Whats Better, Little and Often or Loads Infrequently?

rowan57

Im currently studying horticulture and one of my lecturers brought up and interesting point to do with watering which is mostly relevant to field growing stock. When you have to water stock in the ground, e.g. during the summer, would you:

Water little and often?

and

Water loads but on an infrequent basis?

If you want to put your reasoning down that would be good also

I'll explain the theory behind what i think would be beneficial for growing stock in the ground for bonsai in a couple of days when there's been some response to this thread.

Cheers
Rowan

(For the purposes of this poll please take it as given that you have to water the stock, ignore natural factors such as rain, ground water, atmospheric moisture etc.)

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ElGringo

If the stock was recently planted, i would water little and often, although once it is established (say after a year) i would assume deeper roots have developed so i would water heavily/infrequently. I voted to water heavily and infrequently, after all, we learn to water our bonsai when it's needed. My dad always told me that constant water during a naturally hot period i.e. the summer encourages the growth of shallow roots that are more likely to suffer desiccation, should you forget to water one day. If you water little and often, it is unlikly to penetrate the soil greatly so the tree won't feel the full benefit of your efforts. I am careful not to water TOO heavily as i dont want to expose the roots (until i'm looking for potential nebari) or wash any ferts away.

I always fork the soil around my trees to help aeriation and assist drainage, and build wind breaks and shade the bonsai as needed as well.

A funny story: I had a 10 year old hinoki planted out, 5"trunk 3ft high. My mum thought it was an untidy shrub and chopped all the branches off last week when i was away. No, it's not going to grow back mum! ah well

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Richard

TreeBay

hmmm. In the summertime? Is "heavily and often" an option?

What's the goal? To conserve water? drive the roots downward? Cool the area off to prevent sunburn? How much water will the soil take before runoff starts, and is that a little, or a lot?

Regards,

Matt

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bonsaikc

IMHO, watering "little" (read less) and often will help produce a shallower rootball, as deep watering is usually considered desirable for a deeper-reaching root mass, such as for turfgrass management.

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rowan57

KC hit the nail on the head. By watering little and often you encourage a shallow rootball as the roots do not have to search for water, its at their disposal. I feel that this could be beneficial for people growing stock in the ground as it minimizes the amount of trauma/root loss that the stock will undergo when collected. Another benefit of the shallow rootball is that it creates a good set of surface roots with minimal work.

Regards
Rowan

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In literary and art criticism there are two criteria, the political and the artistic....

Words and actions should help to unite, and not divide, the people of our various nationalities

I often talk to myself because i am the only one who truly understands me.

Vonsgardens

Sorry, will disagree. I want as much root as possible and "damn the transplant shock, full speed ahead". Most of the plants we push in the ground are vigorous, young and if managed proberly (eg, roots prepared on a regular cycle) will bounce back within 6 months to a year of digging to full vigour. Just my opinion. John

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Repotter

I see so many people bringing trees back to the nursery because they have killed them from improper watering.

First of all when you plant a tree its a good idea to use some aged pine bark or other soil amendment that will hold water.

By digging the hole oversize and mixing in some of the soil amendment and then wetting it well before putting the tree in the hole.
So many times people will not water sufficiently after planting to completely soak the root ball directly underneath. This is why it is so important to wet the hole well before planting.

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soltan

I don't think I thought of wetting the hole before I planted. I have always drenched after planted though.(I also add some good soil) I am thinking watering in the hole would also give you some idea how much drainage the original soil has to help in guaging your watering schedule once planted.
Great tip Thanks.

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rowan57

You bring up a good point, please bear in mind that the theory is just my opinion, i dont actually have the practice to back it up, i was more curious as to what other people thought.

You say you want as much root as possible, if the roots have to search for water they will go down, this means that on collection it is likely that you will lose a good proportion of the roots available anyway.

Again, this is purely hypothetical from my point of view and any growers who are willing to share their experiences in more detail i.e. watering frequency, quantity, results etc. would be more than welcome, i will always take these ideas on board.

Please bear in mind that when water cannot be found a tree will send out thick tap-root like roots, however when water is available without working for it a tree will create a fibrous root system (Taking into consideration different species, individual behaviours etc.) For the majority of trees i believe we can take this as a given.



I can imagine this is the case, in this circumstance please take it as given that the grower supplies sufficient water, just in different manners.

Opinions, experiences etc. welcomed.

Regards
Rowan

DISCLAIMER: I forgot to mention in the original post that my thoughts are purely hypothetical with little practice to back them up, i have the practice of watering but not in the kind of circumstance e.g. nursery growing, that we are discussing here.

__________________
In literary and art criticism there are two criteria, the political and the artistic....

Words and actions should help to unite, and not divide, the people of our various nationalities

I often talk to myself because i am the only one who truly understands me.