THE UNKNOWN AKADAMA
Let's discover the characteristics and the merits of Akadama, a precious Japanese volcanic clay, in the formation of soils and growing cacti, succulents and bonsai.
The Akadama is a particular volcanic clay that is collected in Japan only, around the forests of Criptomerie, more than 3 meters deep underground. The extraction process also includes heating and drying, in order to completely eliminate any trace of bacteria and parasites: the bagged material is therefore definitely sterilized.
The Akadama is primarily used as an ingredient in the composition of specific soils for bonsai, cacti and succulents, mixed with other elements such as peat, lapillus, pumice or sand. It is a product rich in minerals, capable of retaining a certain relative humidity; however, it does not contain nutrients, which must be supplied to the plants with external source (preferably with slow-release fertilizer). Aesthetically you can recognize it for its colour, halfway between yellow and brown, which darkens when it is wet and tends to return yellow when drying.
It has a neutral pH (between 6.5 and 6.8), and above all has the property of non-compacting into hard cakes (typical of low-quality soils), but it remains open ensuring aeration of the roots without suffocating them. This aspect makes it usable with profit even in repotting, where you need to allow the formation of callus in those stalks radicals that may have slightly damaged during the cleaning of the roots.
The low availability and cost of transportation significantly affect the price and make sure this is not the cheapest component to build our substrate, but its characteristics and the ability to get great benefits using even a small amount makes its purchase accessible to anyone. It is sold in two different sizes: the fine particle size is used in the horticultural field while the greater size is widely used in aquariums to recreate the typical environment for some species of fish.
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