Emperor Fish

The Art of Watering.

When I first started my interest in bonsai a few years ago, one of the things that I realised very quickly was that I needed to focus my attention very much on the horticulture and the craft of how to keep trees alive in small pots. I picked up many "facts" and "tips" during that time that turned out to be plain fallacy - like the oft-quoted advice that water droplets on a maple's leaves will burn them (I questioned this from the start) - or that fertiliser should be given at half strength. Having an educational background in biological science, I managed to de-bunk most of these falsehoods and half-truths without much trouble. However, one of the persistent bonsai truisms that I heard repeatedly throughout this early period was that the hardest thing to learn in bonsai was the art of watering. "Harumph!", I thought, "Utter tosh and piffle, chuck a bit of water on the trees every so often and they generally take care of themselves." I certainly thought that I had discovered yet another bonsai myth that needed exploding for the sake of the proletariat.

Well, it turns out that after a few years, I have changed my mind entirely. What looks at first, or even second glance, to be simplicity itself, IS actually one of the hardest things to get right. Those pesky elitist masters are correct after all. Of course, keeping a tree alive in a pot is child's play - any idiot gardener with a water supply and half a brain can do that. (In the absence of a brain, money can help - but you definitely need the water supply. In the absence of a water supply, money can help here also). What is very difficult, is knowing when, and how much, to water bonsai that are in refinement.

It is easy to err on the side of caution here - let's face it, if you have a good free-flowing soil mixture, then it really is hard, or impossible, to water so much that the tree's health declines. (Now, before anyone argues, bear in mind that I live in England - I truly know what rain is). What is very difficult to achieve is the level of watering where the tree gets only just enough to live well, but that actually has an artistic effect. "Artistic?" - No, I am not mad, nor extending the craft/art debate into the ridiculous - watering practices really can and do have an artistic effect on bonsai development. To demonstrate, let's have a think about the dynamics of a tree in a (specifically), bonsai pot:

During the growing season, as the temperatures increase and foliage places an ever greater demand on the roots to supply water for nutrient transport and temperature regulation, the demands upon our watering practices also increase, particularly in the case of developed bonsai. Soaking the trees in water every day will give us bonsai pots that have a permanent saturated layer at the bottom of the pot - even when the top looks dry - leading to no oxygen availability in this root zone, and stress upon the tree. Constantly sprinkling some water on the top of the tree, leads to less water being available for the foliage, and an air supply that decreases in oxygen saturation as the roots utilise it. (Granted, roots are better than us humans, they can tolerate an oxygen level of 10% or so before they get into difficulty). In either of these cases, we end up with just a minority of the root zone being in the optimum condition to support foliage growth.


Hold on, what has this got to do with art?

I'm coming to that. Just as ultraviolet radiation and increasing bud numbers v. root mass will decrease foliage size - (purely an artistic consideration) - so too will watering practices and water availability. Give a pine (for example), only just enough water to be without the symptoms of stress, and the needle size will be smaller. Lavish your pine tree with as much water as it desires and it will grow longer internodes and longer needles. So, the myth that watering is the hardest part of bonsai to master becomes slightly clearer now. The hardest part to master correctly, at least. We need to vary our watering practices upon many variables including weather, development of the tree, pot shape and size, species, sun/shade, growth rates etc.


In English, we describe watering in just one way - "watering". Sometimes we elaborate and include such sage advice as to water once, leave; water twice, leave etc. In Japan, the distinctions have earned their own terms in bonsai, purely because their value is recognised in refinement and development of good bonsai.

Kaeri-mizu: "Return Watering". Watering three times to ensure that the entire root ball is saturated and that oxygen exchange is achieved.

Ha-mizu: "Foliage Watering". An evening 'shower' technique of just the foliage, to increase humidity and open the stomata for gas exchange.

Hiroi-mizu: "Pick-up Watering". Watering dry bonsai throughout the day lightly.

In addition, there are a couple of general watering practices that illustrate the point of my post:

Mizu Ga Amai: "Sweet Watering". Watering too much. What amateurs do.
Mizu Ga Karai: "Bitter Watering". Minimal watering. Only the Master can achieve this (apparently).

"Watering" is really not so simple after all, unless we are just growing trees in pots.

Fish.

__________________
Old age and treachery will overcome youth and skill.

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