Watering

RonMartin(deceased)

Watering


Did you ever wonder why there are so many people that have problems with watering their bonsai. Why so much has been written about it. Just why is it so difficult a subject.
Lost of things affect the amount of water that a tree will need on a daily basis. The heat, the wind , relative humidity, the amount of sunlight the tree is exposed to, even the amount of foliage on the plant will affect the need for water. All can and do change on a daily basis.
But is it really all that difficult a thing to do. Does it take years to learn like I have read in all those books.
During my travels I do get a lot of questions on this subject . Not always sure that I have a good or even a right answer for them. With all the different climates and trees that I run into I am not sure that there is really an answer.
One thing I have noticed though is almost without exception those that have problems with watering also have problems with their soil. ( another touchy subject ) Mind you I am only talking about a small percentage of people. I really don’t see all of you much as I would like to.
Anyway I thought I would just throw out the following question and see what kind of response I got.
Is it more important how much and often you have to water or is how much moisture the soil will hold and for how long ??.
Be careful about what you say, I MIGHT just be doing some research on another one of my articles ;o)

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LostHawken

Hey Ron,

I'm still new, but I've already learned how important good soil is. I recently repotted my Ficus benjamina but ran out of decent soil. I waited a few weeks and then decided that the tree really needed to be covered a little more and threw a few handfuls of plain old potting mix on top. Before then watering was relatively easy, I just waited till the soil looked like it needed it and watered accordingly, now the toplayer holds moisture forever, doesn't drain well, and doesn't show when it is dry, as a result I've had alot of die-back of the fresh growth on my poor little tree I'll muddle through somehow for the summer, but this fall I am definitly investing in some better soil.

~Justin

Carl_Bergstrom

While we're splitting inseparables, which is more important in water: the hydrogen or the oxygen?

I vote for oxygen.

-Carl

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thejimmyrigger

Ron,
I'ld say you would have to throw (atleast) two more variables in this mix:
How much time do you have to water? Vs. How much of a "conveinience mix", if the need be, can the tree handle?

I only have three trees, and a small jade in a 4 inch oval pot (just for kicks). So I don't mind spending fifteen minutes per tree analyzing moisture levels and watering. My situation let's me use very quick draining, high maintenance soil. But most growers have tons of trees, I'ld imagine that most of the trees would get a mass watering with a hose. Except for a special few who would get individual treatment. I'ld imagine these guys would be tempted to use the max. moisture holding ability up to what the roots would stand for. Especially true if they give each and every tree it sown personal soaking each day.
The four questions would need to be used in proportion to each other.
I don't think I answered a thing
jim

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Jimmyrigging is much like jerryrigging, just go a bit lighter on the duct tape and wire coat hangers, and hit said broken item more. Remember: if it isn't broke don't kick it.

FredL

Ron, from my own experience, nothing will prevent drastic overwatering or underwatering from damaging or eventually killing a tree. Good soil will, however, greatly extend the limits of what costitutes sufficient watering. Understanding the physical structure of good bonsai soil is simple enough: it simply has to permit rapid draining of water between the soil particles and retain water within them.

Now, how to attain that blessed state.......there's the issue!

Fred

RonMartin(deceased)

So does this mean the you are amoung the masses that has a bit of trouble with watering or do you just not understand the conversation ;o)
Hope you know that I am kidding.

dbz12fan

If watering is so hard to do, then why do so many bonsai enthusiasts have an automatic watering system set up? With the right kind of soil, watering is not too tough.

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Charles Bevan
Vero Beach, Fl

RonMartin(deceased)

If I were a religious person I would have to say Amen

Carl_Bergstrom

Of course, Ron. No worries!

Actually, I am among the masses that has trouble with watering. I think I'm learning, and getting a lot better, but I wouldn't venture to say that I've got it down to optimal just yet. I've only been using my current soil mix for about 8 months, most of that dormant season. Maybe I'm a slow learner, but it takes me a long time to learn to just intuit when one needs to water each tree, as a function of soil and pot and growth rate and temperature pattern that day and relative humidity and so forth.

My comment about hyrdogen and oxygen meant this: I see soil composition and watering as absolutely interrelated. A well-draining soil gives a bigger margin of error against overwatering; a poorly draining potting mix gives a bigger margin against underwatering. What am I looking for? I want to find a soil mix that optimizes the tree's health and strength while giving me enough latitude not to kill it with the sorts of mistakes that I am still making at this point in the game. The main thing is that my watering advice is next-to-worthless if you use a different soil than I do, and my soil advice is next to worthless if you water differently than I do.

Charles and Ron - So many enthusiasts have an automatic system set up for the same reason that so many enthusiasts don't bother to detail-wire their trees: because their target is "good enough", not "the best possible and then some." This is not to say that automatic watering isn't a good approach for large-scale commercial production, for a backup system, etc., etc. It's only to say that this same logic would lead you to believe that detail wiring is unnecessary, because after all so many enthusiasts don't bother.

With my best regards,
Carl

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