fits all, but will wait and see (it’s not the right time of year anyway). It would make watering much easier if everything dried down at more or less the same rate. Especially here in our Vermont wet climate.