Bonsai Care – Watering
Don’t you water a bonsai like any other plant? The answer is absolutely not. Bonsai are very particular and specific and how to treat them will depends on lots of factors including enviornment and climate.
There are lots of different species of bonsai that use water at different rates, they grow at different rates in their different growing cycles. Deciduous, non-deciduous – all bonsai are not the same. There are no set cycles with bonsai and they should be attended to when it is required.
Watering – never let the compost dry out. That is the quickest way to kill a bonsai. The trees and plants in the ground adapt to their environment, your bonsai cannot do that as they are in such a small scale, that the things you do, or don’t do have a big impact on it. In Japan it is said that it takes 3 years to master the proper watering of a bonsai.
Under-watering can be much more harmful for a bonsai than over-watering. Make sure the compost is not dried out, its very important to take a careful note of its condition.
The roots of a bonsai need oxygen to breathe – water comes into contact with the roots and provides oxygen, it flushes out all the by products and in exchange gives fresh air and oxygen which nourishes the plant. If you give too much water the plant will literally suffocate – the fine root hairs cannot breathe and it dies through too much oxygen.
How do you know what the right amount of water is? Sometimes if you are re-potting you can tell that a plant is over-watered because the fine root hairs will turn black and rotten.
There are other signs to look for in order to tell if you are watering incorrectly – loss of vigor, looking tired and no longer vibrant and healthy – also when the foliage turns yellow – or the smaller branches shrink and die away.
So what can be done to remedy this? Cutting away the black roots will help. Rotten roots foster bacteria that kill the plant, so cutting the old rotten black roots away will help restore a more friendly eco system and help the plant to recover. Take care not to damage the healthy roots as this will impede recovery. More importantly you will need to change your watering habits!
Do you know how often you water? There should never be a set routine. As temperatures and the environment change on a daily basis you need to adapt to your bonsai needs. Because the root system is very small it can dry out quickly and a careful watch needs to be keep on each plant. Compost which is wet on the top could well be dry below the surface. Each bonsai plant uses water differently and should be checked on several times a day.
A tip to help you find out what is going on beneath the surface is to put a wooden toothpick into the soil and leave it there. When you check next the toothpick will help you to see if the compost below the surface has dried out, by looking at the lack of dampness and this will help you assess how much water you need to use.
You need to be able to adapt your routine to the needs of your plant and never underestimate how important watering is.