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Trees in pots
Have you ever noticed that when you water a pot and the water runs out
of the bottom of the pot into a tray, you can be surprised when you look moments later to find that the tray no longer has any water in it? Osmosis will operate until all the soil is truly saturated. Respect Hussein Osmosis doesn't operate until all the soil is saturated. Different soils will hold differing amounts of water (Field Capacity). I think the advice I gave was accurate given that it was general advice. To give specific advice I'd have to know hugely more about the trees/pots involved and their position, etc. than I do at present. The original concern was about water requirements, as far as I can remember. If there are concerns about freezing, then that's another point entirely. If osmosis is going to lead to waterlogging, then you've got serious problems with your growing medium. Most soils/growing mediums that are any good at all will not become waterlogged when a large pot (it is a trees/trees we're talking about here) are stood in shallow trays with a little water in. Osmosis just isn't that efficient, and has it's limits. Unless the pot receives rain or is watered from the top, the top layer of soil/growing medium is unlikely to be wet, let alone waterlogged. Watering in the way I suggested has several benefits. It doesn't wash nutrients through the soil/growing medium and out the bottom of the pot (leaching) as watering from above does. The plant is encouraged to send roots downwards and should therefore have a better root structure. The plant is unlikely to suffer from fluctuations between drought and having plenty of water that can occur with sporadic watering. If someone wants further details I'd be happy to answer any questions. If I don't know about something, I don't give answers. If my answers are not detailed enough, I'll happily give fuller explanations. A good start for gardeners who want to better understand plants would be to invest in a copy of Principles of Horticulture, published by Butterworth Heinemann. They have a web site at www.bh.com. The book is very readable and easy to understand. It explains many aspects of plant biology and soil science and I'd recommend it. Dave. |
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