Soils and layers
Akadama
Firm, rust-coloured clay granules from bonsai growing. Holds water and drains well.
What the simulation uses
- Holds water
- 37.5 % by volume
- Water it keeps after draining; the rest runs down to the drainage.
- Pore space
- 65 % by volume
- Room for air and water between grains; low means roots suffocate when wet.
- Weight
- 675 g/L
- How heavy a litre is.
- pH
- 6.5 to 7 pH
- How acid it keeps the soil.
- Mould risk
- none
- How much fresh food it gives white mould; high-risk soils fuzz over in the first weeks.
- Breaks down in
- 2 to 5 years
- How long it lasts before rotting down to fine soil.
- Nutrients
- low
- Plant food it brings.
- Presses down to
- 72 % of its loose depth
- How far pressing can pack it, keeping its weight.
Description
This Japanese volcanic clay soaks up water and nutrients while still draining freely. The granules darken when wet, so you can judge moisture at a glance. After two to five years they crumble into fine mud that can clog drainage.
Also called bonsai soil, Japanese red clay.
Estimated, where sources were thin: bulk density, porosity, CEC estimated.