So the Kiyohime arrived. Was a delay in shipping and as you can see it didn't cope very well...Also got this Siberian Elm that also came today - purchased for my Dad. Posted photos of that too just for interest! It coped much better with the shipping. The vendor is great, think it was more a UPS issue. So the Kiyohime - we have some very floppy, wrinkled and crispy leaves. It was very dry, so given a really good drink and mist. Luckily it seems to be in decent substrate. Positioning wise - we have a South facing garden that gets loads of sun on the whole. Best to have a little sheltered for now (from sun)? And protect from frosts of course. Really hoping it'll bounce back. Posted this on BNut too, so sorry if you're a member of both forums and are seeing this post twice!
Very nice C, don't worry it is a bit of dehydration from transit, so it will pick up after a good soaking. If you lose a few leaves now, the second flush in around 6- 8 weeks will see it bounce back fully. Bet your Dad will be pleased with his Elm... some nice shapes there already. Don't hide it away for yourself now, lol.
Thought so - just tend to worry and doubt my knowledge haha! I think he'll love it - he's keen to get into bonsai and I think it'll be a great starter for him...like you said - if it ever makes it to his house ;) Him and my Mum are away on their narrow boat for two weeks, so he will have to wait to see it unfortunately! Will be a nice surprise on his return.
Doing much better! Lots of browish spots though... Am I right it's likely leaf spot - not a huge issue to worry about and doesn't warrant fungicide? From what I've read - avoid water on the leaves where possible and water in the morning to give any water on them enough time to dry?
Hi C, there has been a lot of discussion about this on the forum and I personally will only give overhead 'rain' water. I found over the years that the chemicals and chalk in my location caused nothing but troubles with leaf marking. When to water above, is another topic discussed. Myself I like to give my trees a drink from above and below. But especially in Sumner the above watering is only done after the sun has gone down. This can be very late watering in July and August, lol. Regarding leaf spot, is your tree under water stress. There has been no rain around here for 5 weeks now, so a good drenching at least once a week is essential for a healthy maple that is working very hard to produce leaves.
Yes I've read a lot about the effects of hard water - a few of my bonsai have the classic white powdery substance on the trunks... I haven't tried using rainwater to be honest, should probably look into this. Maybe a daft question, how do you do this during summer months (or any time when there is very little rain?) Could be water stress? I've been making sure to keep it quite moist, since it arrived so dry. Could it be after effects of drying out during shipping?
I have invested in rain water harvesting over the years, so have tanks etc that I use. But even my tanks are getting close to being empty, due to no rain now for the past 5 weeks and nothing on the horizon. What I do then is keep enough back to put in a pressure bottle and give them a mist in the hottest evenings. It does help. Do consider investing in a good sized water butt. You will very suprised at how much good stuff you can collect from your roof with just one.
Will definitely look into this, thanks! I suppose I could prioritise the ones that seem to struggle with the hard water
Yes definatly C. Any water is better than no water. I do prefer night time watering, in case you ask.
Same here, and I haven't invested in a water tank yet. And I also prefer to water in the evening. When it's very hot (like last year) and since many of my trees are in small containers or pots, I also water in early afternoon. Contrary to what a lot of people say, it doesn't harm the leaves or the tree. Well, at least that's what I think...
Totally agree Alain, but I still prefer the evenings as I have had damage in the past with scorch when some got splashed with water during a very hot Summer. My maples were well watered below at the time so not deficient in ground moisture. So once bitten as the old saying goes,lol.
