Sooo much rain....dang....

just.wing.it

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In the Mid-Atlantic we've experienced a very wet year in 2018...

I've even been neglecting to fertilize here and there because the trees are so wet...just because I don't want to water.
(I use water soluble fertilizer)

Been fighting issues with nearly all my deciduous this year....which are becoming fewer in number as the years go on.... When dry enough, been spraying everything with diluted hydrogen peroxide....and occasional daconil. Nothing dying from it....but not happy...

Anyway, after skipping fertilizing last weekend, and a week of only watering once....I went ahead and fertilized today even though the trees were still damp.
The last 3 days have been very little real rain, but times of misty, light rain...and total overcast skies.

So, what is the longest time you've gone without watering???
 

GGB

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dude, all my pines are going yellow. I'm one step away from growing strictly bald cypress. Skipping waterings hasn't been doing me any favors either. The 2 nursery trees I have are getting dry spots deep in the soil
 

Carol 83

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Been a weird summer here too. Usually by August, our lawn is brown and crispy but it's even raining now. I've had to put my trees on shelves up against the house, underneath the overhand of the roof, to prevent drowning. Going to be a bumper corn and soybean crop though, in this part of the Midwest. Of course, the market will be down, so the farmers will still bitch.
 

TN_Jim

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damn, a week!!?
4 days without watering maybe? been about every third day for a couple of weeks

thing is is the ephemeral rain - how deep, water on principle..?

hoop house!!? | rain barrel (sounds good?) ?

I’m new at this, no baseline for normal regarding bonsai having tried so many things last year, but throughout middle tn it has definitely been a wet year so far

thinking lava, more lava!!!
 

TN_Jim

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damn, a week!!?
4 days without watering maybe? been about every third day for a couple of weeks

thing is is the ephemeral rain - how deep, water on principle..?

hoop house!!? | rain barrel (sounds good?) ?

I’m new at this, no baseline for normal regarding bonsai having tried so many things last year, but throughout middle tn it has definitely been a wet year so far

thinking lava, more lava!!!

I’ve been afraid of a super well-draining porous mix because I can only usually water once a day..

@rockm probably saved the Carpinus I collected this spring by recommending a good layer of sphagnum (and/or possibly more organic like pine bark).

I’m thinking to use a better driaining mix with repots, and use the variability of sphagnum application as soil-drench buffer, kinda like a closet full of raincoats if it’s a drought or spells of..

Still, this doesn’t apply to constantly damp leaves with mushrooms growing on them
 

sorce

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3 months....in winter!

It been regular here.
Maybe a little dry.

Sorce
 

just.wing.it

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dude, all my pines are going yellow. I'm one step away from growing strictly bald cypress. Skipping waterings hasn't been doing me any favors either. The 2 nursery trees I have are getting dry spots deep in the soil
Yeah....the BC thought came to me too....that's an easy option, right!
 
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Anthony

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Raining for 3 days straight [ ITCZ effect ]
Clay pots and 5 mm gravel handling the rain easily for J.B.pines.
Those J,B,pines in bonsai pots have porous bottoms.

Rain again today.

Trees were repotted in January, February and April/May,
roots have mastered the pot. So heavy rain has no
effect. Bucket a drop.
Good Day
Anthony
 

Silentrunning

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I took a quick 3 day trip to Florida and came back to over 2.5” of rain in my rain gage. It is WET in North Carolina!
 

Nybonsai12

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I think I’ve manually watered twice in the last month.
 

Anthony

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Hmm I wonder , would it be easier to look for the folk
around the area say 50 mile radius, if not 100, and growing
for say 40 to 50 years [ show worthy trees] and aks about
soils etc.

Not to long ago, had to help do a repot. Loam -clay type.
The person couldn't grasp our soil mix and how little organic
matter it had, to keep trees healthy.

Rain ----- a holiday and a time to see your trees.
Good Day
Anthony
 

leatherback

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The longest? Hm.. I stopped watering last october. When I got back from sabbatical I needed to water, which was late March. This is a normal period that the weather takes care of things. So about 5 months a year the rain provides (more than) enough. Which is why I have a very open substrate, needing twice a day watering for the last 2 months.
 

rockm

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In the Mid-Atlantic we've experienced a very wet year in 2018...

I've even been neglecting to fertilize here and there because the trees are so wet...just because I don't want to water.
(I use water soluble fertilizer)

Been fighting issues with nearly all my deciduous this year....which are becoming fewer in number as the years go on.... When dry enough, been spraying everything with diluted hydrogen peroxide....and occasional daconil. Nothing dying from it....but not happy...

Anyway, after skipping fertilizing last weekend, and a week of only watering once....I went ahead and fertilized today even though the trees were still damp.
The last 3 days have been very little real rain, but times of misty, light rain...and total overcast skies.

So, what is the longest time you've gone without watering???
I wouldn't skip the fert. The trees need it to cope with all the rain. I feed full strength every week even though a thunderstorm may wash it out. Doesn't hurt. As far as watering, I keep a close eye on soil and lift pots by the side every morning. You'd be surprised that some trees need water even a day or so after rain. I use pretty free draining mixes, though.
 

WNC Bonsai

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I too use a very free draining mix and the water just runs right through. I fertilizer every couple weeks and hope the small amount of bark in the mix holds onto some of the fert ingredients long enough for the roots to suck up a little. I went out this morning and sprayed peroxide on my J. maples to try to knock back the powdery mildew and of course it ranied abiut 1/2” as soon as I finished! My BC and larches are loving it!
 

Jcmmaple

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Yeah been raining like crazy the past couple of days, would love to see some sunshine. Just bought some plant tone to try so we will see how that goes.
 

cmeg1

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I’ve been afraid of a super well-draining porous mix because I can only usually water once a day..
Trees seem a lot happier in porous mix .All my trees are in porous mix .You just have to shred some orchid spahgnum or make a coco disk or something.
Even in a small 4.5” pot like the zelkova cuttings grew awesome with one watering a day every evening.Did not have to even think about it.
 

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cmeg1

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Yea,big time rain for the past month and a half!
El Niño is predicted to have high chance as winter gets closer....you know.....like 70 degree Christmas Eve stuff.
Weather like this is when potting soil is outta here!
 

WNC Bonsai

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Yeah been raining like crazy the past couple of days, would love to see some sunshine. Just bought some plant tone to try so we will see how that goes.
Don’t put Plant Tone anywhere near an open window, it is basically reprocessed chicken waste and once it gets wet you’ll know it.
 

TN_Jim

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Trees seem a lot happier in porous mix .All my trees are in porous mix .You just have to shred some orchid spahgnum or make a coco disk or something.
Even in a small 4.5” pot like the zelkova cuttings grew awesome with one watering a day every evening.Did not have to even think about it.

I’m picking up what you’re putting down in PA. What is that mix?..like 1:1:1 lava pumice pine bark?

Maybe I’ve been reading of west US folks watering 2 (even 3??) times a day -and this just doesn’t exactly apply with the right mix???

East coast represent baby ba-by, kick back, the humidor

I’ve been using primary sifted de (so not exactly ponding) some minimal pine bark in a few..w/ de......I have a decent amount of lava, should just hunt and find some good reasonable pumice too perhaps -but most of all stop being afraid of it.

East US, do you have to water more than once a day!!?

Thanks cmeg1 and all
 
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