Handmixed · Small Batch · Bonsai

It starts with
the soil.

Pre-made specialty blends or a formula dialed in to your exact species — hand-weighed and shipped by the person who made it.

Species

200+

Precision

5% increments

Formulated

AI + expert

Mixed

hand, to order

Akadama, pumice, and lava rock with bonsai training pot
AKADAMA LAVA ROCK PUMICE

The Soil Lab

Not sure what
your tree needs?

The Soil Lab takes the guesswork out. Search your species, get an AI blend recommendation with reasoning, then adjust to make it yours. I mix it by hand and ship it.

1 Search your species — AI recommends a starting blend and explains why
2 Adjust ratios with sliders until it matches your conditions and style
3 Choose your size and place your order — mixed fresh, shipped fast
Open the Soil Lab →

How it works

Soil Lab species analysis readout for Japanese Black Pine A dark terminal-style readout showing a species input of Japanese Black Pine flowing into substrate ratio outputs: Akadama 20%, Lava Rock 50%, Pumice 30% THE SOIL LAB · SPECIES ANALYSIS 🌿 BONSAI MODE SPECIES INPUT Japanese Black Pine Pinus thunbergii ✓ MATCHED · EXPERT FORMULATED AI ANALYSIS Native habitat: Rocky coastal Japan Root type: Mycorrhizal, drought-adapted Water need: Low · Drainage: Critical → HIGH LAVA RATIO INDICATED RATIO OUTPUT AKADAMA 20% LAVA ROCK 50% PUMICE 30% BLEND COMPOSITION Akadama 20% Lava Rock 50% Pumice 30% Black Pine demands maximum drainage. Rocky coastal Japanese habitat — wind-scoured, exposed — means zero tolerance for moisture retention. High lava is non-negotiable for this species. Retentive soil causes needle drop and root rot that is very difficult to reverse. ↳ RATIOS ADJUSTABLE · USE SLIDERS TO DIAL IN YOUR CONDITIONS · ACCEPT & MIX TO PROCEED ACCEPT & MIX → TRY ANOTHER BAG SIZE 1 QT $18 2 QT $26 4 QT $44 TOTAL $26 ZAZEN TREE · THE SOIL LAB · HAND MIXED TO ORDER · BUFFALO NY FREE SHIPPING · CONTIGUOUS 48 STATES

The intelligence

Species-matched ratios.
Not guesswork.

Every species has a native habitat — a specific climate, soil chemistry, and rainfall pattern its root system evolved for. The Soil Lab maps that data to akadama, lava rock, and pumice ratios so your substrate replicates those conditions as closely as possible.

Top species are expert-formulated from proven bonsai horticulture. Everything else is analysed in real time by AI trained on species biology, root morphology, and drainage science.

Native habitat mapping
Root morphology analysis
Drainage & aeration modelling
Adjustable ratios — 5% increments

The craft

The AI knows the science.
I mix the soil.

Once you accept a blend, your exact ratio is hand-weighed and mixed to order — not pre-bagged, not sitting in a warehouse. Each component is measured separately before combining. You get fresh substrate, not whatever's been sitting on a shelf.

Small batch means your order gets attention. The mix is dialled to your tree, not averaged across ten species sharing a bag.

Where it ships from

Buffalo, NY · Free shipping · Contiguous 48 states

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