AusBonsai

Ok so with the growing colection of trees i have aquired (most early work in progress or yet to be started), I thought it was time to address to need to speed up my watering process and also allow for good watering whilst i travel for work without having to worry about the person left at home in charge of this task....

So yesterday i build myself a new bench for the larger pots, out of recycled timber except for the deck boards, and today i set on the task of hooking up an auto watering system. Anyway i thought i would share some pics with you all and also seek advise on a question. For those using systems like this, how long would you water for (i live in sydney)? I was thinking maybe 15 mins at 6am and 6pm during summer, or possible 30 mins strictly in the morning???

Hi K2.
Personally I like to stand around and watch where the water is going after set up so I can see what requires adjustment. It slso pays to observe during different weather too. Also you can put out a straight sided container (take away is fine) to see how many mils you are dishing out each time you run it. You don't want to overdo it. Have fun

Some nice looking buxus there!!!

Yeah it took me some time of playing to work out the covereage area etc but i never thought to do as you suggested and place water holding containers around to see how much water different areas will get. I was wondering where the best place to stick my ficus was so that he didn't get too much water but now your idea has solved that for me... I found the wind really plays havoc with the coverage hence why i think mornings would be good. Cheers for the very good advice!

Glad I could help
Wind is often a problem resulting in water being carried off and dumped where it is not wanted, especially with fine mist systems. My next system will use larger spray heads with larger droplets, a little less volatile although mist can be good to cool things down quickly on hot dry days.
Don't use drippers, if your potting mixes are open you are likely to water only a small area of the root ball.

My overhead sprays come on for 15 min each evening and 15 min again early morning (10 min x2 in spring and autumn, 10 min once a day in cooler weather and off in winter). I find 2 short waterings are more effective than 1 longer one. When the mix is dry much of the water runs off and only wets a little way in then gradually soaks in further over the next hours. The second watering penetrates the damp outer surface better and reaches the centre of the rootball more effectively.
With a good mix you should have no problems with overwatering.

The microsprays are not all uniform and they change as they age so you are likely to find some areas wetter and some drier. Watch for individual trees that are stressed at the end of the day to identify dry areas (may take several weeks or some really hot days to show up). I place pines, etc in the drier areas and water loving maples, etc in the wet areas.

I have mine come in te morning for 5 minutes at about 7 am daily, year around.
In summer, ony the sprayers on the line watering my bonsai on stands,comes on at 2 pm every day

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Morning time is always good, not so much wind around and it gives time for the leaves to dry and reduce water burn.
Do any of you have a rain sensor?

No rain sensors, but i am thinking i will use the watering system by turning it on manually when i am home and use it just to save me time and then only put it in automatic mode when i am away. Thanks for all the great feedback from everyone