Dunk tank......do you have one?

[bretts]

Which is what I said three or four posts ago.

If you have to dunk your plants so often, you may have soil and root issues and not watering issues. The roots may be impeding water, or so thick that they're shedding water. Same with the soil. If that's the case, pushing a chopstick through the root mass to the bottom of the container over and over again about 1" apart will help aereate the soil, promote drainage and better water penetration through the root mass.

Dunking is a very bad way to water bonsai, even occasionally. It tends to keep the inner root mass far too wet- especially indoors. It definitely promotes root rot. Dunk watering also tends to push impurities back into the soil mass. As you dunk plant after plant, all the unused fert and other stuff that would be washed away is pushed back into the soil of each subsequent plant. That can lead to salt build up and/or root rot problems down the road.

Top watering flushes the soil and all that stuff ends up in the drain or on the ground.

You mean this?

Sorry agian Rockm thats not how I read it? I agree special consideration needs to be made on the care of any tree that is not well. But I don't think that rules out dunking as a usefull tool for watering.
Any tree of mine that was not well enough to be dunked as it would get too much water would be in the sick bay or at least back on the drawing board. You know when a tree is healthy as it uses lots of water.

If you have to dunk your plants so often, you may have soil and root issues and not watering issues.

If a tree is using lots of water it is a sure sign of health to me.