Lapillo - Medium Grade - Volcanic Lava Bonsai Growing Media

Lapillo Medium Grade Volcanic Lava Bonsai Growing Media

Lapillo is formed during violent volcanic eruptions and is the term used for small particles (2-65mm) that explode into the atmosphere and cool on their descent back to earth. This violent formation creates a fine honeycomb structure which is perfect for cultivating plants.

Our Lapillo has a very attractive earthy red-brown colour and is graded from 5-10mm in particle size, perfect for use in bonsai pots. 14 Litres typically weighs approximately 13-15Kg but can vary. Some fines and smaller particles appear in this grade. It should be lightly sieved before use. Can also be graded to give finer and coarser particle size. Very fine dust is washed away once your newly potted tree is well watered.

Lapillo has high levels of iron, magnesium and other minerals vital to plant health.
100% frost proof, Lapillo can be sieved out and reused many times.
Has a similar structure to Japanese Fuji grit.

Lapillo is a naturally occuring product. The colour of this material will vary depending upon the deposits being mined and also the moisture content. Pictures are for illustration and represent what the product typically looks like.

We recommend using Lapillo in conjunction with other bonsai soil products like Akadama, Bark , Moler, Pumice

Mix with other products to create a free draining, long lasting mineral rich growing environment for your bonsai trees. The very attractive colour is also great for top dressing.

A fantastic product that is produced from natural deposits with a minimum of processing and transportation.

Benefits include...
5-10mm mesh graded to produce an approximate particle size close to this range.
Nice subdued colour, perfect for top dressing.
Good moisture retention
Guaranteed frost proof
High AFP (air filled porosity)
Promotes strong dense rooting
High mineral content including iron
Easily re-used
PH 7-8
8-13% water holding capacity by volume
Guaranteed free of harmful substances

Using Kaizen Bonsai Pumice & Lapillo
Our Pumice and Lapillo products are horticultural grade materials. Their use is a little different from other similar products you may have encountered, especially pumice where less absorbent hard grade (intended as industrial abrasive) materials are most commonly encountered. In general we would recommend mixing these products with other ingredients with desirable characteristics, for example Bark or Moler. For more information see our Guide to Selecting Bonsai Soils.

When you receive your Pumice or Lapillo you will notice the material contains some degree of fines or dust. This is as a result of abrasive action during processing, packaging and transit. Being slightly damp this will bind to the particles. A light shake through a sieve will remove the loose fine particles.  Do not sieve excessively but simply mix and or pot up your plants in the normal way. Once complete water thoroughly, watching the water that drains from the bottom of the pot, once this runs clear you are finished. The finer dust will simply wash away leaving a very high percentage of clean micro-pores that will be colonised by fine feeder roots and mycelium resulting in the perfect natural rhizosphere and will ensure your plants absolutely flourish.

Any dust contained within our crushed aggregate products will settle into the spaces between larger particles and once removed will not significantly effect the volume you purchase.

Re-potting bonsai? Ensure fast recovery by using Rootgrow Plus