A Newbie needs Larch help :)

Sinta

Hi All! I stumbled over this forum after googling for bonsais and I'm very impressed with the tons of threads and resources you have here. I'm kind of a newbie to bonsai, but I've had them in the past. Sadly they died because I was travelling all over asia and I didn't really have time. Now I've kinda settled down, I want to do it right this time.

I've just recently bought a Larch and have been googling for help on it. Some resources says it needs the shade, others say it needs full sunlight. Some say it needs only to be misted, while others say it needs to be watered two times a day and that it loves water.

What's right? I just really need the basics, to make sure I don't kill it in the first few days. I'd be grateful for any help or tips

So my questions are really:

How much sunlight? How much water? And when to repot?

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Ian_Homer

Hi Sinta,

Welcome to BonsaiTalk.

Where abouts are you ?. Please tell us more about you in the Member Introductions thread here or go to user CP (top left in menu bar) and fill in a bit more.

Anyway, look here for information on Larches. That site and here on BT are great sources of information.

Enjoy your trees

Look forward to seeing you posting in the forums.

Regards,
Ian.

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Sinta

Hi Ian, thanks for the info I was wondering where the newbie introduction forum was.

Also, thanks for pointing me out to the link. That's one of the resources I looked into and found it contradicted with other resources I found on the web.

Do you think it's the most reliable?

Pill_Man

Will_Heath

I live in Michigan zone 5/6 and allow my larches full sun year round with no ill effect. I use a soil mix that has a slightly higher organic content and keep the soil moist but never wet, which is easy with a good draining mix.

There is no schedule for watering bonsai, you water when they need it.


Will

Ian_Homer

lol Sinta,

You will always find various standards of advice, but I have no worries with Harry's site - he is well respected in UK Bonsai circles.

Another good site for beginners is "The Bonsai Primer" of which I have put in a link to the Larch section for you.

There is nothing like personal experience with Bonsai, something that only time will help you with. All of us will have slightly different growing conditions and varying levels of Sun and shade in our Gardens.

Larches do prefer sun. I always keep my Larch in the sunnier side of my display area, where the sun catches them from about 9am through to 4pm.
That should be plenty of direct sunlight. With my setup - any longer and they would get too dry, before I am able to return home and water the entire collection.
Over the years I have refined where I place particular trees in order to give a healthy balance of light, yet at the same time ensure that I have no drought.

Maples as an example, prefer a shadier position, but you need good sun for strong colours in the Red Varieties, too much and they burn to a frazzle, too little, and you get leggy growth as they search out the stronger light.

After a time, you will begin to reach compromises that will give the best mix for each particular species without causing major problems. Read all you can on here, other places on the internet and of course good old fashioned books.

Hope you enjoy the journey

All the best,
Ian.

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