Top Dressing for very hot , dry climate?

[Alkhashab]

Hi

I'm from Kuwait and we have a very hot and dry summer ! the temp can easily reach 52C 125F in June , July and August !!!

so I'm new to bonsai ,, since we don't have turface and akadama here so I will be mixing my soil of ( 3 parts potting soil + 1 part lava rock ) .. but i'm thinking of a good top dressing to keep the soil moist !!

what about the fine pine bark? as a top dressing? or the Repti Bark??

or

what do you guys think?

the sun here is very strong and i'll dry out the soil very very very quick !

Pine bark or Repti Bark?

thanks

 

[milehigh_7]

Personally, I would skip the potting soil altogether. If you can find pumice I like it better than lava. Either way I would use somewhere between 1:1 and 1:2 bark : lava. You need have afternoon shade and water 2-3x (even 4 on the hottest days).

 

[0soyoung]

My first thought it to cover the pot and soil with wet towels, maybe several layers. I doubt a simple top dressing will be enough.

Tree roots die when they are at temperatures above 45F and they are generally not growing when above 35F. You should get (at least one and maybe several) inexpensive meat thermometer probes. Stick them in among the roots and see what their temperature(s) actually are. Act accordingly given this data (i.e., water more frequently, adjust sun exposure, change the water holding cover, etc.).

 

[butlern]

C

 

[zelk]

My first thought it to cover the pot and soil with wet towels, maybe several layers. I doubt a simple top dressing will be enough.

Tree roots die when they are at temperatures above 45F and they are generally not growing when above 35F. You should get (at least one and maybe several) inexpensive meat thermometer probes. Stick them in among the roots and see what their temperature(s) actually are. Act accordingly given this data (i.e., water more frequently, adjust sun exposure, change the water holding cover, etc.).

That seems quite low!

 

[zelk]

Ah! Thanks for the edit

 

[sorce]

Also.

Be aware of this....

During that hot hot the trees won't use water except to replace transpiration, transpiration which is greatly reduced in this lignified, tightened up to keep from transpiring to death in the hot hot, state.

So while you are OK ok ok all thru the hot hot. ....

It's when that slight cool comes back and all of a sudden you have to water 3 times a day that becomes the killer.

Because during the hot hot you figure just the sun alone would dry up the soil...
But quite honestly, there is a soil you don't even have to water thru the hot hot...
It's just not a safe soil to use for the growing period.

@milehigh_7 is the only one most familiar with the climate.
I feel potting soil will kill your trees too..

Sorce

 

[sorce]

Oh and...Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce

 

[AZbonsai]

Heat of the summer I use burlap from coffee bean bags. Provide shade for the pots and a bit of evaporative cooling until they dry out. Some kind of shade structure would be good. Thin layer of new zealand sphagnum moss is what we bonsai people in AZ are starting to use as well.

 

[0soyoung]

C

Thanks!

My 'F'ing mind

 

[Alkhashab]

thank you all for the reply!

we do not have pumice here !

I found these two things here in Kuwait

Oil Dri

and this!

Tetra active substrate its made of Clay!

and this is a video for it but in russian! lol

can i use one of these instead of pumice and lava?

 

[AZbonsai]

Use of burlap in extreme heat. This is my set up so far. I will be putting up shade screens as well. I let the burlap hang down in the 100'sf and will put it around the pots at 110f.

 

[Adair M]

Also, a trellis with shade cloth would help a lot!

Spaghnum moss on the top helps.

 

[AZbonsai]

Thats weird I posted a different picture and your bag of soil appeared.

 

[bonhe]

Hi
the sun here is very strong and i'll dry out the soil very very very quick !
Pine bark or Repti Bark?
thanks

I would use pine bark or Repti bark for top dressing since it will prevent the water evaporate from the soil. I would also use the white T shirt to cover the small pot completely at day time.
Bonhe

 

[sorce]

Thats weird I posted a different picture and your bag of soil appeared.
View attachment 186904

Usually refreshing will solve it.
Thats all I got so far.

Sorce

 

[RaginCajun]

I’m with the ones saying to drape an old wet white rag over the pots. Here in Louisiana we get actual temperatures consistently above 100 degrees june-September. Even into October sometimes. It makes a huge difference.