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Most indoor bonsai, which can be kept year-round in a heated apartment, come from the tropics, where the air humidity is very high.
Non-tropical bonsai (except for some species) nevertheless also respond well to increased humidity.
In our homes, it is very low. Due to the evaporation of water, the optimal air humidity is ensured in the immediate vicinity of the tray with the plant.
The more humid the air, the less water the tree needs. Consequently, if the air is extremely dry, then the plant needs a lot of water, since it gives off a large amount of moisture through the leaves to the surrounding atmosphere. In addition, a lot of water evaporates through the surface of the substrate. It is good to place the container on a tray with hydro-capacious balls.
Typically, the humidity in an urban area is insufficient for bonsai. How can this problem be solved? The most expensive, but not the most effective way to establish optimal air humidity is an electric air humidifier.
An easier solution to this problem is to place the bonsai in a flat container or on a tray filled with water. The bottom of the vessel (tray) must be laid out with small pebbles or a lattice and a container with a plant should be placed on top of them. The amount of water must be kept at the same level. To increase the humidity in the room, you can start an aquarium or paludarium (an aquarium that also contains emerging plants).
For the same purpose, it is recommended to spray the plants with water. However, this procedure gives only a short-term effect, so it must be repeated regularly. Spraying should be done in the morning, so that the plant has time to dry out in the evening.
For spraying the crowns of evergreens, do not use undistilled water. After several such waterings, an unremovable whitish bloom forms on the leaves. And if deciduous trees give fresh leaves next year, then evergreens will replace leaves or needles only after a few years.
By the way, the bloom of salts on the leaves also makes it very difficult for the plant to breathe. For spraying, you can use just distilled water, melted water obtained when defrosting refrigerators, or rain (snow) water. Moss also requires regular spraying.
Watering is a vital procedure for bonsai. It is believed that depriving a tree of water and nutrition can lead to its transformation into a dwarf one. However, this is completely contrary to the available facts. Depriving a tree of water and food can only lead to its death. In order to appear in all its glory, with flowers, fruits, rich healthy foliage (and all this in a limited space), the plant needs both water and nutrients in large quantities. Due to the small size of the bonsai container, the roots of the plant cannot grow in different directions in search of water and food. The plant is completely dependent on how it is supplied with moisture and nutrition.
Everyone knows that in different climatic zones it rains with different regularities. Plants from climatic zones with a lot of rainfall tend to require more water than plants from drier climates; what has been said fully applies to bonsai.
So, small-leaved carmona (Carmona microphylla) should receive water regularly, while African portulacaria (Portulacaria africaji) can do without water for several weeks, and the roots of the crassula (Crassula) begin to rot very quickly with daily watering.
In case of doubt about the optimal water regime of a particular type of plant, it is recommended to water it as the substrate dries. The soil in the bonsai pot must be constantly moist (but not dry or wet). With this approach, the plant receives water after it has fully utilized the moisture stored in the ground.
The most favorable time for watering is in the morning and evening hours, when the sun's rays are not too hot. Every bonsai lover can, in practice, determine the most convenient watering time for himself and in the future, strictly adhere to the established schedule. In addition to moistening the soil in the container, the bonsai also needs to be sprayed with water every three to four days to wash away the dust. Conifers especially like to be regularly refreshed with water.
It is important! The plant, regardless of its type, should be watered more often:
If the surface of the ground dries up during the day, then to avoid frequent watering, it is necessary to transplant the plant into a larger container and add soil.
Rainwater is ideal for irrigation. This is completely natural for any soil plant. Disadvantages of tap water are the presence of disinfectants and increased hardness. The problem is solved either by settling the water before watering, or by filtering it with household filters.
If it is possible to use filters with ion exchange resins, then this is great, since they soften the water significantly. What is it for? When watering, water almost inevitably falls on the base of the trunk and over time a crust of salts forms on it, absolutely unhelpful and also disfiguring the tree, and since the aesthetic aspect is important for bonsai, it should not be allowed to form. This crust is removed only with a layer of bonsai bark itself, which often disfigures the tree and harms it.
Hard water, which has a very weak, but alkaline reaction, does not contribute to the development of moss on the soil surface. And moss is an essential component of bonsai as a complete piece of art. (For the good development of moss, it is useful to acidify any water either with citric acid - 3-4 g per 10 liters, or with ascorbic acid in the same proportion.)
It is important! For irrigation, you can use tap water, which is defended for at least a day before use: the water acquires room temperature and dirt and mechanical impurities are removed into the sediment.
Many people use water from wells and springs for watering bonsai. Such water can be used after the results of water analyzes become known. Very often, groundwater contains an excess of salts that are harmful to the plant.
Moss, which gives bonsai an attractive natural appearance, will not grow when the watering schedule is appropriate for the tree's needs. Therefore, frequent spraying of moss can be included in the intervals between infrequent but heavy waterings.
Likewise, in the fall, when flower buds swell and leaves fall, spring-flowering trees such as peaches and plums require less water and should be combined with frequent moss spraying.
Some coniferous trees, such as pine, thrive with little water. The soil mixture for this bonsai contains sand in a larger proportion than usual. However, instead of giving such plants a smaller volume of water, it is more advisable to simply water them less often, that is, allow the soil to dry out more than is permissible for other species.
The dryness of the soil can be determined by touch or by its light color. By the way, a dry crust on the surface of the earth does not necessarily mean that the entire soil is dry. For example, bougainvillea at the time of flowering less than many other plants need frequent watering.
As a rule, all amateur bonsaists start with very small plants - seedlings, cuttings, etc. Accordingly, the bowls should be small, and they dry out quickly. Plant small plants several at a time in a large container. It won't dry out that quickly. Cascading style bonsai are very convenient, which are planted in large containers. With the same plant size, the volume of the container is much larger, and it is precisely its depth, and such a container will not dry out soon.
The structure and composition of the substrate have a certain effect on the irrigation regime. When watering, all roots should receive their share of moisture. For regular watering, it is best to use a fine nozzle watering can or garden hose with a fine nozzle. The intensity of irrigation must be sufficient for water to flow from the drainage holes as a result of irrigation.
Unfortunately, a novice amateur sometimes has to watch how the death of a bonsai occurs because after watering only the top layer of the soil turned out to be wet, while the roots and soil closer to the bottom of the container remained completely dry. Plants should not be watered often and little by little. More correctly - rarely, but abundantly!
It is important! Watering should reach the bottom of the vessel. If the soil permeability is poor, watering should be repeated 2-3 times until every particle of the earth is moistened.
Bonsai require more water in summer than in winter, due to the more intense growth of the plant during the warm season. In summer, subtropical plants are watered as little as possible: the soil should be relatively dry.
All bowls with plants should stand on high stands so that the water coming out of the drainage holes can drain freely, that is, there should be a gap between the bottom and the surface of the leaked water.
It is important! Never water your bonsai with cold water. It is better if it is warmer than the surrounding air. The root system is very sensitive to sudden changes in temperature. And water, which has room temperature, when it gets into the soil, loses several degrees due to evaporation, and this can be fatal to your plant.
Never use cold water in hot weather! A glass of "refreshing" for you at the bonsai will surely lead to root rot.
Bonsai drainage should be monitored. If shards above the hole, dry moss, or other filter material are placed correctly, the hole is less likely to be clogged with soil. Nevertheless, this can happen, and a sure sign of this is that the soil in the container does not dry out as before. It is necessary to eliminate the arisen problems as soon as possible. For this, the plant is removed from the container along with the soil and drainage is corrected.
Used material from the book M. P. Zgurskaya "Bonsai"
