I’m not familiar with the trees you posted.
but here are some real, natural, mountain junipers:
And, finally, here is a better picture of my juniper with a better background:
Do you water foliage? Or does it slow down the growth rate??
- Thread starter matcha_bonsai
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but here are some real, natural, mountain junipers:
And, finally, here is a better picture of my juniper with a better background:
sorce
Nonsense Rascal
That is at the max limit that I appreciate seeing branches underneath.
Some are just overly perfect.
Sorce
sorce
Nonsense Rascal
Like cryptos traditionally....
Hate it!
Sorce
Hate it!
Sorce
We’re trying to replicate in miniature what trees in nature do on a macro level.
JudyB
Queen of the Nuts
What I don't understand is why this is such a mystery (speaking to the OP question). I mean why would someone say something like this that is very different than what most growers do, without explanation. This makes no sense, that there would not be an explanation so people have to guess and parse.
Stirring the pot so to speak?
Stirring the pot so to speak?
Arlithrien
Shohin
And yet a decent amount of bonsai are trimmed like hedges into unnatural shapes. And those unnatural shapes can look pretty good too.
Got an example?
Arlithrien
Shohin
I'd rather not risk insulting any sacred cows in the hobby but suffice to say I've never seen mother nature meticulously trim a tree in the niwaki style. Nor have I seen a trident maple in the wild shaped like a smurf house.
bonsaichile
Omono
so?
Arlithrien
Shohin
So? So what?
Oh, you mean like a poodle dog? That’s not bonsai! It’s a styled tree, but it’s closer to being topiary than bonsai.
I suppose there are some people who think they’re “bonsai”, but that’s just because they don’t know any better.
Forsoothe!
Imperial Masterpiece
There is probably some minuscule difference in growth which would be impossible to document, anyway. If water only reached the photosynthesizing surface via the internal system, then all the water that got to the leaf would have minerals in solution and be concurrently richer and theoretically leaves might grow more, but that assumes that the amount taken up directly via water on leaf surfaces make significant contributions, or worse, -are empirically measurable. Then a question: how much of the uptake of C is provided by C02 from the air which is part of the exchange in transpiration for which H2O is necessary? How to measure that?
What you give up is also probably not worth the candle. Foliage gets dusty, being subject to daily dew that catches dust in the air and if not washed off periodically would filter out some fraction of light. Again, hard to measure, but if you think it's insignificant, stand under a pine tree and shake the branches and I guarantee you'll find it very difficult to breathe with the cascade of dust that is too far away from all but the most violent rain. Years and years of dust will coke you, I absolutely guarantee it. That factor alone would hasten the shedding process of less efficient inner leaves reducing the active foliage. Measure that!
Bugs love dry hotels, especially the evil little bastards, mites. They are an ill wind that does no one any good.
All-in-all, a lousy trade off likely not worth the discussion.
penumbra
Imperial Masterpiece
This is well said ^^^
Vance Wood
Lord Mugo
The argumant that misting folieage is wrong and flys in the face of reality. Ever consider rain, mist, and fog??? All are natural and unavoidable and most of the trees we use as bonsai live in environments where these elements are present, even the desert trees live on the dew in the night time air/humidity absorbed thru the foliage. In fact; the coastal Red Wood could not survive without foliar watering, most of its water is absorbed through the foliage. Over the last couple of years a lot of things from the nuvo-masters have challenged a lot of things and many of them I choose to ignore, this is one of them. The argument that it is not good? Well neither is rapid transpiration.This is well said ^^^
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As someone relatively new to the hobby, it’s really annoying seeing so many broad generalizations used by people based on their own geographical location while also not taking all types of trees into consideration.
Like, if you only grow conifers and it doesn’t rain often, that’s great. But let us know the context of the knowledge you preach. I have primarily deciduous trees and it rains 70% of days this time of year where I am with decently high humidity as a result. Foliar gets blasted with water whether I want it to happen or not and the trees seem to grow like weeds regardless. They get good sunlight and dry in no time. Worrying about misting leaves in my personal context is silly. My trees aren’t in a greenhouse and they don’t stay damp long enough to be fungal. But yes overdoing most things can be a problem.
I don’t know the original guys personal context, but in mine the premise of listing causing growth slowing down is silly talk.
Like, if you only grow conifers and it doesn’t rain often, that’s great. But let us know the context of the knowledge you preach. I have primarily deciduous trees and it rains 70% of days this time of year where I am with decently high humidity as a result. Foliar gets blasted with water whether I want it to happen or not and the trees seem to grow like weeds regardless. They get good sunlight and dry in no time. Worrying about misting leaves in my personal context is silly. My trees aren’t in a greenhouse and they don’t stay damp long enough to be fungal. But yes overdoing most things can be a problem.
I don’t know the original guys personal context, but in mine the premise of listing causing growth slowing down is silly talk.
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