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Drought, Bonsai and Japanese Gardens
By admin | April 2, 2007
Do Bonsai Require Less Water Than Normal Plants?Many people are mistaken about bonsai when they say they use less water. Any plant that is captured in a pot and grows in an open soil mix like bonsai will need daily watering in summer.
Tips to help our bonsai cope in a drought
If the same plant was in the garden there would be no clay pot for the sides to heat up and transfer the heat to the roots, less evaporation and the roots could search further for water, but there are things we can do to help our bonsai cope in a drought:
1. Use some water crystals in the mix
2. Place a layer of sphagnum moss over the surface to slow down evaporation and protect from overheating
3. During a very hot spell fill a box with river sand and bury small bonsai in the sand up to the rim of the pot, water the lot well then place sphagnum moss over the surface to stop dehydration.
4. Move bonsai into a position that gets morning sun and afternoon shade during summer and back to full sun in winter
5. Some bonsai water-lovers can sit in a tray of water, with this method there is less waste than one where the water must be sprayed over the soil until it runs out the holes in the base of the pot. Some of the water lovers are: Melaleucas, Chinese Elms, Swamp Cypress, Privets and Willows (note the latter are no longer permitted in Queensland, Australia
6. Place Hessian over the soil mix, around the trunk of the bonsai, like a bib on a baby, and let it drape over the sides of the pot. It will also help conserve water and when you do water you don’t have to remove the Hessian.
Tip:
Over the years we have noticed that people kill more bonsai due to over-watering than anything else. Think of bonsai like a car, you fill it will petrol and then drive it until it is nearly, BUT not totally empty and it is the same with a bonsai.
The tree’s roots both drink and breathe, so when it is watered it shouldn’t be a tiny sprinkle, it should be watered until the water runs out the holes in the base of the pot and the entire contents of the pot are wet. Then it should not be watered again until it is almost dry but not ‘bone dry’.
This is the bit that confuses most people, they water too soon and keep the plant too wet which can cause root rot, or they water too late and the roots dehydrate, either way, the plant could die. So, like most plants, when they are watered they should get a good deep watering, but then we must resist watering until the soil around their roots is close to dry.
One way to tell if a bonsai needs watering is with a wooden chop stick. Insert it deep into the pot under the root ball, and leave it for thirty seconds, if it comes out moist, there is no need to water, if it comes out dry then water.
Japanese Gardens
I believe that Japanese gardens are a great way to conserve water if people use dry river beds, instead of running water and fish ponds, because water evaporates at a high rate and the ponds need topping up all the time, hence a waste of water. A rock water bowl placed in a cool shady position with a flower floating in it looks the part in a Japanese garden and uses a minimum of water.
Lawns can be dug up and replaced with pebbles, it looks stunning, there is a large range of colours and textures to choose from, and pebbles act as mulch as they protect from direct sun and reduce evaporation, and the owner never has to mow it again!
If people choose their plants wisely and take care where they position them, they can almost give watering a miss. The Jade makes an excellent plant for a Japanese garden as it is easily shaped into a large bonsai with well padded branches. Jade are so drought tolerant they can usually on rainfall, (without additional hand watering) as they store water in their trunk and leaves and slowly use it
The Japanese Pines, both Red and Black are very drought tolerant, providing they have a mulch of pebbles around them and some water crystals in their soil and the Japanese would tell you it isn’t an authentic garden without a black pine. A lot of grasses that are popular today look great, are low maintenance and don’t require a lot of water.
In Japanese gardens use mini mondo grass instead of moss, it will look great and doesn’t need much water. It can be mowed once a year in early spring, and if done in the evening when we expect rain, it won’t show many cut dry ends. It can be planted sparsely as it will thicken quickly during spring and summer.
Japanese Maples, ferns and azaleas are popular for Japanese gardens but they do need a regular water supply so it may be better to give them a miss even though they are beautiful plants, and go for more of the hardy junipers. Juniper Squamata Prostrata is another tough plant and it spreads to about eight feet in eight years.
The Indian Hawthorn is extremely drought resistant and has lovely pink or white flowers, and could be used instead of azaleas in a hot area. A good tip is to take note of what the local council plants in public areas, and copy them; they will be hardy and drought resistant.
The final point in favour of Japanese gardens is that they have rocks, pebbles, lanterns, ornaments as well as plants and they support a ‘less is more’ theory, so a Japanese garden may have only ten plants as opposed to some of the Australian gardens where there could be 50 plants in a similar area.
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