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DDMcKenna
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Location: Florida, USA, just north of Daytona Beach

Help with the sun

Hello Again :D

I hope I can ask the right questions here as I have been reading as fast as I can and I have already learned a great deal. My son gave me this Bonsai which I believe is a Juniper and I want so badly to make it thrive. I fear the worst problem I have is the sun and the correct amount of exposure.

I have read about the watering and how critical that is so I have included spraying the foliage with a spray bottle to wet the entire plant after I water it but that will all change depending on how I figure out how much sun to give it. So that's where I have to start. I should add that I live right on the east coast of central Florida so that means lots of humidity and very high temps and little or no freezing in the winter.

I have a lanai on the south side of my house which would be perfect because that's where we entertain guests and I would love to leave it out there all the time. The problem is that my lanai gets no direct sun at all until late in the day and then it is not very intense. The lanai is completely open on the south side and is well lit with indirect light but I'm afraid the tree needs more direct sun.

I was wondering if it is possible to put the tree out in the sun for several hours, maybe four days a week, and have its primary residency be here on the lanai. I don't mind moving it and I would like to know if anyone has any experience with moving a bonsai in and out of the sunlight.

The tree was delivered “as is” with this gravel-like material on top of the soil so I don't know if that has to be removed. I can “feel” the soil with my fingers and that is how I am judging how damp it is for watering purposes right now. When I put it out in the sun for about four hours, it seems to dry out rather quickly compared to when it sits in the shade.

I’ll try to include a photo to show everyone what the tree and soil looks like and I would appreciate any ideas on how to give it the sun it needs and still keep it in the cooler and shady area of the lanai.
DSC00009.JPG

tomc
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Bright indirect sun will work for a Juniper. Is this porch a place where you visit every single day? A daily routine of poking the soil in your tree with a chopstick for moisture, Is the new personal limb you'll need to grow.

Mr. Myagi probably just stuck his finger in the pot, but I want you to pick up and get real close to your new tree baby, every day. To note changes that you may want research, grooming, and to be able to tell at a pick-up if your tree is taking up water right.

My little porch is where I take my morning coffee (hint hint). It is cluttered with trees.

Rummage around in the dirt of your new tree, it there are glued on rocks, please remove them, this too is part of the exersise your chop stick is going to get beyond checking soil for moisture.

imafan26
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Actually the juniper would probably be even happier out in the sun most of the time and only coming in the house or lanai for brief periods. if you keep her in more than a couple of days, it will have to be hardened off again.

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DDMcKenna
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Location: Florida, USA, just north of Daytona Beach

Thank you both for the speedy replies. And YES, the lanai is great because we have an all glass back wall consisting of sliding doors separating the living room from the lanai so everyone in the house can see my baby sitting out there plus we do go out there all the time. It is a very comfortable place to sit and enjoy the outdoors but I fear it may be a bit too shady.

It would be great to set up a little alter just for my tree where everyone can enjoy it but it is like the perfect place to sit in the shade such that it is completely shielded from the sun. I hope it isn't being too impractical to post more pictures but I think that may be the only way to show you the conditions I'm trying to describe.

So I am going to take a bunch of pics of the lanai from various angles and try to pick one that best shows you everything. I will post that soon and again, thank you all so much.

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DDMcKenna
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DSC00010.JPG
This is probably the best angle to show you how much light is getting into the lanai. With the large overhang blocking the direct sunlight, even the brightest day is still quite shady in here. You can see my baby sitting on the table but I put her there just for the pic. So far, I have kept her out near the outside edge of the lanai even though that doesn't do a whole lot more for lighting.

The last couple days, I have put her out on the patio in the direct sunlight starting about 8AM and set a timer for 4 hours. After that much time, she is really HOT and the soil is notably drier. My wife's potted plants usually die from burning up if they don't get watered every day. I know it is a tree like any tree and needs sunlight but being in such a small pot makes me afraid it wouldn't take very long for it to completely dry out and start to burn.

