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Watering my Bonsai 2 years 10 months ago #68993

  • dannyphantumm
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Hi all, I am a proud new parent of a bonsai juniper. I do have a question; I've been trying to research how much to water it. With the research I've done, I've gotten a whole bunch of different answers, but I think the answers I've got were for bonsai's with some type of dirt soil substrate. I got my juniper with some pumice lava stone stuff, so the substrate is very porous. Water falls right through it. So back to my question: just how much to water it? I was told once a day by the vendor at the nursery but want to be more diligent in my own knowledge and research and caretaking capabilities.

Would pictures help? Just let me know, it's night time so no current pictures. It's a little guy, no more than a foot tall.

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Watering my Bonsai 2 years 10 months ago #68996

  • Advandn
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Yes, I figure pictures would help us better.
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Watering my Bonsai 2 years 10 months ago #68999

  • Tropfrog
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Almost all trees should be watered the same way. When moist but not dry, water abundantly with a fine shower all over the substrate until there are a steady stream comming out of the drainage holes. Wait 15 min, then repeat.

The interval is decided by local climate, season and soil mix. In my climate I water 2 times a day in peak of the season and less than once a month in the winter.

You are keeping your tree outside right?

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Watering my Bonsai 2 years 10 months ago #69002

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Yep! He even has his own little table, watering can, and a little spray bottle so I can mist his branches. I’ll water him twice a day; in the mornings and the evenings. Will water until water comes out of the pores and the pot, for both water sessions, and then end it off with a little spray of mist water.

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Watering my Bonsai 2 years 10 months ago #69003

  • Ivan Mann
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The misting does practically nothing.

I would not plan on watering twice a day unless the sun is very strong and nights are pretty warm. In pumous I would sprinkle real well but slowly so that the pumous gets a chance to soak up water.

Actually, if I had something in nothing but pumous I would sprinkle something organic on it, like coffee grinds, just a little, to improve water holding capability. Then, after it is all washed down into the soil, repeat. Or, ground up pine needles or bark.
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Watering my Bonsai 2 years 10 months ago #69004

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If it is outside, all the water the foliage needs comes on rainy days. Stop spraying "him".

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Watering my Bonsai 2 years 10 months ago #69005

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If I waited for rainy days I think he’d be dead. ):

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Watering my Bonsai 2 years 10 months ago #69006

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As long as you water "him", "he" will do fine for weeks and months without rain. No need to spray. Do you have junipers growing naturally around you?

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Watering my Bonsai 2 years 10 months ago #69020

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If it is outside, all the water the foliage needs comes on rainy days. Stop spraying "him".


I was just in Salt Lake City where rainfall is 14 inches a year, 35 cm, and they are in a low rainfall year. There is practically nothing growing out in the desert, and most of that is low scrub.

If they get one rainy day a month, that just isn't enough.

Water the plant when it needs it.

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Watering my Bonsai 2 years 10 months ago #69028

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I never said stop watering. I said stop misting the foliage. In best case it is doing nothing.

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