Water

Fartagay

A few questions, first, how often should i mist my leaves, also should i ever cut off any leaves and last, what kind of water should i use, distilled?(srry probably spelled that wrong)

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PatArizona

G'day F...

Some of my responses may be contraversial. however...this is what works for me.

How often should i mist my leaves? I "spray" leaves at least once a week with tap water **...for no other reason than to clean them (as in, remove collected dust, etc.). However, any bonsai that I am planning to display will be sprayed daily with store-bought-drinking-water.

Should i ever cut off any leaves? The simple answer is YES. Having said YES, leaf trimming should never been done without a specific purpose in mind, such as...defoliation for twig ramification, defoliation for leaf size reduction, defoliation to encougage back-budding, leaf trimming for shaping, leaf trimming due to disease or other leaf damage, etc. Also, there are different methods of trimming depending on the species and the purpose.

What kind of water should i use? Distilled? Not a good idea. I use tap water **. Reverse osmosis water is good. Some say that rain water is best...but, watch out for acid rain and contaminants from your roof (if you are collecting rain water)...also watch out for mesquitoes!

Remember, I said that "...this is what works for me...", and where bonsai is concerned, there is always...well, almost always...more than one answer to a question.

So...enjoy you bonsai...

Pat


** TAP water here is well water.

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BONSAI isn't about surviving in a storm, rather, how to dance in the rain.
THE ONLY WAY: Always remember, and don't ever forget, that whatever you read here is not cast in concrete... the intent of any advice is to help. In no way should you feel that I’m saying that my way is the only way…heaven forbid! I've seen far too much of the "my way or the highway" attitude in bonsai as well as in other areas of life.

Alasdair

Misting is done to generate humidity local to the tree and how often you do this will depend on your climate.

As to defoliating, you should ask this question once you have a tree to ask about. Leaf pruning is done differently on prety much every type of tree and is usually done in the end stages of development. That said, i have recently had to meove some leaves from a Rowan tree of mine. It had powdery mildew, which i treated but a few leaves were beyond repair so..... snip!

I have found that tap water can leave a limey residue all over the leaves, roots and pot. That's just because i live in such a hard water area (tap/well/bottled doesn't matter, it comes down to what the mineral content of the water is). I still use tap water though as i've only got a small collection of small trees so it's easy to give them all a gentle rub down now and again.

Al

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Fartagay

ok thanks, i have a Ficus, i thought that maybe when the city treats the drinking water they put some chemicals in it that would be harmful to my plant, so do i want water with alot of minerals or low minerals?

ElGringo

rockm

"when the city treats the drinking water they put some chemicals in it that would be harmful to my plant, so do i want water with alot of minerals or low minerals?'

How long have you--and thousand of others--been drinking the water? If it's not hurting you, it's not going to hurt the plant. Don't make the mistake of trying to micromanage your bonsai. You will wind up loving it to death.

The primary supply of minerals and nutrients comes from fertilizer, not water.

Do NOT switch to bottled water, or "purified" water for your tree. It doesn't need it and your money is better spent on other stuff.