Watering Bonsai Trees
Azalea Bonsai Tree From Kobayashi Nursery in Japan
|
Watering Bonsai Trees is always heavily debated among Bonsai Enthusiasts, and people often panic that they are over watering or under watering their trees. The real problem with watering bonsai trees is that not all trees are the same. For example a Japanese White Pine Bonsai tree likes to be on the dry side and will happily tolerate dry periods, whereas on the other hand if you are looking after an Acer Bonsai Tree then this should be watered every day during the growing season.
Research your particular tree to find out how much water it requires. There are some simple tips you can follow for the majority of bonsai tree.
A large tree in a large pot will not need to be watered as much as a little shohin tree. And a deep potted tree will not need to be watered as much as a shallow potted tree. We have clients who purchase beautiful trees in shallow pots, and ask for deeper pots for this very reason.
Firstly not all water is created equal and a Bonsai Tree will prefer rain water or collected rain water over tap water. Tap water contains chlorine so it is best to avoid tap water if possible. However many successful Bonsai Keepers only use tap water and some of the biggest nurseries around use just tap water due to the scale of trees they are looking for.
Some people like to have a weed living in their Bonsai Pot beside their tree, and when the weed starts to wilt they know it is time to water their tree. Personally we do not opt for this approach. We will water most of our trees every day during the growing season and avoid water logging the trees by making sure they are re-potted on a regular basis. A tree that is re-potted when required will not only have good drainage to allow excess water to run out of the pot, but will also give the root system of the tree some good aeration. Trees always grow better in not compact soil.
Our Acer Bonsai trees especially the more expensive trees will be watered up to twice per day unless if it is raining. As a world renown Bonsai expert told us, a mature tree will lose a lot of moisture through the leaves in particular when it is windy so make sure you water Acer Bonsai at least once per day during the growing season even if it is not sunny. Another reason we stay on top of our watering is to maintain the moss layer on some of our higher end trees. Moss will quickly dry out.
One trick that we do use is to finish potting a tree with fine Akadama as the top layer of soil. The Akadama will change color when the tree is starting to dry our and this will be a good indication that the tree is in need of water. We have heard of some people waiting until the leaves start to wilt before they water but this is ill advised. You do not want to put the tree under any undue stress, as this will simply weaken the tree.
A common mistake when worrying about how much water to give to your trees is to blame the watering routine when the tree starts to look sick. Chances are there are other reasons that the tree is looking sick like a lack of feeding or feeding the tree the wrong food. Or over pruning the tree and stressing the tree out. Sometimes a tree will start to look sick when it has been invaded by a pest, so best practice is to check your trees daily as part of your routine. Then at least if your tree starts to look sick you can quickly address the issue.
In our experience most trees start to look sick when they are not fed through a proper feeding cycle, or they have been attacked by pests.
If you are part of a Bonsai club you will probably have debated the watering routine with your fellow club members, and you will know that everyone does things slightly different. Keep things simple, make sure the soil has good drainage, make sure you are potting the tree in the correct soil, research your particular tree, and for most trees water daily during the growing season with collected rainwater.
Research your particular tree to find out how much water it requires. There are some simple tips you can follow for the majority of bonsai tree.
A large tree in a large pot will not need to be watered as much as a little shohin tree. And a deep potted tree will not need to be watered as much as a shallow potted tree. We have clients who purchase beautiful trees in shallow pots, and ask for deeper pots for this very reason.
Firstly not all water is created equal and a Bonsai Tree will prefer rain water or collected rain water over tap water. Tap water contains chlorine so it is best to avoid tap water if possible. However many successful Bonsai Keepers only use tap water and some of the biggest nurseries around use just tap water due to the scale of trees they are looking for.
Some people like to have a weed living in their Bonsai Pot beside their tree, and when the weed starts to wilt they know it is time to water their tree. Personally we do not opt for this approach. We will water most of our trees every day during the growing season and avoid water logging the trees by making sure they are re-potted on a regular basis. A tree that is re-potted when required will not only have good drainage to allow excess water to run out of the pot, but will also give the root system of the tree some good aeration. Trees always grow better in not compact soil.
Our Acer Bonsai trees especially the more expensive trees will be watered up to twice per day unless if it is raining. As a world renown Bonsai expert told us, a mature tree will lose a lot of moisture through the leaves in particular when it is windy so make sure you water Acer Bonsai at least once per day during the growing season even if it is not sunny. Another reason we stay on top of our watering is to maintain the moss layer on some of our higher end trees. Moss will quickly dry out.
One trick that we do use is to finish potting a tree with fine Akadama as the top layer of soil. The Akadama will change color when the tree is starting to dry our and this will be a good indication that the tree is in need of water. We have heard of some people waiting until the leaves start to wilt before they water but this is ill advised. You do not want to put the tree under any undue stress, as this will simply weaken the tree.
A common mistake when worrying about how much water to give to your trees is to blame the watering routine when the tree starts to look sick. Chances are there are other reasons that the tree is looking sick like a lack of feeding or feeding the tree the wrong food. Or over pruning the tree and stressing the tree out. Sometimes a tree will start to look sick when it has been invaded by a pest, so best practice is to check your trees daily as part of your routine. Then at least if your tree starts to look sick you can quickly address the issue.
In our experience most trees start to look sick when they are not fed through a proper feeding cycle, or they have been attacked by pests.
If you are part of a Bonsai club you will probably have debated the watering routine with your fellow club members, and you will know that everyone does things slightly different. Keep things simple, make sure the soil has good drainage, make sure you are potting the tree in the correct soil, research your particular tree, and for most trees water daily during the growing season with collected rainwater.