Importance of PLENTY of water

[just.wing.it]

I water once to twice per day in the summer, little less other times. I thoroughly flood the pots each time.
I also use Blue Juice Fertilizer at least once per week.
Been going well this year.....I was overwatering with a sprinkler system last year.....back to hand watering

 

[YAN]

DE and crushed fired bricks come to mind, as well as pine bark chips.

(Highly organic soil) was mentioned, I don’t think that would be highly organic. But maybe large particles highly organic soil will drain enough to not stay wet?

Fully flushed everyday keeps them away.

You mean even if your soil is wet but everyday you flush the old water of yesterday, roots won’t rot?

 

[sorce]

You mean even if your soil is wet but everyday you flush the old water of yesterday, roots won’t rot?

Yes?

To the other quoted, DE is likely the wettest single soil component there is. And where not in organic yet loose nursery soil, Mine are in DE.

Only the top may dry, then it's all wetted again.

Constant Flushing keeps the pathogens away certainly.

The wet rotting, can be used to our advantage.

Since we basically only want surface roots anyway, wet rotting the core is a good way to get rid of excess BS.
The roots closer to the surface that stay in that prime zone where we want them grow well and dense.

Trees adapt to grow roots where the best conditions are. If this transition is slow enough, we can use it to our advantage.

This is a large part of my "nursery transfer" system.

Sorce

 

[Forsoothe!]

Constantly wet media supports all the wrong bacteria and traps dissolved hydrogen sulfide gas which is a product of decomposion so it can't escape (as a gas). It has the smell of rotten eggs and is poisonous to plants.

 

[YAN]

Yes?

To the other quoted, DE is likely the wettest single soil component there is. And where not in organic yet loose nursery soil, Mine are in DE.

Only the top may dry, then it's all wetted again.

Constant Flushing keeps the pathogens away certainly.

The wet rotting, can be used to our advantage.

Since we basically only want surface roots anyway, wet rotting the core is a good way to get rid of excess BS.
The roots closer to the surface that stay in that prime zone where we want them grow well and dense.

Trees adapt to grow roots where the best conditions are. If this transition is slow enough, we can use it to our advantage.

This is a large part of my "nursery transfer" system.

Sorce

I always virtually thought to plant a tree in several horizontal layers of soils and let the tree choose what’s better to grow in, i think that’s what you’re trying to do except you know what layer the tree is gonno choose and it’s the upper layer you want for a better nebari.

but the rotten lower part doesn’t effect the health of tree? Even if you don’t need it?

 

[Joe Dupre']

One well-known bonsai expert attributed rotten roots , not to overwatering mostly, but to an unhealthy plant for OTHER reasons. That causes rots to die and THEN to rot. If you go to many fires, you'll see firemen at most of them. Hopefully, they didn't CAUSE the fire, so you really shouldn't make that assumption.

I've got a friend that is very laxed in his repotting. We joke that he grows bonsai in MUD.......and that's not too far off. But, his plants are pretty healthy with no signs of root rot. They stay plenty wet, but evidently not too wet.

 

[Joe Dupre']

(Highly organic soil) was mentioned, I don’t think that would be highly organic. But maybe large particles highly organic soil will drain enough to not stay wet?

You mean even if your soil is wet but everyday you flush the old water of yesterday, roots won’t rot?

Ok, this is a good rule-of-thumb for what is "wet" and what is "moist". Picture soaking a big, hulking sponge in water and plopping it into a bonsai pot. That's "wet". Take that same sponge and wring it out using firm, but not excess pressure. That's "moist". We're looking for "moist" soil. That is something a bonsai enthusiast has to work out for himself, in his climate, with his trees, in his bonsai garden. No exact answers. Bonsai is not a "paint by numbers" hobby. There are some skills you have to aquire. Ask questions, read, and experiment with cheaper trees. You learn mostly by doing. AND, a big one........FAILURE is also a learning experience........possibly one of the best.

 

[hinmo24t]

I tend to use the Walter Pall method of growing. Absolutely works for me! One thing occurred to me while watering today. I FLOOD my plants every day of the growing season. The airy soil allows that. I water until the water runs out of the bottom for a few seconds. This gets rid of excess fertilizer, flushes out any stagnant water and pulls in fresh air. This "fresh air" is what stirred my interest. The air we breath is about 78% Nitrogen. What is a very important element in fertilizer?? Why, it's Nitrogen. So, I'm putting "free" nitrogen down into my tree's root system every day. Now, whether or not the tree can take up nitrogen in that form, I don't know. My hunch is that it can. Anyone have any data on this?

I also noticed something else. I have a few trees growing in the shade and sometimes just give them a short watering instead of flooding them. I've noticed that they don't grow as well until I give them a really good flooding once a week.

hmmm, NO Xplode fertilizer anyone? preworkout in general terms...

 

[sorce]

but the rotten lower part doesn’t effect the health of tree? Even if you don’t need it?

Not yet. Visibly anyhow. Or, visible beyond what is necessary to keep making a good tree.

Sorce

 

[hinmo24t]

i watered daily for 90% of my plants outdoors this hot, dry, MA summer, sometimes morning and evening. now in Sep i have begun going to every other day. as we got some rains now, and their natural cycle i cut the water to half now. in winter i will water weekly (and weekly or 1.5 or every two weeks for inside plants) i water pines and bougainvillea half as much as everything else.

 

[Shogun610]

? ☑

When I said I haven’t added Bonsai fertilizer I did use some mycorrhizae promoter but not straight up fertilizer, won’t add that for another month or 2 months so I don’t burn roots. Watering will be okay for now.

 

[leatherback]

Burning root is possible, but has not much to do with the age of the roots, but the concentration of the fertilizer. Just fertilize.

 

[Shibui]

But it’s a experiment..... how about Nitrogen fixing , does moss do this besides looks and holding soil down? What about clovers in the pot , they’re nitrogen fixing.

As far as I know mosses do not fix nitrogen. Legumes, including clover, do use rhizobia bacteria to convert N2 into usable N. As already mentioned this process is very energy intensive so the legumes don't willingly give their hard won N away. They hoard it for their own use. The plant world is rarely altruistic. Legume n becomes available to other plants when part or all of the legume dies and the tissues break down releasing the nutrients stored there.
Because N fixing is costly for the legumes they will always start by taking any plant available N in the soil. Legumes will actually compete with other plants for nutrients rather than providing free handouts.
All plants collect and sore nutrients, including N and P. Organic gardeners use this by planting cover crops or green manure crops on unused soil. Nutrients in bare soil are subject to leaching by rain and watering so nutrients are transported away from the root zone. Cover crops grab and store those nutrients in their tissues. The gardener then kills the plants and incorporates the remains in the soil where the tissues break down and release most of those nutrients back into the soil where they are available for the next crop. Similar process happens in nature where annual plants die, leaves drop and animals graze plants and return the nutrients in manure.
The processes are complex but simply growing other plants with your bonsai will not provide them with free food. You will need to apply some fertilizer and the more you water the more fertilizer you will need to add. Feel free to use organic if it makes you feel better. In the end the nutrients are the same so the plant won't care.