How to care for and water bonsai and flowering plants in summer? Practical tips shared
Summer is hot and rainy, and it is the peak growing season for some flowers and plants, as well as the dormant period for others. To help flowers and plants get through this stage smoothly, management should be strengthened in terms of watering, shading, and pest and disease control.
First, summer temperatures are high and water evaporates quickly, so you should water more every day, such as once in the morning and once in the evening. At the same time, during hot weather, apart from vigorously growing flowers such as jasmine and Chinese rose, fertilizing is generally not advisable, especially for azaleas that have entered semi-dormancy and dormant bulbous flowers such as cyclamen and freesia.
Second, for some semi-shade and shade-loving flowers and plants, high temperatures and direct sunlight must be strictly avoided in summer. Shading measures should be taken, and water should be sprayed to lower the temperature. Even for extremely drought-tolerant plants such as cacti, when the temperature exceeds 38°C, there is still a risk of sunburn. For azaleas, in addition to daily watering, water should also be sprayed on the leaves and ground to maintain moisture and lower the temperature. However, summer often brings heavy rainstorms. After water accumulates in the pot soil, nutrients are easily lost, so after rain the pot should be tilted to let the rainwater drain out.
Finally, the hot and humid summer is also a season with a high incidence of pests and diseases. Diseased branches and leaves should be removed promptly, supplemented by chemical control. For example, Chinese rose is prone to black spot and powdery mildew in summer; the former can be treated with Bordeaux mixture, and the latter with carbendazim, sprayed once every half month. Orchids are prone to anthracnose during the plum rain and high-temperature seasons; in addition to improving ventilation and light conditions, when disease occurs, thiophanate can be used to spray once every 10 days.
In summer, potted flowers have vigorous respiration and require good air permeability in the pot soil. Therefore, when the pot soil is not dry, generally do not water, so as to avoid too much water affecting air permeability, but once it is dry, water immediately and water thoroughly. In summer, pot soil often cracks due to excessive drying, so watering cannot be done all at once, otherwise the water will leak straight down through the cracks to the bottom of the pot while most of the pot soil remains very dry. After the first watering, wait a moment, and after the soil cracks close, water again.
If you forget to water for many days, causing the plant to become drought-stressed and wilted, do not rush to water heavily. First move the potted flower to a cool, ventilated place, use a spray bottle to spray water on the leaves 2 to 3 times, and after the leaves recover, water a small amount, and once the root system regains its water-absorbing function, water thoroughly. Be cautious about watering in midsummer and deep winter.
Water temperature has a direct effect on the physiological activity of flower roots. If the water temperature differs greatly from the soil temperature (more than 5°C), watering will cause a sudden change in soil temperature and damage the roots, instead affecting the roots' absorption of water and causing physiological drought. Therefore, it is better to water when the water temperature is close to the soil temperature, especially in winter and summer. In winter, it is best to store the water indoors for a period of time first, or add a little warm water, so that the water temperature rises to 15 to 20°C before watering. In summer, watering should be avoided under the scorching sun and during the high temperatures at noon.
Watering methods for tree stump bonsai in summer
In order to keep the plants of tree stump bonsai short with small leaves and old-looking trunks, unlike ordinary potted plants, watering must be controlled. For example, when new buds and leaves emerge on golden larch, masson pine, and others, excessive watering will make the leaves grow thick and broad, and the new branches grow excessively, destroying the original tree shape. Reducing the amount of watering for plum blossom, wisteria, crabapple, and others during the flower bud differentiation period can not only make the branches short and sturdy, but also increase the number of flower buds.
In terms of seasons, after being brought out of the room in spring, before the leaves sprout, not much water is needed. After the branches and leaves sprout, watering needs to be increased.
If the branches and leaves grow too vigorously, to control this, you can water when the branches and leaves begin to wilt, and the amount of water should not be too large. In summer, with lush leaves and sturdy branches, high temperatures, and high evaporation, the frequency and amount of watering should both be appropriately increased.
