It's great idea if the tree doesn't grow and add weight by having new wood and leaves or needles. also you may not want to wait until the tree is totally dry before watering. So how much should tree weigh with the amount of wqter it should still have when you are planning to rewater. I personally think that weighing the tree to determine whether it needs water is NOT a good idea.
If you are just in the mood to get a gadget try a moisture meter. That might be interesting.


SteveW
Long Island NY


-----Original Message-----
From: Gary Huff
To:
Sent: Tue, 24 May 2005 17:26:26 -0400
Subject: [IBC] Bonsai Watering-A Crazy Idea


I enjoy the traditions of bonsai as well as the next guy, but I am experimenting
with using the
weight of a bonsai to determine when to water them by incorporating a little
technology. I’m
rather new to bonsai and I am trying the skewer method of determining when to
water my plants,
but sometimes I’m having trouble figuring out exactly when to water from
moisture, or lack of it,
on a skewer stick. Bonsai experts kept saying you can determine when to water
also by the weight
of the plant, so I just started to use a digital postage scale, which shows
lbs/oz or kg/g, to help
me to know when to water my bonsai. Of course this only works with smaller
plants and if you
don’t have many to deal with. What I’m starting to do is when I repot I weigh
the bonsai before any
water is introduced and then again after it’s totally saturated. This gives me
two numbers and
then I try to figure out at what point between these two weights do I need to
water again. From
what I have read it seems to be, as a general rule, average plants at about 50%
or so moisture
content of soil; please correct me if I’m wrong. This would change with each
bonsai and that I am
trying to determine now. Obviously watching my plants will help me to determine
at what point to
water. Has anyone experimented with this sort of crazy idea and does anyone have
any insight
into what a general rewatering point would be for some common bonsai, say a
Juniper, Chinese
Elm or any others? If you think this is a crazy idea let me know, but I’m
thinking it would be one
way for someone new to this hobby, like myself, and someone who doesn’t mind
using a little
technology with an old artform, to figure out when to water with a little more
certainty, and
hopefully keep a few more bonsai alive and well. Oh yes, try not to laugh too
much at this idea.

Gary Huff
Virginia
Zone 7a

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************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Kevin Bailey++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++