watering

I live in an area where the summers are quite dry. Therefore, there are problems with collecting rainwater, and I have to water mainly with tap water (about 300 ppm). I also apply mineral fertilizers once a week. Most trees respond well, but some seem to show signs of excess salts (dry edges of...

Hey! I’m new to Bonsai and made the “super wise” decision of starting off with a Serrisa…. Need some advice cause I’ve heard many different things regarding this subject…. For context… i just got this Serrisa this past Sunday so coming up to 5 days tomorrow. I live in Florida and the weather...

Hi! I am pretty new to ficus bonsai (and to plants in general). It's leaves started turning brown, drying and falling off. The first pic is from 30 sept, the second one from 3rd oct and the last one from today (so you can see the evolution). I water it once a week until the soil is hydrated and...

I have heard the above (purportedly) Japanese expression from time to time. The idea is that you should water your trees a second time after a short period of time (10-30 minutes) to allow water to run through and "prime" the soil to accept water. This makes enough sense in theory: many...

Hi All, I have some 9 month old Japanese Black Pines and I am always wondering if I am watering them correctly. They are about 9 months old from seed, and they have varying degrees of browning, aside from one. I live in Texas, but it is winter so it is not very hot, and I water them every day...

I am collecting Sierra Juniper at 8k+ feet (and coming back to Oakland, Bay Area) and have some questions I've been unable to find specific answers for despite looking in Nick Lenz's book, forums on this site, youtube, etc. Lenz's book speaks on the differences between ground, field, and rocky...

Hello guys! I'm curious if any of you are using blumats for watering bonsai, if they are good or ( bad: for keeping the soil to moist, due to that clay carrot specifications. ) The Tropf bumat system can be purchased and viewed here...

Hello! I have begun a cotoneaster bonsai and am struggling to figure what the plant needs. I thought I had been overwatering, cut back, then soil was regularly far too dry and figured the roots had to be developed first so didn’t let it go dry for too long.. then figured maybe not enough sun so...

I recently purchased this Japanese Maple. When I bought it, all of the leaves had dried out and were about to fall away. Over the next couple of days, they ultimately came off. I figured it was due to it being the beginning of Autumn. I fed the tree some Seasol and some liquid fertiliser over...

Apologize if this has been answered elsewhere... I've searched for some time and can't find! What is the technique when watering a tree in 1/2 field (or nursery) soil and 1/2 bonsai soil? Do you -water the field soil half at different intervals than the bonsai soil i.e. on an as needed basis...

So question for those who have brought in your plants and are in a place where water cannot drain freely after watering (i.e. in a garage where water cannot just freely sit and pool on the ground after watering plants). What do you guys do for catching the water that drains after watering? I...

Hello! I have this Azaleea Bonsai, whose leaves started to turn grey-brownish. I would like to know what could be the cause of this. I water it about every second day, and since 2 weeks i am using a liquid fertilizer. I attached the images to my post. Thank you in advance

Here's a question from a newbie; if I am leaving town for 2.5 days, would it be possible to leave bonsai next to sunny window (9hrs of direct light) indoors? My medium is not fully inorganic so I believe it not to dry out much, but my main worry is will this affect much on the photosynthesis...

My Serissa started turning its leaves brown, dry and crispy, and also started dropping leaves. I’ve read forums saying it’s either overwatered or underwatered. Which is of absolutely no help. I figured I would get a much better answer here. do I resume watering when the top dries? Do I let it...

Hey Bonsai friends, I'm a bonsai owner and when I first got it as a gift it began to grow leaves really nicely. I have been watering it regularly to make sure the soil is moist and have kept it in the same place (quite a bright room with lots of natural light). However in the last two weeks the...

I currently have two ficus microcarpa. The first is tiny and I've had it since the fall. It seems to love my apartment conditions so I made a much larger investment on a second one. The new one is about 25" tall out of the pot, so something fairly large that I desperately want to keep alive...

Hello! New to bonsai, maples, trees, and plants in general here! I’ve already tried to drown my tree by not taking out the attached saucer dish (didnt know that was a thing!) initially so any advice is welcome! Tree facts: I’ve had this Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum var. dissectum...

Hi all! I just repotted my cork bark jade for the first time today. I had grown it indoors for a good while but decided to transfer it outside about a week and a half ago. To my astonishment after two days the poor thing looked terrible and had dropped a bunch of petals. Some looked kinda...

Hello, new to the forum with my first bonsai in 8 years, and my first conifer. Hope ya ll could help as I couldn’t find a related thread. Instructions: - The book I bought said to use a soft wood stick in the soil technique and water when the tip starts to feel dry. - Nursery said just water...

Hello, I have just today repotted all my seedlings, to a more permanent location so they wont grow on top of each other in the pelets. I bought some bonsai substrate or whatever it really is (it’s says profi tho) and i can already tell some of the seedlings are too young to be replanted rn and...

Hi everyone on this site. Needed your help with watering my plants. My soil composition is crushed clay pots + perlite and some amount of organic additives. Watering a plants (pre bonsai) depends on numerous factors and I understand that very well but I want to know what is that one thing that...

Hello everyone. I am unable to understand the science behind rotting roots, from what I understand it's usually that the roots die because of too much water (i. e. Lack of oxygen) and then fungal pathogens corrode away that root and it can spread into the healthier sections as well. I stay in a...

Hello everyone xxx Bonsai newbie and lover here! I'm here today to ask if anyone knows what species my bonsai is? (I lost its label) And also to ask for some advice. I've had her home for about a month now and I dont think shes liking her new environment very much. I see some new growth...

Hi Everyone, I have my trees (Trident Maples, Bald Cypress, Dawn Redwood, Eastern Red Cedar) in my unheated garage at the moment due to the snow and sleet we've been having here in Northern Va. Nighttime temps over the next few days will dip down into the low 20s. I moved the trees into a...

Hello guys, just wanted to share a thought with you about bonsai soils. I'm a self taught "trying to be" a bonsai artist, so, please forgive my lack of knowledge. I consider Mr. Nigel Saunders from The Bonsai Zone youtube channel as my online guru and have learned a lot from watching his videos...