sorce
Nonsense Rascal
Soggy soggy
Wet wet
Leaving you to fret fret.
Inchy inchy
Dry
Poke a chopstick in your eye.
Moist Moist Moist.
Now that's not even a Soil!
So tired of this I am....
Fittin to wrap my head in foil!
----
Can we quit this Bullshit?
"Water when the first half inch of soil is dry."
-but what of my half inch deep pot?
-what of my fresh layer where the first half inch is crucial?
"Moist but not wet."
-sure! I will remove each individual soil particle and mist it to perfection and return it to the pot!
-I will water, then break out the blow dryer and blow the wet out!
Those are just a couple things that drive me nuts because they are contradictory, and/or impossible to control*, and worst, spat repeatedly by folks who already use and understand what a sustainable bonsai soil is.
Let's be absolutely clear that our entire objective is to get a tree into
Sustainable Bonsai Substrate.*
(See Boon Mix, Walter Pall Mix, any pro Mix.)*
At that point over watering is more or less impossible.*
We are then following the "refined potted" rules.
Yes we can grow trees out in any number of substrates, in many containers. But there is no substitute for a sustainable bonsai soil for a refined tree in a pot. Those who say there is, don't comprehend sustainable for the hundreds of years it stands for.
Collected trees are to be put into Sustainable Bonsai Substrate straight away, or over time, at which point we are aware of what soil type and amount we left in the core where, and have a plan to deal with it.
This is also a process learned elsewhere.
So we are left discussing the good old Classic....
What should I do with it?
Nursery Stock!
So long as you don't put a tree in a container with no drainage, and fertilize it with dog waste, a quick observation of general nursery practices provides you with enough knowledge to be confident you will never kill a tree by over watering.
So as we now mindlessly water everyday.....
We can observe some differences in types of soil you find in nursery pots.
Random Sorce Rant on thoughts you should be thinking for yourself......
My 12 home depots get stock that I use from about 10 or twelve different nurseries across the states. Some from Canada in fall.
Gardens Alive which operates in Carolina, Michigan, and a couple other states. One in Oklahoma. Haven't seen any more of those Procumbens from Florida....go figure!
They all have different soils, some topped with other soils, some clay, some sand, some standard nursery bark.
No particular tree comes in different soil, however, different trees can remain in different soils for longer periods of time.
A boxwood in Clay can be hosed bare root, but the hose can damage bark. Balance. How long to leave it?
A conifer in Clay should be HBR'D (half bare rooted)
Or eff rooted and hosed straight away IMO. It aint gonna last.
Gotta lift it out of the pot and investigate.
Once you know what you are dealing with its not a matter of how much or when to water.
It's a matter of.....
How long can I water this soil situation constantly, as in, once or twice a day, before I must get this tree into a Sustainable bonsai Substrate?
So these Boxwoods that Do have this lower better nebari spread like Larry said, (in fact, most trees do)....
When in Sandy Barky soil..you can use a trick like Grimmy is doing with the serissa and slowly dig down over time, till you get to the spread, then pot proper in good soil.
I been digging down to find the spread and good surface rootage on things lately, then shaking the nursery soil out of the first inch or so and replacing it with DE.
That Black Hills Spruce I been literally watering the shit out of in nursery soil for 2 years had only a half inch or so Matt of feeders at the top, and everything at the bottom was dead. It is doing fabulous!
However, I don't even think it was the actual root rot fungus that killed the roots. More likely just too much water and high pot Temps.
I'm starting to utilize AUTO DEATH OF THE ROOTS WE DON'T WANT ANYWAY !
The Daily drying and watering of the surface roots we intend to keep for our shallow pot are going to avoid getting root rot.
Why the concern to avoid this process Mother nature and physics is handing us as if to say....
"Have your Bonsai, and proper roots too!"
Auto root death assistance has successfully helped me twice on accident.
I reckon being aware of it and utilizing it on purpose can lead to nothing but better success.
.............
I'll try and play nice but I will dissolve all stated myths with facts 10 thousand people can observe for themselves.
That said...
1. Arm yourself with knowledge by removing the tree from the pot and seeing beyond the "excellent soil on top".
2. Use that knowledge to devise a feasible timeline to get particular tree in particular nursery soil into Sustainable Bonsai Substrate.
1-900 years!
3. Water Daily and stop Worrying about Bullshit!
Water usage is a legit worry.
My rain collection system was built for free and has been used exclusively this year.
Live in the desert? Build a bigger collection and storage system.
Dude has a 5k gl reservoir? @Shima
Yeah....figure it out!
My permanent system will include a watering water catch system that will be utilized till the absolute last drop of evaporation.
Don't say I can't water daily.
Ask how it can be possible for free nearly anywhere with appropriate forethought.
With cheap or free materials, that will have themselves paid for by season 2.