I am trying to understand this "hardening" that I have read she needs. I really don't mind moving her in and out of the sun if that is what would be best for her. On the lanai, she will get constant attention and figuring out how best to water her will be fun.

Edit: Jun23rd
I think I have described the conditions of the lanai the best I can. Since I really don't know anything about growing anything, I'm pretty much at the mercy of what I can learn here. I guess I have already developed a sentimental attachment to this tree because it is really a thoughtful gift from my son and it would break my heart to let it die because I failed to care of it properly.

As I said, I understand that a tree needs to be out in the sunshine but I also think it is important to consider the conditions where I live. Right on the east coast of central Florida isn't like anywhere else in the US. I have already witnessed how a small plant, especially in a shallow pot like this can have every bit of its soil washed out of the pot in one of our afternoon downpours where it can dump 2 to 4 inches of rain in as little as 10 or 20 minutes. I cannot imagine how anything could survive if left outside in these elements all the time.

Between the intense downpours and the brutal sunshine, it seems to me that it would be imperative to move it in and out of the sunshine or build some kind of enclosure that acted like an umbrella and still let some sun reach the plant which might actually be the best way but I don't have a good spot to do that. So I am really hoping someone has some experience that would allow me to have it here on the lanai where we can spend a lot of time admiring and taking care of it. So I guess I am asking what kind of schedule I could use to take care of it because the instructions that came with it are pretty vague saying it needs morning sun and afternoon and evening shade. I'm hoping somebody knows just how to take advantage of this type of Florida climate and has figured out a feasible schedule for giving my baby just the right amount of sun.

I really appreciate all the help anyone is willing to provide. Thank you

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DDMcKenna
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The "Edit" button disappeared so I hope I don't become too annoying with too many posts. I know I still have a lot to learn.

I've been putting it out in the sun everyday for a few hours, hopefully not too much or too little. I tried the wooden toothpick and maybe when I can get my hands on an old pop-cycle stick, that may work but for now, I am trying to dig my finger down into the dirt without damaging the roots. I'm trying to wait until it seems fairly dry before I water it and then I'm watering it slowly but thoroughly. Some of those decorative rocks and little green plastic ball-like things want to float off the dirt into the tray underneath. I was hoping not to disturb or make a mess of it until I had to.

I have to go out of town for nearly a week next month so I got one of those "Aqua-bulbs" that is supposed to be able to water a plant for up to two weeks. I'm hoping I can figure out how to use that thing before I have to leave. This feels like the dog I used to have. We had a Dalmatian for fifteen years and we had to put him to sleep a couple years ago because he got a lung infection and was just too old. I still miss him but I think this tree is starting to feel just as close to me. I found myself worrying if the wind was too strong while I was at work and if I had my baby back away from the outside edge far enough.

I'm not certain if etiquette dictates that I not post so much so I promise not to be a pain soon as I feel like I'm not going to kill it right away.

tomc
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Your porch is enclosed. Its that enclosed part that is too much. Shelter from direct sun is one thing, interior humidity is another (and too little).

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DDMcKenna
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In the picture, you see the only two "enclosed" walls. In the picture, to the right, is completely open to the back yard. That's over twenty-five feet wide open. Behind me in the picture, is a screened wall so it is really open to the elements except for screen material. So the humidity would be the same as it is out in the back yard, very high Florida humidity.

EDIT: And thank you, I got your message but I guess I'm not allowed to reply till I am a member for some time.

I believe you are absolutely right as the tree was delivered through UPS by one of those "gift services" and packed fairly uniquely in that it was all set up and ready to display without doing anything but add water. It was amazing that it managed not to be destroyed in shipment. But I believe you hit the nail on the head as far as it being "just another decoration."

Personally, I can't treat any living thing that way. I think it is incredible and I want it to outlive me so my son can have it back when I'm gone. That will give him something to remember me and a little incentive to take care of it.

