Watering tips for banyan bonsai

Watering is one of the most important and frequent steps in the maintenance of banyan bonsai. For potted banyan trees, whether in deep or shallow pots, the soil is limited and the water it contains is also limited. If it is not watered for a long time, the plant will die due to lack of water.

Watering principles

Every time we talk about watering, we always say that we need to water thoroughly, but cold words can’t mean anything, but I still want to say it. Be sure to water thoroughly each time you water. Check the soil in the pot before watering. If the soil has turned white and hard, it means it is time to water. Or you can knock on the edge of the pot with a wooden stick. If it makes a crisp sound, it means it needs watering.

Each time you water, wait until water starts to flow out from the bottom of the pot before stopping. If you only wet the soil surface or half of the soil, the roots in the lower part of the pot will die due to lack of water and will not grow well. More importantly, it will cause salt to accumulate in the pot and turn it into saline-alkali soil, further affecting the growth of the plant.

Watering method

Depending on the growth stage of the plant, in early spring when the plants have just sprouted, the temperature is low, water evaporation is less, and the water requirement is also less, so water them once a day; in spring and summer when the temperature rises, evaporation increases, and the plants are in the growth stage, so water them twice a day, preferably in the morning and evening; in autumn when the growth of the plants slows down, water them once every 1 to 2 days; in winter when the plants enter a dormant period, water them once every 3 to 5 days or about 10 days, and choose the noon when the temperature is higher.

In addition, there are different ways to water, you can spray water on the leaves or irrigate the roots. Generally, the two are combined, spraying first and then irrigating. Do not spray too much water to avoid excessive growth of branches and leaves.