Watering help.

[TheBearded]

I have been giving Bonsai another try (A Job that took me away from home alot stoped my previous journy into Bonsai.)

I have been watering by using toothpicks stuck in the soil mix to tell when to water.
Well it occured to me today that the toothpicks might be holding water longer than the components in the soil mix.


My soil is 1 part chicken grit, 1 part diatomite, 1 part fir bark.

I have 1 ficus, 1 texas ebony, 1 juniper and 1 Ivy in this mix. When I dig down a little the ficus has new white roots in the first half inch, The others no signs that I can see.


Question 1: The toothpick seems to be waterloged sometimes even when the pot seems lite. Could that be a problem or am I nit picking?

Question 2:Is checking the trees every 24 hours often enough or should I make it every 12 hours?

 

[jk_lewis]

Get some Chinese takeout and keep the chopsticks. (Or, buy some bamboo chopsticks). They're made of hard enough wood(bamboo) that they don't absorb water like the toothpicks do.

Push them deeply into the soil (touch the bottom of the pot if possible) and KEEP them there. It my be humid enough is east TX that 24 hours is enough, but more often won't hurt. When the dirty end of the stick feels dry, water. Otherwise, don't.

 

[TheBearded]

Thanks for answering jkl, They have some bamboo skewers at wallmart.. I almost got those the first time but figured they would disturbe the soul too much in a small pot. I will get some. When you say the dirty end are you meaning the very tip of the stick or the whole part that is sticking on the soil mix? When you say dry do you mean BONE DRY?

 

[FrankP999]

I use chopsticks as jkl said the wood is harder and gives a better reading. I touch the tip (the end was in the soil) to my cheek or my lip. If it feels cool and damp, water.

 

[TheBearded]

Well I got the bamboo skewers and they seem to be doing the same thing the toothpicks were doing.. absorbing water and holding it. I dug down in my ficus soil today and the roots that were white are now dried out.. I think I let it get too dry waiting for the skewers to dry out. Ugg.. I have a very free draining soil could I instead water when the soil surface is dry?

 

[TheSteve]

If by very free draining you mean it retains a minimum amount of water then you can water every 15 minutes and it won't hurt.

 

[Paradox]

I check my trees once a day.
I look at the soil in the pot. Some are obvious when they need water, others I do a "finger test": dig down an inch or so and see if its still moist or needs water.
So far its worked out for me.