Determining the moisture of bonsai soil?

[Flakfodder]

Hi I hope I'm asking this in the right place.

I'm used to caring for plants in what I would call 'dirt'. I love using my moisture meter to determine when to water. I recently switched to this bonsai soil (its from somewhere called bonsai supply, got it from amazon) and its so coarse that it always comes up as dry. Sticking my finger in the soil wasn't conclusive either. Feels kinda cold I guess but nothing like sticking my finger in wet dirt would feel. Does this stuff drain so well that all the moisture is just in my tree? I see people on youtube using this super coarse soil all the time and I'm just hoping there's a trick to getting a reading on this stuff. I've had it hammered in my head a quadrillion times not to water plants on a schedule but I see no other way of doing this.

 

[IzzyG]

Over time you’ll get a feel for it with all the varying factors(season, temperature, humidity, size of pot, how much foliage, how the top dressing or top soil looks, etc.) but in the short term, stick a bamboo skewer into the soil and use it as a dip stick to measure the moisture of your soil.

 

[Lorax7]

If you’re using an akadama, pumice, and lava mix the color change of the akadama is helpful for checking the hydration status of the substrate. Another test you can do is to take a chopstick, stick it in the soil, leave it there for several minutes, and then pull it out and examine the chopstick to see how far down the moisture is below the surface. If it’s down more than half an inch, it’s time to water the tree in most cases (except perhaps some extreme desert species).

 

[Flakfodder]

Thanks to both of you. I know its a strange question.

 

[Paradox]

Stick a wooden chopstick in the pot and leave it there. Pull it out once a day and look at it. Youll see how wet it is. Water when it is almost dry. Don't wait until completely dry.

 

[leatherback]

Thanks to both of you. I know its a strange question.

Not At All!

It is a VERY IMPORTANT question.
Learning how to read your substrate is an important skill.

One way to get a feel for it is by lifting your trees for a few weeks before and after watering. Look at the substrate and what it looks like before watering.
It will give you an insight in how dry they go between watering and it will you gauge your trees in the future

 

[ChefB]

What part of the world are you in?

 

[mathias]

Stick a wooden chopstick in the pot and leave it there. Pull it out once a day and look at it. Youll see how wet it is. Water when it is almost dry. Don't wait until completely dry.

I'm also unsure when to water, but this sounds like a ghelpful method. I'l be trying it out, thanks.

 

[ShadyStump]

I'm also unsure when to water, but this sounds like a ghelpful method. I'l be trying it out, thanks.

It was a game changer when I finally started doing it. Even now, when I try out a new soil mix, or have a tree that I'm not sure about water needs, or even just a report, it's a standard procedure.