If I could turn back time…

[JimmyTheSkip]

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3sAy9o ... 811d784056

I just came across this episode of the Bonsai Stuff podcast. Thought it was very relevant. It's interesting going through this post, and different threads on the forum, everyone keeps coming back to the basics.

Don't buy trees for the sake of it - quality over quantity.

Learn to water properly.

Focus on the roots, get your tree healthy and good Bonsai will follow.

I'm paraphrasing but they seems to be the consistent messages that keep coming up.

[yamadorikid]

- I didn't learn my microclimate. I overwatered and killed things. My backyard is quite enclosed with high fences - even when there's >6h sun/day and temperatures over 30 in summer, the lack of wind keeps soil wet.

Very important point that you pointed out @Promethius, my case is very similar to yours, i get even less sun at around 4-5hrs only, but have the high fences also and my palce is in a block of units with me in the middle and other units on either side, so there is less wind to help dry trees out.

I had several trees that died due to overwatering as during summer id water once or twice a day as it was mandatory to do so as it was ''summer time'', little did i know that my soil was still not fully dry from the previous days watering. Hence some trees went downhill from there due to being too wet under the top of the soil.

I wondering what methods did you use to combat this please as i will be needing to make changes this comming winter.

I plan you use roughly a 80/20 pumice/bark mix and will be using pots similar to colanders with all holes along the side walls.
This should help dry out the trees better, as the limited sun i get is not enough to dry out the soil.

thanks,

[SuperBonSaiyan]

I wondering what methods did you use to combat this please as i will be needing to make changes this comming winter.

I was stumped with how to water until I started sticking bamboo skewers into all of my pots. I did this anyway to secure the fertiliser teabags, but I realised it was a quick and easy way to tell if a tree had dried out or whether it was still moist in the rootball.

Just take the skewer out, assess whether it's wet, dry, or partially wet, and water accordingly.

From this method, I got to understand which trees dried out faster than others. I use a separate skewer for the fertiliser bags for ease of checking.

Now, I still check from time to time, but I've gotten to know my trees and how they transpire better, so I check less often. On hot days or windy days it's always a case of check more to be safe (I'm still learning).

[fae]

Great tip , thanks for sharing.
Fiona

[TimS]

Just grab a water meter from Bunnings for $17, takes all the guesswork out of it

[Promethius]

Yes, I am in a middle unit too. I’m fortunate to have a tiny west-facing front yard with enough sun for a couple of pines, but the rest are in the back. There’s no single magic answer. Growth will never be the same as if there were more sun, so some trees are less resilient than I'd hope for.

The first step is having the right trees. I’ve found that tridents do well (as they tend to do everywhere). Junipers always have pests but they’re pretty bulletproof. Natives are mostly okay but species from out of state (I’m in Melbourne) don’t do too well. Japanese maples struggle, but I think that’s a mite issue that crops up late every summer.

Most of my trees are still in development, and I use at least 40-50% organic across the board, in ugly deep plastic pots with good drainage. I haven’t noticed much difference in mix staying wet in comparison to handful of trees with a higher inorganic substrate proportion. I plan to increase my inorganic ratio this year. Some inorganic components can still stay quite moist IMO - worth considering when choosing components.

Watering is still daily for me through most of spring and all of summer, but I need to keep a close eye in early autumn for a family sudden drop in water requirements. The days can still be hot but by mid-March I am usually only watering 2-3 times each week. I've never used the skewer method above, but may have lost fewer trees when starting out if I had tried it.

[Dendrophile Dave]

along with temperature and wind, HUMIDITY or rather low humidity is a critical factor to monitor regarding the need for irrigation, watching all this on BOM becomes a bit of an obsession! there's also the 'delta t' if you want to get even more obsessive