As for watering time, in the morning it is best to water early, and in the afternoon it is best to water late; generally water twice, in the morning and evening. In autumn, the weather turns cooler, which is also a suitable growth period. To prevent the growth of autumn shoots and increase cold resistance, the amount of watering should again be appropriately controlled, only enough to keep the pot soil moist; as in spring, water once every morning.
In winter, especially for plants brought indoors to overwinter, all enter dormancy. Because temperatures are low and evaporation is small, excessive moisture must be avoided, and watering should be done around noon.
Key points and precautions for watering tree stump bonsai in summer
In specific handling, take care not to let the pot soil become too dry or too wet. After potting or repotting, water thoroughly, with water flowing out from the bottom of the pot as the proper standard. The day after fertilizing, water once. During the growth period, for tree stumps in deep pots and large pots, because the pot soil dries easily, water frequently and generously.
Be sure to water only after seeing that the pot soil is dry.
Generally, the amount of water during the germination period and flowering period should be appropriately increased compared with the dormant period, and in summer it should be more than in spring and autumn. When it is windy or the air is dry, the amount of watering should also be greater. It should also be controlled according to the material of the pot. Generally, clay pots have good air permeability and the pot soil dries easily; for pines and cypresses and others with small, hard, thick leaves, wax, and many hairs, and low evaporation, water less; for those with broad, large leaves and high water loss, water more.
Bonsai tree stumps are planted in pots, and generally the pots are shallow and the soil is thin, so the water in the pot soil is not easily retained. In addition, summer temperatures are high, water evaporates easily, and tree stumps have a high water requirement. At this time, if the tree stumps are not watered in time, it will lead to water deficiency, dried stumps, and death due to the pot soil drying up. To correctly meet the watering requirements of tree stumps in summer, the following points must be mastered:
1. Master the pot soil and water temperature well. For general watering, the pot soil temperature and water temperature should remain the same or similar. If the difference between the pot soil temperature and water temperature is too great, do not water. In summer watering, water only when the water temperature is the same as or similar to the soil temperature and air temperature.
2. Pay attention to the quality of the water used for watering. For watering tree stump bonsai, rainwater, river water, and pond water are best. Especially for acid-loving tree stumps in the south, rainwater is best for watering, and river water and pond water can also be used. But in the north, because the soil tends to be alkaline, river water and pond water also often contain saline-alkaline components. Using this kind of water to water plants is not good for the growth of acid-loving trees and flowers. At this time, if there is no rainwater to water the stumps, well-rotted rice-washing water can be diluted and used to water the stumps. In addition, tap water and waste water changed from goldfish tanks can also be used to water neutral and slightly alkaline tree stumps. If tap water is used, it must be left in the sun for a few days to let the chlorine in the water escape before watering. Laundry water containing soap, saline-alkaline water, and chemically polluted water must never be used to water stumps.
3. Watering should depend on changes in the weather. In addition to watering thoroughly once in the morning and once in the evening every day, supplemental spraying and watering should be done around noon. Besides spraying the leaf surfaces, pot surfaces, and trunk bodies, the ground around the potted stumps should also be sprayed frequently to maintain the air humidity around the pot, so as to prevent yellow leaves, dry leaves, and scorched leaves on the potted stumps. Do not water on continuous rainy days, and water must not accumulate in the pot, so as to prevent long-term water accumulation from rotting the roots and causing the death of the stump.
4. It depends on the size, depth, and material of the bonsai pot. For tree stumps in small and shallow pots, water more frequently. For large and deep pots, the pot soil contains more water and cannot evaporate thoroughly for a time, so water less frequently. Watering should be treated differently according to the pot material. Tile pots have good water permeability, the pot soil evaporates easily and dries easily, so watering should be more frequent and the amount should be larger. For ceramic pots, stone pots, glazed pots, and plastic pots, the pot walls are not breathable and not water-permeable, and the pot soil does not dry easily, so watering should be less frequent and the amount should be smaller.