I gotta go kill some roots!
Sorce
Wet wet
Leaving you to fret fret.
Inchy inchy
Dry
Poke a chopstick in your eye.
Moist Moist Moist.
Now that's not even a Soil!
So tired of this I am....
Fittin to wrap my head in foil!
----
Can we quit this Bullshit?
"Water when the first half inch of soil is dry."
-but what of my half inch deep pot?
-what of my fresh layer where the first half inch is crucial?
"Moist but not wet."
-sure! I will remove each individual soil particle and mist it to perfection and return it to the pot!
-I will water, then break out the blow dryer and blow the wet out!
Those are just a couple things that drive me nuts because they are contradictory, and/or impossible to control*, and worst, spat repeatedly by folks who already use and understand what a sustainable bonsai soil is.
Let's be absolutely clear that our entire objective is to get a tree into
Sustainable Bonsai Substrate.*
(See Boon Mix, Walter Pall Mix, any pro Mix.)*
At that point over watering is more or less impossible.*
We are then following the "refined potted" rules.
Yes we can grow trees out in any number of substrates, in many containers. But there is no substitute for a sustainable bonsai soil for a refined tree in a pot. Those who say there is, don't comprehend sustainable for the hundreds of years it stands for.
Collected trees are to be put into Sustainable Bonsai Substrate straight away, or over time, at which point we are aware of what soil type and amount we left in the core where, and have a plan to deal with it.
This is also a process learned elsewhere.
So we are left discussing the good old Classic....
What should I do with it?
Nursery Stock!
So long as you don't put a tree in a container with no drainage, and fertilize it with dog waste, a quick observation of general nursery practices provides you with enough knowledge to be confident you will never kill a tree by over watering.
So as we now mindlessly water everyday.....
We can observe some differences in types of soil you find in nursery pots.
Random Sorce Rant on thoughts you should be thinking for yourself......
My 12 home depots get stock that I use from about 10 or twelve different nurseries across the states. Some from Canada in fall.
Gardens Alive which operates in Carolina, Michigan, and a couple other states. One in Oklahoma. Haven't seen any more of those Procumbens from Florida....go figure!
They all have different soils, some topped with other soils, some clay, some sand, some standard nursery bark.
No particular tree comes in different soil, however, different trees can remain in different soils for longer periods of time.
A boxwood in Clay can be hosed bare root, but the hose can damage bark. Balance. How long to leave it?
A conifer in Clay should be HBR'D (half bare rooted)
Or eff rooted and hosed straight away IMO. It aint gonna last.
Gotta lift it out of the pot and investigate.
Once you know what you are dealing with its not a matter of how much or when to water.
It's a matter of.....
How long can I water this soil situation constantly, as in, once or twice a day, before I must get this tree into a Sustainable bonsai Substrate?
So these Boxwoods that Do have this lower better nebari spread like Larry said, (in fact, most trees do)....
When in Sandy Barky soil..you can use a trick like Grimmy is doing with the serissa and slowly dig down over time, till you get to the spread, then pot proper in good soil.
I been digging down to find the spread and good surface rootage on things lately, then shaking the nursery soil out of the first inch or so and replacing it with DE.
That Black Hills Spruce I been literally watering the shit out of in nursery soil for 2 years had only a half inch or so Matt of feeders at the top, and everything at the bottom was dead. It is doing fabulous!
However, I don't even think it was the actual root rot fungus that killed the roots. More likely just too much water and high pot Temps.
I'm starting to utilize AUTO DEATH OF THE ROOTS WE DON'T WANT ANYWAY !
The Daily drying and watering of the surface roots we intend to keep for our shallow pot are going to avoid getting root rot.
Why the concern to avoid this process Mother nature and physics is handing us as if to say....
"Have your Bonsai, and proper roots too!"
Auto root death assistance has successfully helped me twice on accident.
I reckon being aware of it and utilizing it on purpose can lead to nothing but better success.
.............
I'll try and play nice but I will dissolve all stated myths with facts 10 thousand people can observe for themselves.
That said...
1. Arm yourself with knowledge by removing the tree from the pot and seeing beyond the "excellent soil on top".
2. Use that knowledge to devise a feasible timeline to get particular tree in particular nursery soil into Sustainable Bonsai Substrate.
1-900 years!
3. Water Daily and stop Worrying about Bullshit!
Water usage is a legit worry.
My rain collection system was built for free and has been used exclusively this year.
Live in the desert? Build a bigger collection and storage system.
Dude has a 5k gl reservoir? @Shima
Yeah....figure it out!
My permanent system will include a watering water catch system that will be utilized till the absolute last drop of evaporation.
Don't say I can't water daily.
Ask how it can be possible for free nearly anywhere with appropriate forethought.
With cheap or free materials, that will have themselves paid for by season 2.
I gotta go kill some roots!
Sorce