Well, for this
month of July, we really have a lot to talk about.
Where ever you are in this Great United States
you have plenty of weather related topics to talk
about.
How does this affect your Bonsai?
We need to keep our minds on the fact that these
precious jewels of Bonsai that we have still need
to have their water and their fertilizer. Just
because it may or may not have rained outside today
doesn’t mean that your Bonsai doesn’t
need watering. Maybe this is the case for your
garden, but your Bonsai requires plenty of water
this time of year. It has only a very small reservoir
of potting medium from which to draw its moisture.
We water even if it’s been raining to insure
that the potting medium is wet from the top to
the bottom of the pot.
This month’s reminder is on why we need
to fertilize this time of year.
Yes, in springtime you know you must support
your Bonsai with a boost of fertilizer as it has
just put on a flush of new growth.
Now, this time of year you are providing your
Bonsai with a supporting dose to survive the onslaught
of high temperatures during this period of heat
stress.
Here are some points to remember
this time of year:
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A. |
It’s
typical for temperate climate plants to close
up their breathing pores (stomata) when temperatures
inch above 85 to 90° F. Your Bonsai enters
into a state of suspended animation – just
trying to survive the high temperatures and
protect the moisture it has in its leaves/needles
from evaporating. The higher temperatures
will dry out the Bonsai above the ground
level. The Bonsai will then in turn pull
up moisture from the soil to replace this
loss of moisture. The extreme ending to this
is a very unhappy Bonsai that can very easily
get diseases and will be unable to ward off
insect pests because of its lowered resistance.
Of course, this can cause death because of
extreme losses of moisture. To efficiently
utilize this point of natural survival, you
should attempt to water early in the morning
and late in the afternoon. Give the leaves/needles
a splash of water to keep them turgid (full
of moisture). By utilizing this routine you
will increase your Bonsai’s ability
to survive this stress level brought on by
the high temperatures of summer. |
| |
B. |
You’re watering
twice, three, four times as much now as in
the winter. You should water until the water
runs out the drainage holes. Your soil should
be kept evenly moist, but not wet. Your potting
medium should have excellent drainage properties.
One of the two problems I am aware of in
excellent drainage is that the fertilizer
that you have been giving your Bonsai will
leach out with each watering. (The other
problem with excellent drainage is that you
have to water more often). So the answer
is to fertilize more often this time of year.
Again – with fertilizer – we
are just trying to keep our Bonsai in good
health – not trying to make it grow
6 feet in 6 months. The more often you fertilize
the better it is for your Bonsai – BUT – the
caveat is don’t over fertilize. “Gosh!
You just said for me to fertilize often – but
then you say don’t over fertilize.” How
do you reconcile these two opposites? Without
getting into the technicalities – here’s
what I’m saying – it’s
the strength of the fertilizer that you are
giving your Bonsai each time you apply it.
It’s better to fertilize at a lower
strength more often than it is to fertilize
at a higher strength less often. It’s
better to fertilize once each week at a lower
level of strength than to fertilize at a
higher level of strength once each month.
I realize that some Bonsai people cannot
fertilize too often because of their other
commitments –but if you can fertilize
more often at a lower rate then please do.
If you have excellent drainage you should
not get a buildup of the fertilizer because
you are leaching your soil at the same time
you are fertilizing when the water, along
with the nutrients, is flushed out the drainage
holes. |
Bonsai
Europe and Bonsai Today merged to create a new
magazine Bonsai Focus. Thomas J. gives us an
overview of the premier issue of the Bonsai Focus
Magazine.
Click
here to read Thomas J's article |
