It's getting hot here during the day now. And by the time I get home from work my tree has needed water for a few hours I am sure. I don't know what to do to make sure she gets water while I'm gone so she stop drying out so bad ? I leave for work about 5am sometimes 4am and I get back home at 3pm what would you suggest? Thank you all so much!
Water
- Thread starter Cody
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milehigh_7
Mister 500,000
It might not be the worst thing in the world. Is it drying below the surface or just on top?
The top. I think as it goes down its still some moisture. I'm just afraid it will get to dry /: but the top gets pretty dry by time I'm home. And I just starated growing moss on it so that gets dry don't want that to dry out. It's going to be getting a lot hotter this coming week so I'm afraid of her becoming to dry. I do have a cracked pot So I'm
sure that might have something to do? I don't want to transplant right now , trying to hold out til next "season "
sure that might have something to do? I don't want to transplant right now , trying to hold out til next "season "
VAFisher
Masterpiece
Cover the top of the soil with a layer of sphagnum moss - that should help retain some moisture.
Where do you usually get yours from ? Seems like everything is hard to find around here. Will like a standard store as lowes or home depot have it ?
They should have it. Near the orchid stuff. You want Sphagnum moss...not sphagnum peat...ones a brownish straw like material (the one you want) and the other it the rotted form of the straw material. If you cant find any..just soak a towel or rag and lay it ontop the soil while your gone. Should do the same thing.
Thank you very much ! And will put it on top of soil as is. And proceed to water as I usually do ? Nothing special to do to put the sphagnum moss on right ? I will have to get after work tomorrow as I've been up since 230 this morning . Should survive one more day I hope!
You'll find Elms are tanks of the tree world.
Id say, "water as needed"...so check that soil...if its still damp, it probably dont need water. The sphagnum I belive you can put it right on the surface as is.
**Small health note about sphagnum...it harbors some nasty stuff so dont breath the dust in and wash up your hands after your done.**
Id say, "water as needed"...so check that soil...if its still damp, it probably dont need water. The sphagnum I belive you can put it right on the surface as is.
**Small health note about sphagnum...it harbors some nasty stuff so dont breath the dust in and wash up your hands after your done.**
Thanks for the note about the dust and stuff of the moss
and yes they are! My tree has survived quite a bit in the lastates 6 months. When they shipped it here ( was a present from someone) it was winter here so it froze my baby. I thought she was dead but I still watered her and sure enough I was about to get a refund and she started coming back to life. I'm glad an elm is my first tree. They can take quite a bit what's your best technique to see if they need water ? Since there will be moss on top now it will be harder to tell I'm guessing ? Cuz right now I can tell most the time by looking at the soil.Most if not all my trees are in very similar inorganic soil (rocks). So I tell by using a clock...I water daily usually. Sometimes 2x a day during the real hot and windy summer days.
There's the "chopstick method" you leave a piece of chop stick in your soil 24/7 and pull it to see if its dark or light. dark =wet, no watering. Light =dry, give it a good thorough drink. This method isnt 100% accurate but it can get you use to expect when your tree needs water.
I was taught to leave weeds in my pots, and when the weeds droop and wilt..you know the soil is getting dry and is now a good time to water. This method can kill some trees if your not informed on the growing req of the tree. Elms could put up with this tho....but who wants weeds in their soil?
Ultimately you might just have to disturb some of the moss in your pot to see if it needs water. You'll pick up on what works for you fast...after all you got the internet at your disposal. Something I wish I had years ago when I started this addiction.
There's the "chopstick method" you leave a piece of chop stick in your soil 24/7 and pull it to see if its dark or light. dark =wet, no watering. Light =dry, give it a good thorough drink. This method isnt 100% accurate but it can get you use to expect when your tree needs water.
I was taught to leave weeds in my pots, and when the weeds droop and wilt..you know the soil is getting dry and is now a good time to water. This method can kill some trees if your not informed on the growing req of the tree. Elms could put up with this tho....but who wants weeds in their soil?
Ultimately you might just have to disturb some of the moss in your pot to see if it needs water. You'll pick up on what works for you fast...after all you got the internet at your disposal. Something I wish I had years ago when I started this addiction.
Leo in N E Illinois
The Professor
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If the pot with the elm is small enough to hold it level and plunge it to the rim in a bucket of water. This will make sure that the pot and media are saturated, buying you the maximum time to the next watering. Watering from a hose, or watering can, sometimes we don't completely wet the mix in the pot. Then cover the pot again with the damp cloth. Right now in SW Michigan we are having an unusual low humidity, dry spell. The farm is loosing almost an inch of water from the soil a day.
You can also set the tree in the shade for a few days until the heat passes, and humidity comes back to normal.
You can also set the tree in the shade for a few days until the heat passes, and humidity comes back to normal.
sorce
Nonsense Rascal
VAFisher
Masterpiece
It is. Just once normally. Twice on hot days. I don't k ow exactly whats in that mix - recycled from las year. Likely turface, pumice, lava, bark and that bonsai block stuff.
Cody, I'm in Ohio and getting a string of 90's coming this week. I moved several trees in small pots to the porches for shade and only part sun. We are going away for a couple days and hope they will stay cooler and wetter.
I also collect moss from the woods and cover my pots to hold moisture. Prettier than old socks...
I also collect moss from the woods and cover my pots to hold moisture. Prettier than old socks...
GrimLore
Bonsai Nut alumnus... we miss you
Don't put the moss near the trunks. When you get home remove it. Another member here brought some nice plants to work on a few weeks ago and the moss that had been allowed to grow up the trunk of one in particular and it ate a large portion of the bark off. It took a long time to remove it and a Sulfur treatment to keep it from reappearing... Moss is for show and even then I have been seeing less used the past two years.
Much better to use Sphagnum moss or even the small size Pine Bark Mulch. Sphagnum moss looks ok if chopped, the bark looks better and is under 5USD for 3 Cubic feet at the Tractor Supply places.
Grimmy
I use a bread knife to chop up Sphagnum moss. Tried shredding by hand, and scissors and the bread knife worked the best. Shred it up, store it in a bag and use it whenever I need it. You can add ground up moss to it if you want moss to grow.
VAFisher
Masterpiece
That looks a lot better than the stuff I get. Mine comes full of stems and twigs.
LanceMac10
Imperial Masterpiece
Sounds like a bag of weed in the 80's.......
Seriously though, I might need to find some of that orchid moss. Stuff you get at the Depot looks like it needs to get smashed between a couple of rocks by a caveman........
........right up my alley!
Source of moss? @c54
https://www.amazon.com/SuperMoss-22...=UTF8&qid=1497031271&sr=8-2&keywords=SphagnumSounds like a bag of weed in the 80's.......
Seriously though, I might need to find some of that orchid moss. Stuff you get at the Depot looks like it needs to get smashed between a couple of rocks by a caveman........
........right up my alley!
Source of moss? @c54
Ebay also has it.
VAFisher
Masterpiece
Sounds like a bag of weed in the 80's.......
More like those mushrooms we used to get in college. I mean some guys I used to know would get - I would never indulge in something like that. Anyway...I remember they used to complain about having more stems than caps. Or something like that. My memory is a little hazy...
