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I’m new to bonsai and have heard that having a good granular water retaining draining soil for bonsai is almost essential. I currently have an orange jessamine and a Chinese juniper and am planing to grow more plants of the latter and also a few ficuses. The only available soils/mediums available to me are: red soil, vermicompost, normal compost, coco peat, perlite, vermiculite, gravel, cow manure and some random granular river sand. Please recommend me a mixture of these mediums along with in what proportions and also grain size. BTW I live in a tropical place and water is no issue

Thanks in advance

This is such a common question, that I wrote out my answer on my website:

Uh I saw your site and it mentions nothing regarding the mediums I have mentioned. Hope you understand

It mentions it does not matter much, except for that you need to balance what you use to how often you water.

Most people overthink substrate. It is not so important as long as it is well-draining, keeps some water and nutrients.

Tropical climate meens tight humidity And a heavy rain season, right?

In that case i guess better go with less organics and more mineral soil. But you Will need to try out the best soil given your climate and care yourself.

Tropfrog wrote: Tropical climate meens tight humidity And a heavy rain season, right?

Well, lets talk about tropical wheather.
Surprise, they are not always the same and change a lot from place to place. Even in one big place as Brazil the changes are remarkable.
S?o Paulo, where I live is sub-tropical with very dry winters and very wet and hot summers. Water evaporates from the soil in a matter of some hours in the summer , even if it rains a lot every afternoon. But man, it IS hot! And the soil dries up.
Watering in the summer means 3 times a day when it doesn't rain and twice a day when it does.

Tropfrog wrote: In that case i guess better go with less organics and more mineral soil.

Not my experience here.
We want more organics to hold more water so we don't run the risk of the bonsai drying up, either in Summer (hot) or in Winter (dry).
As frost usually happens only once or twice during the mild winters, soil components like DE, Akadama or Kanuma hold their integrity and don't turn into dust as it happens in Northern Europe or Canada.
We actually need more organics, up to 50 percent in some cases, to keep the rootball moist. It is a challenge, but that's how things are down here.
Tough.

Clicio wrote: As frost usually happens only once or twice during the mild winters, soil components like DE, Akadama or Kanuma hold their integrity and don't turn into dust as it happens in Northern Europe or Canada.
We actually need more organics, up to 50 percent in some cases, to keep the rootball moist. It is a challenge, but that's how things are down here.
Tough.

I had a student from Sao Paolo who said climate here was pretty much the same as there, and I have much the same experience, except that akadama turns to mud. I water every day, sometimes twice. The trees seem to love the sun and are fine with all day.

I also use deeper pots than artistically correct, to hold more water. Sometimes I am not here able to water so the trees need the extra.