Bonsai Growing in Extreme Weather

Heavy Constant Rain

When we grow bonsai we always hope that we do not have to face or deal with extremes in weather.

Sometimes heavy constant rain can be a problem.  Usually the results I see are that the bonsai seems to grow with a greater vigour than before.  But this is not always the case.

If the root ball is so saturated that it doesn’t allow the water to drain away, then the potential for the roots to rot is rather high.  The roots are resting in water logged soil.  You will not really know this is happening until the leaves begin to change colour and fall off, and the bonsai is effectively dead.

The best way that I know to stop this from happening is to provide adequate drainage.

The Pot

·         Make sure that the pot has good sized holes in the base to allow the water to exit as quickly as possible.

o   Cover the hole with material that is going to stop the soil from washing through it.

·         Some bonsai enthusiasts have a layer of pea metal covering the base to allow the water to drain to the holes.

o   I’ve never been too sure how this actually works in the shallow pots that we use.

o   In deep pots where the soil is placed towards the top, I can understand that an area underneath filled with pea metal will be good for drainage.

·         The pot needs a space underneath of 5 mm to 10 mm above the shelf.

o   This stops the water from ponding under the pot by capillary attraction.

o   It allows the water to drain away and for air to pass through the gap to keep it dry.

The Soil

·         If you experience heavy constant rain for a very long time, remember that you may have to provide some liquid fertilizer to replace those nutrients that have been washed out.

·         The soil mix that you use needs to be ‘free draining’.

o   This means that the fine soil particles have been removed.

o   There are many benefits that your bonsai will enjoy from this one action.

o   If you do not have the bonsai set of sieves then use your kitchen flour sieve or its equivalent.

o   If you can, include about ⅓ pea metal in your soil mix. The pea metal acts to keep the soil more open and friable.

o   It allows the roots to penetrate the soil easier and the subsequent growth is more robust.  It also allows the replacement of stale air with oxygen rich air.

o   Oxygen is required by the roots to grow.  The fine soil particles dictate how fast the water passes through the soil.

o   If on a normal watering day it takes more than 5 seconds for the water to disappear from the surface, then the soil is clogged up with fine particles.  The amount of moss growing on the top can be better controlled.

o   If the moss is too thick it will stop the water from getting into the root ball.  The weeds in a friable mix are easily removed.

·         

Ground Cover

·         My mix is friable and has the majority of fine particles removed.

·         I also keep the soil level 10 mm to 15 mm below the top edge of the pot.

o   This space is filled with pea metal.  (Pea metal is a stone chip of approximately 5 mm diameter.)  It reduces the speed of evaporation and maintains the moisture within the root ball.

Check after heavy constant rain that the water has evaporated from around the bonsai.    If it is still wet underneath, then it is more than possible that the root ball is water logged and the bonsai is in danger of suffering root rot.

Be happy and use a friable mix,

Bonsaibevan.

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My account is Bonsaibevan. I would really love you to follow me. BUT most of all I'd love to have your comments about my tweets.

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The best part of these tweets is that I include this URL http://practicalbonsai.blogspot.com

Happy Following,

Bonsaibevan

Repot Your Bonsai. A Practical Approach

There are a number of ways to re-invigorate your bonsai.

The simplest way is to remove a strip of soil from around the edge of the pot. About 1 cm is probably enough. You will notice that this removes the roots that have followed the wall of the pot. So in some instances it can be quite a tangle that you have to remove. If you are careful you can remove the bonsai from the pot and take a strip of soil off the bottom. A layer of soil on the bottom and the soil replaced around the edges will be OK for repotting of your bonsai.

Another way is take the bonsai out of the pot and cut a layer off the root ball all the way round. The new soil in the same pot or a new pot replaces the amount you have cut off. This is quite a good method if you feel that your bonsai is too delicate for the rigors of a complete or near complete soil removal.

A partial soil removal is where you untangle the roots and cut them to approximately ⅓ their length. You do this without disturbing the soil under the trunk and leaving as much of the soil as you can.

A complete soil removal is where you remove all the soil. You can do this by raking the soil out until there is virtually no soil around the roots. At this point, if you find that you have a lot of weed roots, you can wash the soil off, remove the weed roots and then replace the soil. If you have to do this, then do it quickly before the roots dry out.