Here is a pic of the opposite corner of the lanai, showing how it is open to the back yard.
DSC00012.JPG

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DDMcKenna
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If I have no choice on a given particular day but to give my tree, (Juni, I think), some afternoon sun if that is the only time I am home, how long should I expose it to the harsh Florida sun?

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Gnome
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DDMcKenna,

If you are open to the idea of getting it out from under the roof there is a product known as shade cloth.

https://www.greenhousemegastore.com/cate ... CH6uzw_wcB

Norm

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DDMcKenna
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Thank you for the link, that looks like a really good idea. With that, I may be able to build a small structure that could house my tree safely. That stuff looks like it could shield the tree from the harsh sun but I would have to make it strong enough to deal with the frequent afternoon storms we deal with here too. That may be a good project for this summer.

In the mean time, I'm still trying to give my tree at least an hour of sunshine each day. I'm limiting it to an hour when the only time I have is afternoon or when the sun is a lot hotter than morning sun. I'm afraid to leave it out when I'm at work just because it's so small, I'm afraid it will burn up.

I just noted that "imafan26" lives in Hawaii and would know what hot sun is like. Even the most southern part of California comes no where near this latitude. San Antonio or farther south in Texas is the only place in the continental part of USA that shares this intensity of sun. I'm just so afraid that something in that small of a pot couldn't last for very long unless it had some kind of shade. I don't have anyplace on my property to put it in the morning sun and provide shade the remainder of the day. Until I build something, I just feel like I need to protect it somehow.

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DDMcKenna
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Juni got a whole day of sun today. First time, (since I got her), we have a "dry" spell. That's what's left of the "cold front" that came through from the north-west. Can you believe I came home to humidity at 41%! Unheard of down here. Should be the typical 95%.

Anyway, from the best that I can tell, I think her soil still holds a little moisture which may be due to that glazed pot with a single drain whole. I think I'm going to put her out again tomorrow because we're supposed to have another dry day. And I think she needs another day to completely dry out.

tomc
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Poke your dirt with something and check. :)

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DDMcKenna
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Poor baby has been poked to death!
I have these large "mechanic" hands with callouses so thick I can't even feel things right.
But I little of the dust-size soil sticks to the tip of my little finger.
I am terrified of her staying to wet and getting some disease
I think I'm "aerating" the soil pretty good they way I poke all around the edges.
Sometimes, I can feel her roots and it feels "unnatural" to touch them.
But that course soil is no match for my pinkies wet or dry.

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DDMcKenna
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I have decided Juni is going to sit in the sun for nine hours again today. We're expecting another very dry day, possible below 50% humidity, and hot sun, 95 degrees, all day without any storms. I think she needs an opportunity to dry out real good because I'm afraid I haven't gotten her "completely" dry before I have watered her in the past.

It seems very difficult for me to judge just how damp her soil is. I poke holes all around the edges of the bowl with my pinky and it always feels cool and "dampish?" It's difficult to say with my very callous fingers. But the wooden sticks I use seem to produce the same results, just a little soil sticking to the end that was pushed in the deepest. I feel like I'm moving all the soil around a bit by poking it so much but I don't know if there is anything wrong with that from what I've read.

Getting the watering correct is only part of the challenge. I'm almost ready to buy one of those electronic moisture detectors but I am afraid that it won't be accurate in this very course soil. It would seem that it would read differently each time you checked it because it would always contact a different amount of soil verses gravel in the mix. But then there are other issues too.

The hard part is all the conflicting information out there. For example, I read here that those green slow-release pellets are used only when repotting which I assume is once a year or two. But the instruction card that came with the fertilizer said to apply a spoonful once a month. And the liquid fertilizer seems really hard to judge. The directions with the stuff said one teaspoon per gallon of water. Well, that seems pretty weak when you compare how much water I use to flush and soak Juni real good when I do water her. I use a quarter teaspoon in a quart and a half of water and it seems like that is almost nothing.

For an old mechanic like me, growing a tree like this seems to be an interesting challenge.



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