JBP watering

[BeebsBonsai]

hey all,

How long do you all wait between waterings of your japanese black pine during the heat of the summer? I think im waterinng a bit much now that the growth has hardened off and I just wanted to see what you guys do as far as watering them. Its 90 here all week and i have been watering 2x a day, unless i see moisture on the surface and then i only water in the morning.

Thanks,
Alex

Ps- i know not to water on a schedule, but i dont know how long i can push it between waterings.

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

Depends on size and type of container, soil medium, wind exposure, amount of foliage, ...

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Down here I water twice daily... but my black pines are in a very open non-organic mix, and southern california in summer can be bone dry. It is really important to let the soil almost dry out between waterings. They do not like wet (soaking) roots. In the winter I back off to daily watering if not longer. If it is cool and cloudy I might not water for a week.

 

[Dav4]

Pines need full sun and an open mix... this means watering daily for me for 7-8 months out of the year down here in GA. Fwiw, JBP like water as compared to other pines from more mountainous climates.

 

[namnhi]

I water mine once a day for the last couple months. Temp has been in the lower 90s. My soil mix consist of turface and a little bit of perlite.

 

[Anthony]

Pots here are earthenware or concrete, porous and water passes through to evaporate on the exterior.
Soil is 90 % inorganic, non porous and 10 % organic by volume.
Windy, sunny, rainy , cloudy, and temperatures at middle 80's deg F by day.

When watering, it is still 1 pass in the evening before 5.30 p.m and 2 in the morning before 8.00 a.m

The soil mix and pot make sure water cannot be retained.
These trees are from seed and most are around 20 years of age.
Good Day
Anthony

 

[BeebsBonsai]

Thanks for all the replies. Im having a bit of a small fly infestation on that tree. Whih is why i thought i may be overwateringn. The tree is growing very well but i know i need to back off. Being relatively new to Bonsai, i am always afraid not to water in the morning, knowing that i wont be able to water again til late afternoon. I think i need to try to push it out a bit more. I know i need to repot next uear because this tree was field grown and still has some of that soil in its container. So not as free draining as it should be. I was trying to guage how far i canpush it. Im thinking ill try once every three watering periods and see how the tree responds.

 

[GGB]

I had a JBP once, then I skipped 1 single watering because I figured it must be getting too much moisture, it died that week. D'Oh! It was an unhealthy tree to begin with (bonsai nursery gave me a discount when I told them I could bring any pine back to life) in a really really deep nursery can of 1/4" lava rock and almost no feeder roots, which I didn't know until I did the autopsy. I had the thing pushing candles out of buds that weren't budging in late May. So close! But, to bring it full circle... If you weren't the last person to pot it up I'd keep a really close on it until you get a good feel for the soil

 

[Littlejoe919]

A wooden chopstick in the soil can take a lot of the guess work out of the equation.

 

[Paradox]

Mine get watered every morning via sprinkler for 20 minutes. I skip the sprinkler if it will rain a lot that day, or rained a lot throughout previous day

By "a lot", I mean more than half an inch of rain

 

[petegreg]

I keep my trees in a well draining soil. Well, after they are potted. Then the soil drainage capability slowly decreases and we can't influence it - fertilizer residues, dust, growing root mass... Watering is very personal and climate and weather conditions related thing. Spring to fall, it's something between every day and every other day. I water when the sun gets behind the building, at 13.00 or 01.00pm. I believe when they are shaded in the afternoon and overnight it's a best time for them to enjoy water.

 

[BeebsBonsai]

I try to water either in the morning at 05:45 or in the evening at 5:00 pm or 17:00. It allows a bit of drying before overnight lows. I will definitely keep an eye on the soil but i think i hv a bit more wiggle room with it because of the organic matter in there. How do you use the chopstick to determine saturation level?

 

[jeanluc83]

Far more trees have died from under watering than over watering.

 

[BeebsBonsai]

Far more trees have died from under watering than over watering.

True that. True that. I think my main problem right now is i didnt throttle back after hardening off of the new needles

 

[Dav4]

True that. True that. I think my main problem right now is i didnt throttle back after hardening off of the new needles

Why would you "throttle back" based on needles hardening off?

 

[BeebsBonsai]

Why would you "throttle back" based on needles hardening off?

When a tree is pushing new growth, that new growth hasn't formed it's cuticle layer, which means it transpires water in higher quantities. Once that new growth hardens off and forms that protective barrier, the tree needs less water to keep that new tissue from burning up or drying out. So the tree loses less water to transpiration. After hardening off of the new growth, you should notice that the soil stays moist a bit longer than it did in the spring. I've personally noticed it in all of my trees. Less water needed means less transported from the roots, and because I didn't adjust my watering when that happened, I am now dealing with white flies and fungal moths. Easy to treat with some soap spray and adjustment of watering, but worrisome nonetheless.

 

[Dav4]

When a tree is pushing new growth, that new growth hasn't formed it's cuticle layer, which means it transpires water in higher quantities. Once that new growth hardens off and forms that protective barrier, the tree needs less water to keep that new tissue from burning up or drying out. So the tree loses less water to transpiration. After hardening off of the new growth, you should notice that the soil stays moist a bit longer than it did in the spring. I've personally noticed it in all of my trees. Less water needed means less transported from the roots, and because I didn't adjust my watering when that happened, I am now dealing with white flies and fungal moths. Easy to treat with some soap spray and adjustment of watering, but worrisome nonetheless.

Hmmm. I guess I've never needed to fine tune my watering based on the age of the foliage. Personally, I haven't noticed the change in water needs you have and attributed it to leaves hardening off. I have noticed the dryness of the soil is definitely affected by relative humidity...temps in the low 70s with low dew points and the soil dries quickly, while temps in the 80s and 90s with high dew points and the soil may still be damp after 24 hours.

 

[Littlejoe919]

How do you use the chopstick to determine saturation level?

A wooden chopstick will absorb moisture from the soil and dry out as the soil dries out.

 

[BeebsBonsai]

A wooden chopstick will absorb moisture from the soil and dry out as the soil dries out.

Do you pull it out of the soil each time or just use the portion at the top/above the soil as your gauge?

 

[Littlejoe919]

Do you pull it out of the soil each time or just use the portion at the top/above the soil as your gauge?

You do need to remove the chopstick to check it's moisture content. I do it both visually, and by feel if visually isn't enough to be sure.