Why is my bonsai suffering?
It could be your water! Is your tree suddenly turning brown, wilting just looking sad? There could be all sorts of causes but a new one we have discovered here at BC Bonsai is our water.
We learned several years ago from a water plant administrator that here in the mid-west we have an aging water pipe system and there are several ways to keep the lead from sluffing off the pipes, so we do not get poisoned. Water plants use Chemicals that coat the pipes or chemicals that change the pH of the water. Both have been experienced here at BC. The chemicals leave a black sludge on the tops of the soil in the pots that gets crusty when it dries out and makes it hard to water the trees. This is easily fixable just scrap off the sludge and reapply new soil to the top of the pot.
The pH value is a little harder to solve. The pH of our water here at BC has been running between 8 and 9 for the last 2 years. Before we were alerted to the possible problem some of our trees were suffering, some even dying. A friend who has a well was also having problems. He said it was his trees that were not drinking water. After looking into the possible solutions, we settled on a treatment schedule to lower the pH.
We use Espoma Holly Tone or Espoma Soil Acidifier once a month, sprinkled on top of the soil and slightly raked in the soil. It was what we had been using for our pines and other acid-loving plants for years. Our friend uses ph down by Dynagrow in his water to lower the ph.
This works because trees in nature need water between 6.5 and 7. Pines and some other trees like it a little lower. You need to apply the acidifier often because it is an organic product and because our pots have holes in the bottom it does flow out the bottom of the pot.
We have also found that if the water is filtered the pH stays the same and that bottled water’s pH is 8. Pond water and wells also now seem to have higher pH values than before.
What you need to do now is get a pH meter and check your water to see what the value is and if it is above 7 use a product that will lower the pH and not hurt your trees but help them.
Enjoy your trees,
Linda Camp