In the new pot, put a mound of soil under the bonsai, spread the roots out so they straddle the mound of soil. Add more soil right up to the top of the pot. I have found that this is usually enough soil to have in the pot. Use chopsticks or a spatula to embed (firm) the soil in and around the roots.

Repotting is also about;

a. Selecting a pot the matches the gender of the bonsai.

b. Selecting a pot that matches the style of the bonsai.

c. Selecting a pot that is large enough to accommodate the spread of the branches.

d. Placement of the bonsai in the pot. Close to, but not on the center lines. Place the bonsai towards the back of the pot.

e. Secure the bonsai into the pot so it will be held without moving until the roots take hold.

f. Put across the top some sort of ground cover. This gives the soil surface some protection from the weather and allows watering without washing away the soil.

The next most important thing to remember is what to do after repotting. You need to give the bonsai a chance to survive. Put it in a cool place out of the sun for approximately 2 weeks. You can mist the leaves twice a day for two weeks or you can soak it in sugared water during the day and remove it at night time. All of these ways work very well. Your use of any or all of them will be dictated by how you feel you will get the best result for your bonsai form repotting.

Happy repotting.

Bonsaibevan

Your Soil Mixes

Soil Mixes.

Throughout my bonsai life I have always been struggling with trying to find the best and correct soil mix to use. I had hoped to find a mix that would suit all of my bonsai. I can now tell you that I have learnt that there is only one way to decide on the best soil mix. Use whatever is available at the time that you are (re)potting.

You can find all sorts of formula that will tell you how much of this and how much of that to use. It will tell you names and descriptions that you have know Idea about. So leaving all that aside, there are some fundamental things to remember.

Perhaps the most important thing you need to decide is how much water you want your soil mix to retain. What I mean is this:

a. If you use a very friable mix then there will be a lot spaces within your mix surrounding the particles. This allows the water to drain through very quickly. If you happen to be slow in watering your bonsai, for one or even two days, then it will very quickly dry out. And this is the end for your bonsai.

b. If you use a mix that is less friable then the water is slower to drain through and the mix is slower to dry out. Your bonsai then has a chance to survive if you are slow in watering for a day or two. BUT if your soil mix is too saturated for too long then rot can set in and destroy the roots. When rotting actually begins is something you will have to learn for yourselves because it will be dependent on where your trees are located and how often you water them.

c. I can hear you ask, how does this friable business work? It has all to do with the amount of ‘fines’ that are within the soil mix. The ‘fines’ are the very small particles that ‘clog’ up those fine spaces between the particles. You could say that the ‘fines’ are the tap of the soil mix. They control the flow of water just like a tap over the kitchen.

d. If you want your bonsai to grow quickly then use a well fertilised and very friable mix. Make sure of course that you have a very good watering regime and that you intend to repot the bonsai each year.

e. If you want your bonsai to stay in the pot for a couple of years or longer, then have a less friable mix. The water will take longer to soak in, but the end result will be that your bonsai is still alive.

Now what ingredients to use?

You can use a ‘simple’ commercial potting mix. A mix that is free of too many added ingredients. Read the labels before you buy. They could well be the cheapest soil mixes. This is quite easy to purchase and you will find that your bonsai can grow quite happily in this mix.

For me, I have been reading about bonsai mixes for so that I feel that I must follow the dictates of everyone else in bonsai. For right or wrong I have developed this mix for me. I usually work in thirds.

I start with a third of a simple commercial potting mix. This mix does not have too many added ingredients. But remember that I have a few bonsai and I have sufficient ‘old’ soil from previous repottings. This material I microwave for 50 minutes to kill weeds etc and I use as a basis for my commercial mix.

The next third is ‘pea metal’. It is a small stone chip that you could find on a footpath after the council has re-sealed it. This gives the mix some draining abilities and provides some bulk to the mix.

The remaining third is compost from my household bin. It has been sieved to remove the larger pieces and in the future I am going to microwave this to remove any chances of any weeds that might have survived the composting experience.

Is my soil mix friable? From starting off with having a very friable mix I am now getting to a mix that is less friable. Do I sieve out the fines? No I don’t. BUT I am always looking to see that the soil mix is not going to end up as a thick congealed mass that will allow the roots to rot.

Fertilising is a personal thing and you can include some in your mix or can leave it out and apply it during the life of the bonsai. I am sure fertilisers and their application etc is the subject of another article.

Happy mixing.

Bevanbevan.