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Watering bonsai trees is a demanding and exacting chore . It is difficult to learn to check bonsai trees daily . In our busy lives we often seem to need just a few more hours each day to complete all of the tasks on our To Do Lists . Caring for 35 bonsai takes me about 1 hour each day . When I go out of town I must have someone check on the bonsai and water them . Since I use a very porous soil I can instruct a friend to water all of the bonsai each day without fear that they will be over watered .
The manner in which the bonsai are watered also affects growth rates . I prefer to soak the soil completely when I water . To do this I must often water each tree several times until the water is running freely out of the drainage holes . This is necessary because the root growth will create areas of differing densities in the soil that will channel the water and decrease water intake . I have observed this by removing the tree from the pot after watering . Since most bonsai are not repotted every year this becomes more of a problem in years 3 to 5 after repotting pines and junipers .
During the dormant period the bonsai need less water ; about every 4 days . It is still a good idea to check the trees every day . Spider mites and other pests can be a problem if the temperature is too high during the winter months.
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