Sunlight position selection

[biobio]

Hi there i am a little confused with the place to place my trees.
Same balcony two different choices, one with morning sunlight about only 45min-1hour at 10-11am.
And the second is about evening but for 2-2.5 hour at 6-8:30pm.

I like the first choice but i thing the time is a bit short, so i thing the second it is better.
Any opinion ?

 

[Dav4]

Honestly, depending on where you're living and what you're growing, that's unlikely to be enough light for most species in either location.

 

[River's Edge]

Honestly, depending on where you're living and what you're growing, that's unlikely to be enough light for most species in either location.

I agree, limited time of exposure. Would stick to low light requirement species. Ie: shade tolerant.

 

[MrFancyPlants]

Some supplemental LED or T5 lighting would help. Or you could shuffle between the balconies mid-day.. (jk).

I'm curious if more generally there is an app for estimating the solar exposure for various spots. I'm wondering where I should put a bench in my yard.

 

[biobio]

The balcony is full of light but only for this time have sunlight, morning and evening.

I have Chinese elm tree

 

[KiwiPlantGuy]

The balcony is full of light but only for this time have sunlight, morning and evening.

I have Chinese elm tree

Hi biobio,
You could try growing Azaleas as they prefer shade/ not sunlight. I would prefer the evening as it may not be as hot as the morning time as your balcony placement.
I would have thought plants grow on day length not necessarily sunlight. Plants still grow on cloudy days.
Good luck in your growing the elm,
Charles

 

[sorce]

I recently learned @adamjcode has a shady situation...
Mindfully adapted to NOT keep conifers for that reason....
That's a VERY SMART move dedicated to ENJOYMENT of bonsai.
So that's who I would talk to.
He's not Wasting time! AND he's enjoying bonsai to the best, (and that is way more impressive than we are all aware) of his ability.

FWIW...For the first few years of this I was under the impression, and observing for myself, that the late evening sun was hottest.
It makes the most sense as not only has the days heat penetrated into the last nooks of your area, but then the last days of the sun are pushing that even hotter in the end.

Lately been hearing about how morning sun is hotter....and well...(backwards world).

The only 2 things that make this make any sense for me....
A human adapts all day and doesn't feel afternoon sun the same, as when they wake up to sun blasting thru the window as "hot", after a long dark night.

And this....frosty flower buds get ruined in quick morning heat up.

Science? Does it matter?
#youryardyourgarden...or balcony!

Sorce

 

[adamjcode]

Good question.

On the one hand, it's good you are thinking of sunlight time. On the other hand, it sounds like you don't have a ton of light.

That said, diffused light can benefit the tree more hours than you think. For example, I live amongst skyscrapers, and I get about 4 hours of direct morning exposure in the SUMMER, and in the afternoon several more hours of reflected light off the glass, brick and concrete all around. Same goes for cloudy days.

I can't tell from your profile where you live and/or what your climate might be like.

For me, at this time of year (early spring) the trees only get about 1-2 hours of direct sunlight. Same goes for late fall. (You might remember something about the angle of the sun from your high as school astronomy classes.)

Based on your climate, the amount of direct sun you experience may be okay for several common trees. Some maples, hornbeams, elms. Check for trees that tolerate shade. In general, the coldest part of the day is sunrise and the hottest part of the day is 2 hours after 12noon (or "solar noon").

What region do you live?

 

[bonsai-ben]

Your chinese elm (ulmus) is fine in mostly shade to full sun. Have fun with the tree.