What species used for bonsai are hard to kill by over watering?

[Javaman4373]

Having killed a nice bristlecone pine by my bad choice of soil and over watering after I collected it, I am curious as to what species are tolerant to over watering. My guess to begin this, is those that grow in wet conditions in nature. For example Larix larcina. I have found tamaracks in bogs as well as under drier upland conditions. My swamp azaleas, Rhododendron viscosum, grow naturally on little hummocks in very wet woods and should not mind wet feet. I would also guess cypress would qualify. Do you folks have other suggestions?

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Bald cypress

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Oh, I probably should have suggested something that lives natively in Vermont.

How about: weeping willow?

 

[elroy]

Having killed a nice bristlecone pine by my bad choice of soil and over watering after I collected it, I am curious as to what species are tolerant to over watering. My guess to begin this, is those that grow in wet conditions in nature. For example Larix larcina. I have found tamaracks in bogs as well as under drier upland conditions. My swamp azaleas, Rhododendron viscosum, grow naturally on little hummocks in very wet woods and should not mind wet feet. I would also guess cypress would qualify. Do you folks have other suggestions?

Eastern white cedar grow in the swamps with larch.

Elroy

 

[PA_Penjing]

Dawn redwood

 

[QuantumSparky]

You could also use any species suggested here with a custom blend of completely inorganic soil components, mixed in a ratio that minimizes water retention. I don't know the over watering situation but it's a tradeoff of really hard to over water for drying out much easier

 

[Forsoothe!]

A caveat! There's wet feet, and there's wet feet. Moist or even soggy is tolerable by lots of plants during the growing season. In winter it's a different story because water freezes at a higher temperature than the sap in the roots and therefore damages roots at higher low temperatures than they might be rated to withstand. Also, the other kind of wet feet is where there is standing water at the bottom of the pot which is constant. Decaying material gives off sulfur dioxide gas as a part of the process of decay. That gas gets traped in standing water and cannot escape. The water then becomes high in sulfur (dioxides) which is poisonous to most roots. The worse it gets, the more roots are consumed by rot accelerating the process of roting material and killing the plant. It has the smell of rotten eggs.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Decaying material gives off sulfur dioxide gas as a part of the process of decay. That gas gets traped in standing water and cannot escape. The water then becomes high in sulfur (dioxides) which is poisonous to most roots. The worse it gets, the more roots are consumed by rot accelerating the process of roting material and killing the plant. It has the smell of rotten eggs.

Decaying matter in the absence of oxygen often gives off hydrogen sulfide - because some anaerobic bacteria create their own energy by reducing sulfur compounds... instead of by using oxygen for energy.

In fact, the smell of sulfur from your soil means that you have dead zones in your soil - anaerobic pockets where roots cannot live because the pockets are void of oxygen. The soil gets compacted, oxygen is depleted, any roots in the area die, and then anaerobic bacteria take over. Usually you won't smell it oozing from your soil; you smell it when you go to repot and you find rotting, anaerobic pockets - often at the bottom of the pot. Or else when you are squishing through a swamp looking for yamadori and you step in some mud and bubbles rise to the surface that smell like rotten eggs. In high concentrations, hydrogen sulfide is toxic to plants... but in low concentrations, surprisingly enough, it can be used as an effective growth accelerator/fertilizer.

Decay can also occur aerobically (in the presence of oxygen) with a different class of bacteria. In fact, if you've ever seen a compost tumbler, the entire purpose of rotating your compost is to improve oxygen exchange so you don't get anaerobic conditions in your compost - which should smell fresh and natural and not stink like rotten eggs. The nitrogen cycle of breaking ammonia into nitrite and then nitrite into nitrate is usually an aerobic process that produces plant fertilizer as an end-product.

Sulfur dioxide, on the other hand, smells like matches and is usually found as a result of volcanic or industrial activity - not bacterial. Industrial sulfur dioxide pollution is a key cause of acid rain (forming sulfuric acid in the upper atmosphere, which falls to earth with precipitation). Little known fact - you can have acid snow as well as acid rain.

 

[Shogun610]

Any species of deciduous that is native to swamp or wetland areas. Try looking for native deciduous in your area that tolerate flooding , moist poor draining soils. You’re in Vermont so I’d imagine river birch or alder. But just because it has high water tolerance doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be draining soils either , over watering without proper drainage leads to anaerobic environment which is bad for roots. But if your question is also about substrate that has high drainage for pines/conifers , usually a blend of pumice and lava rock with some amount of water holding for roots to extend and search for water while also allowing oxygen in the container environment is a good route to go. It also helps facilitate a beneficial symbiotic relationship with mycorrhizae that’s left on native soil. Water on individual neeeds of the plant and never a fixed schedule. Sorry for the long winded response

 

[Forsoothe!]

My limited experience with Birch is that it is not a good candidate for almost any conditions. That's why you see so many of them in bonsai...

 

[penumbra]

Lots of good advice on plants to try here but no mention of the fact that a bristlecone pine was just about the worst choice, particularly for your climate.

 

[BrianBay9]

Focus on improving your soil drainage, not worrying about which species will survive your swamp.

 

[Colorado]

Bald Cypress
Birch
Alder

 

[Javaman4373]

Lots of good advice on plants to try here but no mention of the fact that a bristlecone pine was just about the worst choice, particularly for your climate.

Quite right. But that particular bristlecone grew in my landscape for 20 years, until I collected it and killed it. It just happened to be in a well draining location. I had planted other young bristlecone trees here and there in our landscape and they all died except that one. This year has been particularly bad, we had 12.5 inches of rain in July alone.

 

[just.wing.it]

Any!
......with the right substrate mix.

 

[vbakatare]

japanese wisteria. the thing loves water! I basically have my pot in a water basin! this photo was from April

 

[Shibui]

I'll add most of the Callistemon and Melaleuca species from Australia. I tested a Callistemon by keeping the pot 2/3 submerged in water. The plant grew well for 18 months before showing signs it had had enough. Some of my Melaleucas get upset when they are taken OUT of the water tray. They love water.

 

[sorce]

I find it funny that any species that "doesn't like wet feet" (I hate that statement) are difficult species for many other reasons.

I conclude 90% of folks who think they killed these trees via overwatering are incorrect in their assessment of cause of death.

Sorce

 

[just.wing.it]

Bald Cypress is the best bet, really.

 

[Paradox]

Water retention can be controlled by the soil type you choose to use. It is almost impossible to overwater trees in an open, inorganic mix.

Potting soil, peat moss, sand do not drain as well.