HELP 2 TYPES OF BUGS eating my Chinese ELM!

ShohinFan

Next time your at Bunnings pick up a moisture meter probe from the garden section, around $12. Poke it into the soil and instantly the gauge will tell you the whether the soil is wet, moist or dry. It takes the guesswork out of watering.

The rule is to water only when it's needed, most trees in a constantly wet soil will not thrive.

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Plant hardiness zone - Australia 4, USA 10
"The clever cat eats the cheese, then waits at the mouse hole with baited breath".

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eeiko321

ive seen moisture meters for tradespeople....plumbers etc...

but this type is just for garening?

you see, im a bit confused, every nursery in sydney have told me...watering every day is OK.... and on extreme hot days like today e.g it was like 40degrees celcius...
they say even watering twice a day is ok...as long as the soil is right....
koreshoffs even say "thats fine, our trees here are watered twice a day" as soon as he said that....u see deborah with the big hose drenching everything....


i have notice every written article, online, paper or book...all say dont water it too much etc etc. thats all i ever get...
but every single book and website are either from UK or USA..... temperatures there are very different to here.
humidity is way different..... someone told me in a hot summer day in usa is like 25 degrees celcius.... mate......in australia 25 degrees is a joke.......to australians thats like winter!
so obviously in thier climate, water is not needed as much.


i dono.............ill have it figured one day

or i should buy that Koreshoff book........ "bonsais in australia"
that should make a big difference to all the other articles ive read

ShohinFan

I'm up in Brisbane so our temperatures and humidity are similar, if not a little more extreme than Sydneys. I find that the water that individual trees use varies greatly amongst my collection. My trees receive full sun from around 9am in the morning until 2pm in the arvo at this time of year. I have a small shade sail over the shohins which provides less intense sunlight from about midday and even so, they all dry out a different times. The rate at which a pot dries out depends on a number of factors... the size of the pot, the condition of the root mass, the health and vigour of the tree, certainly the soil mix, the amount of foliage on the tree, the time of year, the trees exposure to the elements...

So it's important to know if the tree actually needs water or not and not to just water for the sake of it.
As you gain experience and familiarity with how your trees perform under different circumstances you will be able to tell whether a tree needs water instinctively, through obervation, the trees weight in your hand and it's appearance.

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Plant hardiness zone - Australia 4, USA 10
"The clever cat eats the cheese, then waits at the mouse hole with baited breath".

rockm

Moisture meters are ineffective or outright useless when used with bonsai soil. They can provide inaccurate or even opposite readings when used with bonsai soil.

The meters work by measuring electronic conductivity between soil particles and the moisture between them. Since bonsai soil is supposed to have relatively large irregular granules, the moisture between them can make moisture meters intended for use with finer potting soils always read "dry" even if the soil has just been watered.

In short, don't waste your money on a moisture meter for bonsai. Use the "chopstick" method to measure moisture. It's cheaper and more effective. Simply insert a chopstick, or any other ligthly colored sliver of wood, about two inches into the bonsai soil. When you think the tree needs water, lift the stick out. If the stick is dark or wet an inch or so down, wait another six hours or so...

PatArizona

G'day Eeiko...

“…every nursery in sydney have told me...watering every day is OK.... and on extreme hot days…like 40C...they say even watering twice a day is ok…”.

A couple of things about this statement…(1) nurseries, garden centers etc., are NOT the best source(s) of bonsai advice: Bonsai Nurseries are something else; (2) watering every day CAN BE OK…but it can also be very BAD for your bonsai; (3) watering twice a day CAN be OK… but it, too, can be BAD for your bonsai; and, (4) most important is to water each bonsai ONLY when it needs water…and then water thoroughly.

“...as long as the soil is right...”.

Right on my friend…using the right soil is as important as anything in keeping your bonsai healthy and happy. Howsomeever…”the right soil” does NOT mean “the only soil”.

“…koreshoffs even say "…our trees here are watered twice a day…"…”.

Remember, ”koreshoffs” are very, very experienced with bonsai.
“…every written article, online, paper or book...all say dont water it too much…but every single book and website are either from UK or USA...temperatures there are very different to here…”.

Very astute Eeiko. The advice in every bonsai book…well, almost “every”…is based on the author’s experience, and grnrally the author’s geographic location.

“…should buy that Koreshoff book...”.

Koreshoff’s book(s) may well be the best there is for Australia.

Pat

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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.