How do you determine when to water?

[Anthony]

@LouisianaNative ,

i would suggest you simply contact the members from Louisiana,
like Zack, or Bill and talk to them.Perhaps get telephone numbers.

That is what my brother-in-law did when he lived in Lafayette.
Good Day
Anthony

 

[Lazylightningny]

My experience has been that if your plants are in nursery soil, you will eventually get root rot and your tree will suffer. There are not enough roots at the bottom and sides of the nursery pot, and the soil will stay wet, and your pot perpetually heavy. If you withhold water, the roots at the top will die. These plants were meant to be put into the ground. I am bare rooting all my plants now, so the jury is still out on that one, but if in bonsai soil, you basically cannot over-water.

 

[M. Frary]

Walter Pall is on to something there

It's how I've been doing my trees for years.
Inorganic soil.
Inorganic fertilizer at high strength once a week.
Water the whole tree until it runs out copiously.
My wife waters when I'm away.
Took 10 minutes to show her.
Walter is onto something.

 

[Cadillactaste]

Wow, some really great info, thanks for all the responses! Someone asked what I'm using for soil. I've recently been repotting everything in Napa Floor Dry (Diatomaceous Earth). I have a little bit of dry fertilizer mixed in with it. Only 1 of my trees have been in that mix for a month or so but seems to be doing great. The Trident Maple, the one looking dead, is still planted in the original mix from Brussels Bonsai which I purchased about a year ago. It is very possible I've been over watering it. I'm considering repotting it in DE since It doesn't seem to be doing anything but dying.

If you feel you have been over watering...I suggest cutting back and being obs

It's how I've been doing my trees for years.
Inorganic soil.
Inorganic fertilizer at high strength once a week.
Water the whole tree until it runs out copiously.
My wife waters when I'm away.
Took 10 minutes to show her.
Walter is onto something.

I am considering going to full Boon mix. Except for the Satsuki. I will be only purchasing Boon from here on out. I may keep what little I have that has bark in it...for the Virginia creeper. It's a plant you can't kill.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

I know a lot of folks like Boon mix but I have learned my lesson with akadama. I went to a clinic this spring where we did a J. maple forest and the soil mix had akadama in it. As of now it has turned to mush and makes watering those trees a real guessing game compared to my trees on a pumic/stalite/bark mix. Never again!

 

[Rodrigo]

It's how I've been doing my trees for years.
Inorganic soil.
Inorganic fertilizer at high strength once a week.
Water the whole tree until it runs out copiously.
My wife waters when I'm away.
Took 10 minutes to show her.
Walter is onto something.

I've also been following Walter's advice and it's working out great. I water two or three times a day since we can get >100 degree weather consecutively and it helps keep the roots cool.

I work from home for now so I do that by hand but soon I'll have to figure out another way

 

[Dav4]

I'm about to buy $700-$800 in akadama/akadama based soils.... .

 

[leatherback]

I'm about to buy $700-$800 in akadama/akadama based soils.... .

It is not too late to find something else

 

[Dav4]

It is not too late to find something else

I still use boat loads of turface and soil conditioner ( composted bark) for growing out deciduous stock but my more refined trees, deciduous and conifer alike, have been making the transition over the last few years to boons mix... and they like it

 

[M. Frary]

Sorce and I were discussing this a few days ago.
I dont believe any soil/substrate is better than the next.
It's the person using the soil. How they use it and the big thing is that they have confidence in it.

 

[leatherback]

It's the person using the soil

of course. Some soils however are easier to take care of. I live in a climate with lots of rain in fall and winter. In pottingsoil based substrate I would have a hard time keeping them happy in winter. And in summer I can throw buckets of water at my coars substrate without drowning the trees. So some are harder to keep trees happy in..

 

[Tiberiusjones]

Thanks for the tip going to try it with my decidious and conifers. I have a bad habit of overwatering I think this will help especially with my roses, quince and maples.

 

[Njyamadori]

My plants just let me know