penumbra
Imperial Masterpiece
I don't deep water all that often but I always do it with a repot.
Is there any type of bonsai that only requires watering once a week or so?
- Thread starter three4rd
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Admittedly I was not familiar with the term "ramify" before. Had to look that one up....
penumbra
Imperial Masterpiece
BTW, with the wick system I have some plants that have not been individually water for almost the entire winter.
Well, I didn't...but did water from the top really well till it came out of both drainage holes. What I was hoping to see, with the fukien, was at least close to a pot-bound situation or at least a mass of roots, but there really weren't. So once I saw that I was not very encouraged. Roots did not look all that good to me either - confirmed here with a picture I submitted a few weeks ago.
That's pretty cool. My average watering time is around 2 hours, once weekly, for the plants in the sunroom, including clean-up afterwards from dead leaves, etc. I bring in alot of annuals every fall, so that adds to the watering time required between then and mid-May - when they go back out in the beds.
penumbra
Imperial Masterpiece
My watering time is about an hour or more daily. I have a lot of seedlings, cuttings and plants in general. My small wick reservoirs are filled about one or twice a week. My large ones about every 2 to 3 weeks.
penumbra
Imperial Masterpiece
I don't have a crown of thorns myself. I have never been wild about them. But my experience with the dwarf plants I have from Madagascar seldom need repotting and this is done mostly because the soil gets tired.
Folks here bury smaller potted bonsai in larger pots or just set them on top of larger pots with substrate to allow roots to grow through the bottom of the smaller pot during the summer heat wave.
Forsoothe!
Imperial Masterpiece
The little plaque is acknowledgement of service on a club board, and the memorials are of visiting Masters doing demos at the same club's annual Show.
MrFancyPlants
Masterpiece
I’ll second using a wicking watering system. My ficus love it. I use an aquarium, bubbler, fans. but you could use some sort of nested bucket or jar and pot to the same effect if you have a window sill type arrangement.
LOL...I believe you could open a nursery there! You're in AZ zone 9 - so I presume that you still need to take all that in during the coldest winter months?
A bit off topic, but....I suspect this is the site where my (gifted) fukien tea came from. https://www.easternleaf.com/Bonsai-Trees-s/3.htm Any thoughts as to getting one again from a place like this? Interesting that fukien is listed as one that can be grown indoors. They say the same for Chinese Elm. From what I've been told here and on other bonsai forums, it is not recommended to have either of these inside. Additionally, won't any of these smaller pots once again require the frequency of watering that I'm trying to avoid? I'm betting dwarf jade would work better in the sunroom being that I've grown a regular jade plant in there for a long time
penumbra
Imperial Masterpiece
Fukien Tea needs to be inside for winter but like others, it likes being outside for summer. Mine are going out next week. I don't know what you paid at Eastern Leaf but mine were about $10 to $15 each from an eBay seller in Florida who combine shipping. They are nice plants, not trained, but healthy and about 6 to 9 inches tall.
I believe mine was about $60, which pretty much confirms it came from this site - since I'm seeing that price for them. When I got it out of the packaging, it had lost huge numbers of leaves - had some left, and then perked up over the weeks. So I guess you could say it did not get off to the best possible start even while in transit.
Not grown as bonsai, but here's a jade I've had for probably 30 years...have rooted lots of cuttings over the years to give to our church's annual flea market.
Paradox
Marine Bonsologist
If you dont have the time or cant be bothered to pay attention to your trees more than "once a week or so" then this hobby might not be a good fit for you.
You need to monitor your trees often to make sure they dont have any health issues or other things going on.
I use an automatic watering system on my trees, but even with that I still need to make sure that the system is working correctly every day and the trees are getting enough water. I still need to check my trees for insects or other health issues.
You really cant be an absentee bonsai hobbiest. It just doesnt work that way.
You need to monitor your trees often to make sure they dont have any health issues or other things going on.
I use an automatic watering system on my trees, but even with that I still need to make sure that the system is working correctly every day and the trees are getting enough water. I still need to check my trees for insects or other health issues.
You really cant be an absentee bonsai hobbiest. It just doesnt work that way.
BonsaiSniper
Mame
Use an adenium plant, just watch out for the sap
Your point is well taken. I do monitor all my plants during times other than just watering day. And, when we travel, I have someone come over to water if we're away for an extended period. The fukien traveled to other family members to take care of. So it's not at all that I'm looking to become any sort of "absentee" caretaker, but was just wondering about there being certain bonsai that do not require the frequent watering that the fukien seemed to need especially given that - from what I'm told - it does not respond well to changes in location. So, if I intend to continue pursuing bonsai, I'd prefer to have something that is not transported between homes - that is likely not a good idea for most plants actually. Thanks for the thought - it is certainly a legitimate one.
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