Bonsai Soil – Wholesale Orders

Availability and pricing

Product/Brand	Bag Size	Particle Size	Retail	Wholesale*	Availability
Double Red Line akadama – S	14L	1/16″-1/4″	42	35	—
Double Red Line akadama – M	14L	1/4″-1/2″	42	35	in stock
Bonsai Line akadama – S	15L	1/16″-1/4″	42	35	in stock
Triple Line akadama – shohin	14L	1/16″-1/8″	44	36	in stock
Triple Line akadama – M	14L	1/4″-3/8″	44	36	in stock
Aoki Blend – Shohin	10L	1/16″-1/8″	53	44	in stock
Aoki Blend – S	16L	1/16″-3/16″	53	44	in stock
Aoki Blend – M	16L	3/16″-5/16″	53	44	—
Banzai Blend – S	14L	1/16″-1/4″	46	38	—
Pumice – S	30 lbs (~25L)	3/32″-3/16″	20	15	—
Pumice – M	30 lbs (~25L)	3/16″-5/16″	20	15	in stock
Pumice – L	30 lbs (~25L)	5/16″-7/16″	20	15	—
Japanese pumice (hyuga) L	18L	1/4″-3/8″	38	32	in stock
Lava rock (scoria) – unsifted	14L	1/16″-7/16″	20	15	in stock
Kanuma – S	18L	3/32″-1/4″	38	32	—
Kanuma – M	18L	1/4″-3/8″	38	32	in stock
Kanuma – L	18L	3/8″-3/4″	38	32	in stock
Kiryuzuna – M	16L	1/4″-3/8″	44	36	in stock

Ordering instructions

To place an order or receive a shipping estimate, call or send an email with the following information (see contact info at bottom of this page).

• Soil types, sizes, and quantities
• Shipping address
• Billing address
• Shipping contact phone number (the shipping company may call to confirm delivery)

After receiving an order, I will prepare an invoice payable by PayPal or credit card online. I will pack and ship orders after receiving payment.

Shipping

Bulk orders can be shipped to most addresses within the continental U.S. or picked up at local service centers. Local customers can pick up orders in Alameda, California.

For the best shipping rates, we recommend will call delivery or shipping to a business with a loading doc that can receive deliveries from trucks with 53′ trailers.

Estimated shipping rates as of April, 2023

Fee	Rate
Base shipping rate	200-450 (per pallet)
Limited access (applies if space is limited or no loading doc is available)	125
Lift-gate delivery (applies if no fork lift or loading doc is available)	200 (per pallet)
Residential delivery	200 (per pallet)
Will call delivery	35 (per pallet)
Holding (daily rate for will call deliveries not picked up w/in 24hrs)	25 (per pallet)

Shipping terms

To keep shipping costs low, I use a carrier program that does not guarantee delivery dates. West Coast deliveries typically take 1-2 weeks. Deliveries to the East Coast usually take 2-3 weeks.

Although we take care when packing pallets, bags may be torn while they are in transit. If this happens, refunds or credits up to $200 are provided for bags damaged during shipping.

If shipment is lost or severely damaged, please provide the following to facilitate a claim with the shipper:

• Notify driver about loss or damage so they can indicate damage on Delivery Receipt. Claims cannot be made without the shipper’s acknowledgement of damage;
• Notify me as soon as possible by phone or email;
• Provide photographs of damage and evidence of the amount of product that cannot be recovered.

Returns are accepted: customer pays return shipping and a 15% restocking fee.

Typical pallet size is 48″L x 48″W and up to 50″H

Product photos and descriptions

Akadama is a product that is mined in Japan, air-dried, sifted, and bagged in different sizes. Akadama is often characterized as being either hard or soft. The brands I carry are “hard” or “extra hard” akadamas. Like “soft” akadama, hard akadama breaks down over time but at a slower rate. Hard akadamas differ from fired akadamas as these don’t break down and have limited utility for bonsai. Some akadama brands flash heat the product before it is bagged. This flash heating has little, if any, effect on hardness.

Double Line (also known as Double Red Line) brand akadama is known as an “extra hard” akadama.

Bag size: 14 liters, 20.5″ x 12.5″ x 3″ (approx. 22 lbs.)

Double Line akadama

Triple Line akadama

The akadama brand shown below is a light brown color. It is thought of as a “hard” akadama but not “extra hard”.

Bag size: 18L (approx. 21 lbs.)

Akadama

Aoki Blend is a premium bonsai pre-mix. It is a blend of akadama, pumice, and scoria (lava rock) that is approximately 80% akadama, 18% pumice and 2% scoria. It can be used out of the bag or blended with other ingredients to create custom mixes.

Bag size: 21″ x 14″ x 3″ (approx. 23 lbs.)

Aoki Blend

Banzai Mix (“Banzai” means “hooray!” in Japanese) is the name of a pre-mix containing 50% akadama, 20% ezo pumice, 15% white pumice, 15% fired kiryu, and a small amount of wood charcoal.

Bag size: (approx. 19 lbs.)

Banzai Blend

Kanuma comes from the same mines as akadama in Japan but is found at a lower level. It is slightly acidic and is used primarily for acid-loving plants like azaleas. Although it is occasionally used as an ingredient in bonsai soil mixes, it is far more often used by itself for growing satsuki azaleas.

Bag size: 20″ x 13″ x 3.5″ (approx. 14 lbs.)

Kanuma

Pumice is mined around the world. Our supply comes primarily from California. The color is white compared with the yellowish pumice commonly used for bonsai in Japan. It is commonly used by itself for the cultivation of recently collected bonsai or as an ingredient of popular mixes like APL (akadama, pumice, lava rock).

Bag size: 23″ x 14″ x 5″ (approx. 30 lbs.)

Pumice

Scoria, also known as lava rock, is a mined product found around the world. It’s water-holding capacity and utility for bonsai is similar to pumice. Depending on where it is mined, its color may be red, brown, or black. Unlike the other soils we carry, our scoria is unsifted. As a result, we recommend washing the soil with water to rinse off dust and sifting the soil by particle size before using.

Bag size: 18″ x 13″ x 3″ (approx. 30 lbs.)

Lava rock (scoria)

FAQ

How many bags fit on a pallet?
For pallets where the bags are all the same size/same product, the max bags per pallet is 96 for akadama, 88 for Aoki Blend, and 48 for pumice.

How can I track deliveries?
Tracking information will be provided after the shipper picks up the order.

The soil is a different size/color/shape than it was last time. Why is this?
Bonsai soils are mined products. As a result, natural variation in size, color, and shape is common. Even within a given screen size, different batches of soil can be slightly bigger or smaller than previous batches.

Are additional discounts available?
Additional discounts may be available for orders of five or more pallets. Call or write me for details.

Are split invoices available for group orders?

To keep costs down, we will prepare one invoice per order.