Watering Requirements for Different Bonsai?
Recently, my family and I decided to get involved with different bonsai plants. While purchasing them, we received very little information. What information we did receive, was very confusing and every person we asked gave us a different answer. the biggest question right now that we have is watering; how often, how much, that sort of thing. My mom has a SCHEFFIERA BONSAI; brother has a DWARF HINOKI CYPRESS; boyfriend has a RED CEDAR BONSAI, I have a PORTULACARIA JADE BONSAI; and while there, my daughter planted a JADE BONSAI. If anyone has any information, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you!
I am very new to bonsai as well, however I can help you a slight bit.
Watering is a tough question to answer without knowing what kind of soil or substrate your plants are in. Figure out what is being used in your plants and then someone should be able to more accurately answer your question.
Is the potting media composed of "dirt" more or less? Is the media a substrate (example, lava rock, pumice, akadama)?
Another route to go would be researching each type of tree individually, different plants prefer different levels of moisture.
I can say this with confidence however, water the plant based upon its needs, not based on a schedule.
Good luck
Watering is a tough question to answer without knowing what kind of soil or substrate your plants are in. Figure out what is being used in your plants and then someone should be able to more accurately answer your question.
Is the potting media composed of "dirt" more or less? Is the media a substrate (example, lava rock, pumice, akadama)?
Another route to go would be researching each type of tree individually, different plants prefer different levels of moisture.
I can say this with confidence however, water the plant based upon its needs, not based on a schedule.
Good luck
You will on every surviving tree water to your soils ability to pass water.
Were I you, I might get or make some wooden chop sticks. Every single day I would insert my chopstick into soil. If it comes out damp, that soil already has enough water. If dry, its time to top water liberally.
The trees you list will all need to live out of doors. Though you set them on their new bench in afternoon shade (to ease watering needs).
Whats too wet? Again the right question to ask is does the soil my tree is in let excess water escape?
Proper bonsai soil (as described by my daughter) looks like a bag of mostly gravel with a little bark mulch drug through it. It has a much chunkier content from potting soil, or soiless mix. Water should pass through it like corn through a goose.
I really really want you to get in the habit of touching and picking up your trees every day, during the morning coffee works for me. Pick off excess moss, weed, etc. Only by daily close examination are you going to notice changes in health that you will then be able to research in time to keep your trees healthy.
Or the heft of a too dry pot that did not accept water, before your tree becomes mummified. That needs immersion to water (this happens from time to time).
My job here is not to be the boy with the most toys. It is for you to become him
Were I you, I might get or make some wooden chop sticks. Every single day I would insert my chopstick into soil. If it comes out damp, that soil already has enough water. If dry, its time to top water liberally.
The trees you list will all need to live out of doors. Though you set them on their new bench in afternoon shade (to ease watering needs).
Whats too wet? Again the right question to ask is does the soil my tree is in let excess water escape?
Proper bonsai soil (as described by my daughter) looks like a bag of mostly gravel with a little bark mulch drug through it. It has a much chunkier content from potting soil, or soiless mix. Water should pass through it like corn through a goose.
I really really want you to get in the habit of touching and picking up your trees every day, during the morning coffee works for me. Pick off excess moss, weed, etc. Only by daily close examination are you going to notice changes in health that you will then be able to research in time to keep your trees healthy.
Or the heft of a too dry pot that did not accept water, before your tree becomes mummified. That needs immersion to water (this happens from time to time).
My job here is not to be the boy with the most toys. It is for you to become him
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Gnome
- Super Green Thumb
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Mariah,
I never concern myself with the amount of water I provide which should always be copious. The trick comes in judging how long to wait before watering again. Proper watering is not about quantity but frequency.
The Jade and the Baby Jade (Portulacaria) are succulents and as such are very forgiving of infrequent watering, intolerant of staying wet. Always allow these two to dry completely before watering again. Depending on your location these two (and the Schefflera) may need to come indoors for the winter months. While inside they grow slowly and watering needs diminish even more. During the summer months when they are growing vigorously I water more often while still allowing a dry period in between.
While not a succulent, the Schefflera is not harmed by dry soil for a short time either, at least in my climate.
Norm
I never concern myself with the amount of water I provide which should always be copious. The trick comes in judging how long to wait before watering again. Proper watering is not about quantity but frequency.
The Jade and the Baby Jade (Portulacaria) are succulents and as such are very forgiving of infrequent watering, intolerant of staying wet. Always allow these two to dry completely before watering again. Depending on your location these two (and the Schefflera) may need to come indoors for the winter months. While inside they grow slowly and watering needs diminish even more. During the summer months when they are growing vigorously I water more often while still allowing a dry period in between.
While not a succulent, the Schefflera is not harmed by dry soil for a short time either, at least in my climate.
Norm
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DDMcKenna
- Senior Member
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- Location: Florida, USA, just north of Daytona Beach
I've been going back through as many posts as I can find that concern watering because I would like to learn the best way to care for my new Juniper Bonsai. It makes sense that over-watering can be as fatal as letting it "dry up" so I am trying to learn to "feel" the soil my tree sits in to judge when it requires watering. But I have other questions because I have found so much information on a number of websites.
It seems the act of watering itself is important because it involves more than just getting the soil wet. I read somewhere about how plants give off salts or other toxins that need to be "rinsed away" to maintain the proper ph in the soil. I don't know if this applies to Juniper Bonsais and if it does, how do you know how much to water. I would think there would be some point where you might rinse out all the nutrients in the soil.
Is there some recipe or method to determine how much one should water a small quart-size pot?
It seems the act of watering itself is important because it involves more than just getting the soil wet. I read somewhere about how plants give off salts or other toxins that need to be "rinsed away" to maintain the proper ph in the soil. I don't know if this applies to Juniper Bonsais and if it does, how do you know how much to water. I would think there would be some point where you might rinse out all the nutrients in the soil.
Is there some recipe or method to determine how much one should water a small quart-size pot?
DD bonsai does get fertilized, weakly (as in at low strength). In the summer months after a rest for your trees last insult, about every other week I use osmocoat pellets when I repot, and soluble fertilizer every other week May to October.
Use soluble fertilizer at 1/4 the directed strength every other week.
Letting city water outgass by pouring it into a holding vessle 24 or more hours in advance, is something I have done. I can't prove that my trees cared one whit.
Use soluble fertilizer at 1/4 the directed strength every other week.
Letting city water outgass by pouring it into a holding vessle 24 or more hours in advance, is something I have done. I can't prove that my trees cared one whit.