Top Dressings

Home > Bonsai Potting Medium Index > Top Dressings

These particular items are used as top dressings on your Bonsai pot. In Japan we will see many decorative containers the first of the year with Ume (flowering apricot), Bamboo and various decorative plants (Nandina/Heavenly Bamboo) along with all of the following sands to add color and texture to the portrait.

Fuji Sand

This is black volcanic glass from Mount Fuji.� It is used in Japan during the monsoon season to hold the soil in place.

Available in 1 & 5 quart sizes.

PM42-1 Fuji Sand - Black Sand $4.95

PM42-5 Fuji Sand - Black Sand $18.95

Nachi Rocks

Nachi Rock - Translation - River Rocks - Outstanding soft, rounded rocks for your Bonsai or humidity tray. This picture shows the rocks in their natural state - meaning they are not wet or coated with plastic or mineral oil. The one on the left (and the far right) is the "normal" dark slate gray colored, unpolished nachi rock (1� to 1�"). In the center is a nachi rock that we have had polished to a natural shine and is darker than the one on the left or right (1" to 2"). The right hand nachi rocks are larger than the ones on the left and are a slate gray in color and unpolished (1� to 2"). The coin shown is a 25� Washington Quarter used for scale in all our images.
Depending on the type, some are available in 1 pound, 2 and 1/2 pound and 5 pound packages. The 1 pound package is about one cup (8 ounces) in volume.

R89-1 Smaller Nachi Rocks from Japan (1 Pound Package) (Left of Photo) $4.95

R89-5 Smaller Nachi Rocks from Japan (5 Pound Package) (Left of Photo) $19.95

R91-2.5 - Larger Polished Nachi Rocks (2 1/2 Pound Package) (Right of Photo) $11.95

Oiso Sand
PM100 - Oiso Sand from Japan. This excellent product comes from a particular section of Japan and is prized for its beautiful colors and size. Oiso, Japan is on the seacoast of Japan just a few miles from Tokyo in Kanagawa Prefecture. The overall appearance is a slate gray, with no brown, but dark gray, medium gray and a few white pebbles. It's about 1/4 the size of pea gravel, being approximately 1/8" in size. This is an expensive product, but it can't really be duplicated. There is no substitute for this beautiful coloration. The coin shown is a 25� piece (quarter). Available in 1 and 5 quart bags. A close up view is shown here. Bonsai Soil

PM100 - Oiso Sand - 1 Quart $8.95

PM127 - Oiso Sand - 5 quarts $42.95

PM128 - Japanese Gravel
PM128 - Japanese Gravel. This is a larger rich brown gravel having approximately a 1/8" size. A 25 cent coin has been placed next to the gravel to give you an idea of the size. Available in 1 and 5 quart size bags.
PM128 - Japanese Gravel - 1 quart $5.95

PM128 - Japanese Gravel - 5 quart $28.95

Asaake River Sand

A very excellent soil amendment.� This River Sand (suna) comes from the Asaake area of Japan.
It is quite heavy, dense material with sharp edges. Its size is mostly 1/8" pieces.
Quite good for forming those fine root systems we all strive for. Available in 1 & 5 Quart size bags.

Asaake River Sand - 1 quart $4.95

Asaake River Sand - 5 quart $22.95

Kawasuna River Sand

A very excellent soil amendment.� This River Sand (suna) comes from the rivers North of Tokyo, Japan.
It is quite heavy, dense material with rounded edges. Its size is that of fine sugar.
Quite good for forming those fine root systems we all strive for.

Available in 1 quart & 5 quart sizes.
Kawasuna River Sand - 1 quart $4.95

Kawasuna River Sand - 5 quart $22.95

Kiryusuna River Sand

A very excellent soil amendment. This River Sand (suna) comes from the Kiryu region of Japan, North of Tokyo.
It is quite heavy, and has the appearance of Akadama with variations in color from dark to light. It is harder.
Quite good for forming those fine root systems we all strive for. This image shows the kiryusuna in a moist state. It is close to the color of kanuma in the dry state, but has a mixture of colors which kanuma does not. It looks like Akadama when moist. The current inventory is a mixed granule from large to small with mostly small granules.

Available in 1 & 5 quart sizes.
PM95-1 Kiryusuna River Sand - 1 quart $4.95

PM95-5 Kiryusuna River Sand - 5 quart $22.95

Brown Sand Canary Sand Hyuuga
This is a brown colored pumice with rounded corners.� It has a very pleasing color, being light sandy tan.�

Available in 1 quart size for $3.95.
Available in 5 quart size for $14.95.

PM40-1 Brown Sand/Canary Sand - Hyuuga $3.95

PM40-5 Brown Sand/Canary Sand - Hyuuga $14.95

White Sand/Karuishi

This is a whitish pumice with small black specks all over the surface.

Available in 1 quart size for $3.95.
Available in 5 quart size for $14.95.

PM41-1 White Sand - Karuishi $3.95

PM41-5 White Sand - Karuishi $14.95