How to Bonsai - Watering a Tree - Soil Drainage

In this video I show several was to determine if a bonsai tree needs to be water. Also I show a side view of the interior of a bonsai pot to show how the water drains and how mush water stays in the pot.

[@dhall1697]

As a new Bonsai enthusiast , this video was helpful . Thank you

[@Rojin_Bonsai]

I have tried explaining this to people before and I allways got laughed at, now that I have found this video, I can share it, Thank you 😁

[@DanniiBoii18]

your videos are probably the most helpful ive found thank you

[@BonsaiTalk]

Too show people how the water runs in the glas bonsai pot with bonsai soil is so smart..people need to see that to understand it! great vid..

[@JohnDennery]

That demo was awesome. Great work, thank you!

[@coffeemanOBX]

Nice little experiment. Being as you already have the container set up (I know it's been a few years); it would be interesting to fill the container with mix, weigh it, water it like you did, weigh it again, take the difference in weights which would be the water weight, then tare a clear plastic cup and pour water into the cup to visualize the volume by the weight of the water held in the mix. Thanks for the video...

[@Eddie_freeflow504]

wow that was the best demonstration ever. 👍👍 Great video

[@Lantris]

Nice visual demonstration. Thanks.

[@jkleczewski]

Nice!

[@hummus.vacuum]

great info, thanks!

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

Glad to help!

[@advantor321]

Informative - thank you. Do you recommend tilting to remove all H20 or is this little bit ok? I started tilting my pots with rocks to drain more but am I'm I wasting my time or is this a good idea? thank you.

[@UstadZed]

this is very cool... who would have known. .. yes it helped.

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

@blade10327 The basic mix is around 60% Turface, 20% Pine and 20% Grit. I suppose you could find pine bark to use but Fafard processes their bark with Gypsum and Limestone. I would also think it is sterilized as well. I know in Florida we have long needle pines whose bark would be perfect. It's very dry and falky and I think it would be very easy to separate, dry and crumble down to useable sizes. I hope that helps you.

[@blade10327]

So when you make your generic bonsai soil (or atleast the one in the video) how many parts turface and how many parts pine bark do you use? also how can i gather pine bark and prepare it for use?

[@blade10327]

@OrlandoBonsaiTV, Thanks for the speedy response. As a freshmen in higschool my only bonsai advantage is time.

[@donstrickland4256]

How has the last ten year treat you?

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

It depends on the type of tree. If you have a tree that likes to be on the dry side tilting the pot makes a big difference. However if the tree likes to be more on the wet side then keep it flat

[@Cozzy2312]

Thanks for the video. I'm starting to think my new bonsai, Chinese elm (I'm a beginner) has very dense soil, probably low quality as it's the soil it was purchased in. The leaves are quite brittle and few going yellow but the soil on top always feels fairly moist.. Am I right in thinking it's probably dense and the water isn't reaching the roots or the core correctly, causing this problem? In which case, I should apparently try the immersion watering then repot asap. Am I correct in that? Thanks for any advice.

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

+Conor Dashwood if the soil is that firm that the water isn't getting all the way to the roots then there are more issues. Trees need air to get to the roots without it the tree will not survive. I would focus on getting the tree into better soil if your tree is still dormant or very early spring. Chinese elms are pretty forgiving trees. However it will do much better in good draining soil

[@Cozzy2312]

+OrlandoBonsaiTV I'm going to be doing this, I've ordered some more and should be repotting in a few days. Thanks for your reply and advice.

[@kimrichardson8376]

I made a larch forest but the needles are turning yellow. The soil has stayed wet for quite a while. What should I do?

[@MrThebiggestzeldafan]

would fine granite (granite sand, i guess,) work for repotting my walmart ficus benjamina?

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

I sent you a message regarding one of my older videos that explains why to use bonsai mix and not soil

[@WTHFX]

Do drainage layers work? I've heard that they just raise the perched water table, yet you still see many japanese bonsai artists advocating one. What do you think?

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

Ive heard of it but never practiced it. In fact I'm not sure I know anyone in the US that does it.

[@ahappyimago]

You da man

[@jillmartin2351]

What if when you water the bonsai the water just sit at top and not go through the pot but it's dry?

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

Sometimes the top of the soil creates a little crust. You can sprinkle water over the soil and then wait a few minutes and water again and the water will go through. Also don’t be afraid to rake the top of the soil before watering and the water will seep in much easier

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

I think it would work just as long as the granite isn't too fine.

[@kryptone3032]

i cant get my hands on the materials used in the bonsai mix, are there any alternatives?

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

+Mohanned Walid Have you tried buying a complete mix on line? May vendors will sell a good bonsai mix already mixed so you don't have to find the individual components

[@kryptone3032]

OrlandoBonsaiTV The problem is im living in abu dhabi, uae and no online stores deliver to there.

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

+Mohanned Walid in that case you need to find something local. Try to find a good hard aggregate material that is about 5-10mm in size. Perhaps a larger sand grit or crushed stone. The organic is an optional addition

[@kryptone3032]

OrlandoBonsaiTV I will do my best...thanks for your amazing videos!

[@danielarrieta7841]

that substrate used

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

I've used turface, crushed lava rock and even perlite. Look for something that drains well

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

OrlandoBonsai.[com] sells it and you can do local pick for free. You'll see it during checkout

[@ggouvea]

Nice!