Watering Junipers in Summer

[one_bonsai]

I have Junipers in full sun and wondering how many times a day I should water them during summer when the temperatures are in the mid thirties?

[treeman]

Depends on many factors. Size of pot, type of mix etc. Generally you water junipers as you would any other plant but they like water on the leaves as much if not more than constant free water at the roots. The types of junipers we grow for bonsai are cliff dwelling mountain plants with roots deeply imbedded into cracks and fissures in limestone rock, so they rely mainly on constant seepage rather than direct watering from rain. Their leaves however are moistened daily by low clouds and mist. You can duplicate this environment by including lots of sand in the mix so it does not hold too much water for too long, and by light watering or misting the leaves as often as you like but at least once a day/evening.

[one_bonsai]

I have a misting system setup and was thinking of watering twice a day during hot weather.

[shibui]

Misting is good but misting alone is often not enough. You must apply enough water to stop the root zone from drying out. Make sure your trees get enough watering to keep the roots from drying out.

[Jiro]

As mentioned above a combination of watering the roots and light misting will be best. Ideally you water the ground in the morning and mist in the afternoon or evening. Avoid watering until the potting medium is virtually dry). Watering in the evening, although not an extreme risk, could result in root rot or fungal infection in the case of junipers (as they spend the night and into the following day with wet feet).

What is your soil medium? I once read that in Japan they use a combination including 30% river sand. So I have my juniper in course high grade potting mix and 30% river sand. Mind you, none of my juniper are in bonsai pots at present. They are all being grown out for another 5-10 years... off track there... my point was that you want to ensure excellent drainage as they can be prone to root rot and fungal infection if you over water and drainage is poor.

My suggestion would be that instead of running the risk of over watering make sure that they don't get too much sun during the hottest period of summer. Aim for morning sun and shade/part shade by 1-2 pm. 6-7 hours of sun during that really hot period of summer should suffice.

So: manage a two pronged watering regime, ensure excellent drainage and control your sun exposure and you should ensure the health of your junipers through the hottest part of the Australian summer.

All that being said you may well receive far better advice so feel no compunction to do anything I have said