I don't think a drip line system works for bonsai.

[Clicio]

Watering bonsai is sometimes compared to quantum physics or an esoteric concept.
When watered from above with a fine spray hose nozzle and plenty, and more than once per session till water pours from the bottom holes, this is a proved and true method to provide both water and oxygen to the rootball.
I don't see how a dripping system could provide the necessary mechanical flow to both wet properly the whole rootball, flushing out old and stale debris, and at the same time provide the influx of air the roots need so much.
Please correct me if I am wrong here, I have no practical experience with the drip method.

 

[leatherback]

I have seen the drips work for stores with hundreds of trees for sale. But.. It is tricky. Some trees are too wet. Some too dry..

They seem to run the drippers on cycles on/off

 

[leatherback]

(To be honest, I am not sure how important the airpush/pull of water is. I am sceptic there.

 

[Hartinez]

I don’t think it is for Bonsai. BUT, if we as hobbyists/enthusiasts want to be able to go anywhere away from our home, for any time at all, then a good drop system could fill in for a few days time. I like what @Brian Van Fleet wrote at one point talking about his system. I love my Bonsai, but I also like to travel. Or something like that. A good system could easily handle a handful of trees for a few days. May not be perfect watering but it’d work temporarily.

 

[Clicio]

(To be honest, I am not sure how important the airpush/pull of water is. I am sceptic there.

Let's use Mr @Walter Pall proven method as a good example.
If I did not misunderstand it, 3 key elements work together: Lots of fertilizing, lots of watering and a very well draining soil.
Fertilizer in excess is not used by the trees, so when water in excess flush down through the holes it will take with it all excess fertilizer not used by the tree; and a loose draining inorganic soil helps it happen smoothly.
Is oxygen needed by the roots? Certainly.
Will watering from above help to oxygenate the roots? I think so.

 

[Clicio]

I have seen the drips work for stores with hundreds of trees for sale. But.. It is tricky.

Same here.
The point is if ten or twenty of their trees die, it doesn't matter so much for the big vendors, while if two or three bonsai of mine die because of the drip I will be losing 10% of my trees. It's just not worth the risk, for me.

 

[sorce]

I reckon there is a clock that begins when a tree gets on a system like this. It's either going to adapt or die, and just because it's alive, doesn't mean it's going to remain any good for bonsai.

Sorce

 

[Bnana]

If the trees are in well draining soil it's no problem to water them a lot. So a dumb watering system for a week or two shouldn't be a problem.

If you have nozzles that really drip in one spot, that might be a problem but little spray nozzles running for like a minute twice a day should do the trick. For a short holiday. It won't get new nutrients but it should have a buffer.

 

[TomB]

[QUOTE="Clicio, post: 775839, member: 21683] I have no practical experience with the drip method.
[/QUOTE]

I do. The main problem is that you don’t get complete wetting of the rootball. There are always some dryer areas in the pot unless you use a large number of drippers. It’s ok for a short period (a few days) but in the longer term I think it leads to problems associated with dry spots - though that will vary with the substrate used and amount of watering. A good compromise if you need to use an automatic system is to supplement it with hand watering (e.g. when you get home from work). Spray and mister heads are better because you get greater coverage. Don’t worry about gas exchange - if you use a granular substrate with sufficient air filled porosity, it’s not going to be an issue.

 

[Clicio]

The main problem is that you don’t get complete wetting of the rootball. There are always some dryer areas in the pot unless you use a large number of drippers.

Yes, that's exactly what I have imagined, thanks for the input.
But..
Nozzles from above and with greater coverage are also called drip systems?
I ask because I was talking about dripping only, not any automated system, as many should work OK I guess.

 

[bunjin]

I suppose that technically a drip system would be the use of drip emitters or drip tubing that emit droplets. I think that those who are the most successful with an automated system spend the time to experiment with the vast array of devices in the marketplace. I know I am still perfecting my system and I use a variety of devices - spray stakes, simple emitters, drip arrows, etc. I still supplement with hand watering when needed and to flush the salts out of the containers. I find that my controller is a 100X more consistent than yours truly in maintaining at least an acceptable moisture level for the plants. I would give it a try as the equipment is not terribly expensive.

 

[ShadyStump]

I'm still a novice at bonsai, but the past couple years we've used a drip system on our vegetable garden, and I'd say @bunjin is right. We learned so much from one season of using the drips that now (when the money comes available) we can redo the whole thing for an easy 200% better experience.
There's so much variety available for drip irrigation systems that over the course of a single season you can experiment and find a working solution for almost any situation. The only limiting factors are budget and patience.
If water being distributed evenly throughout the pot and root ball is an issue, you might also experiment with matter in your soil that can help with that, like fine straw or sphagnum miss, that will wick the moisture evenly throughout.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

I use an installed overhead spray irrigation system on my fixed bonsai bench (icon) and used it last year with good success when I was away or busy, sometimes for two and a half weeks at a time.

I tried a drip system to no avail. Not enough flushing to my taste. Individual sprayers were just too cumbersome as some forests needed at least two. So that would of been over 35 feed lines.

On the bench I ran a mainline for each tier, screwed in multiple emitters and put shut offs on each of the three lines. I manipulated the shut offs depending on the weather when I was in town. It took a bit of trial and error to work things out. It’s a serious Walter Pall like drenching

This year I’m hand watering on all benches as I’m not going anywhere.

best
DSD sends

 

[leatherback]

The main problem is that you don’t get complete wetting of the rootball. There are always some dryer areas in the pot unless you use a large number of drippers.

This depends on the substrate used though.

You do not work with driplines in a pebbles-based substrate with no component to transport the moisture. The person I referred to is using about 20% organics (cocos fibres) in the substrate. I have used it in my larch forest planting, which I build during a workshop there and I must say, it stays very evenly moist.

I have been thinking about making a change in my substrate & irrigation setup as I am fed up with having to move half of my trees around to ensure al get enough water using spray nozzles if I am away for a bit. (Of course, I could expand the number of nozzles, but it is a very wasteful way of watering)