Hi
Billy M. Rhodes wrote:
Watering from the bottom is generally not a good idea because:
1. It tends to compact the soil and drive out the oxygen needed for
good plant health (possible exception, watering newly repotted plants from the
bottom might help settle loose soil [opinions differer])
I think that on the contrary the total immesrsion of a pot inside
the water until all bubbles stops coming out from the soil expells
all air and allows water to reach the deep part right under the trunk
that is a very delicate part and very dry and from where decay starts
quite often , and when the pot is taken out of water and slightly
tilted it sucks air in renewing oxygen acting like a pump.. this cna be
done 2-3 times without danger .
I forgot once my old pentephilla inside a small tub filled with
water a whole night and it did not die...
so soaking it 10 minutes or 3 times in a row in 10 minutes is not
the end of the world, but mainly a matter of time .
BUT it all depends of the kind of soil you have and of the kind of
plants, Azaleas hate that & serissa also !
Than another problem with this sort of watering is the washing off of
the soil and of its minerals ...
here it is my Pentaphilla
http://groups.msn.com/BonsaiItalia/g...to&PhotoID=123
2. if more than one plant shares the tub/basin, pathogens can be
spread from one plant to another.
yes this is a problem of course and one has to think about Anyway
over 3-5 bonsais and depending upon their size , as my penta that
is 18 kilos 36 llbs about ,to plunge it is a grief for my back!:-)
But I still do it sparingly in the evening during the hot season
Theo
Billy on the Florida Space Coast
Bonsai Societies of Florida Annual Convention Memorial Day Weekend 2004
Radisson Hotel, Cape Canaveral, Florida www.bonsaisocietyofbrevard.org
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