9/1/2023 0 Comments Java moss bonsai treeThis top dressing will protect the soil, retain moisture and encourage good root growth. Once purchased it should be ground up on a sifting screen and mixed with locally sourced green moss before being applied to the top of the bonsai's root system. Sphagnum moss for topdressingĪs mentioned above, dried sphagnum moss can be used as a component in top dressing for bonsai pots. It has many properties that make it ideal for bonsai cultivation, such as a good water holding capacity, large fiber size to allow aeration and unique antimicrobial properties that limit the growth of anaerobic bacteria that may cause root rot. Sphagnum moss is a fantastic tool in bonsai cultivation that can be used for several purposes. When applying moss to the surface of a bonsai pot, I use a mix of locally collected green moss and dried sphagnum moss in a 1:1 ratio. Moss can be quite specific with the growing conditions it thrives in, so if you try to purchase some online and cultivate it yourself you may be disappointed when it doesn't grow well.īy collecting moss that is growing in your garden or near your house you can be sure that you have a variety that will thrive when transplanted to your bonsai. The best moss to use for bonsai is one that grows in your local environment. Moss can deposit sugars in the pot, which promotes the growth of these healthy organisms, ultimately strengthening your bonsai. Having a top layer of moss on a bonsai pot aids this process. They feed nutrients into the roots and benefit from the sugar-rich environment that the roots provide. Many advantageous bacteria and fungi can live in our bonsai pots in harmony with the roots of our trees. To grow a healthy bonsai, you need a supportive ecosystem inside the container. Moss helps friendly bacteria and fungi to grow Moss absorbs most of the light passing through it and creates a darker environment in the pot, promoting root growth. Without moss, the topsoil is exposed to the full light of the sun. Roots also favor dark environments to grow in. When a bonsai pot has a healthy covering of moss, the soil underneath no longer moves during watering, allowing the tree to populate more of the pot with roots. They may not move much, but it will be enough to significantly reduce the potential for root growth. In a pot that has no moss, soil particles will be disturbed and move each time the tree is watered. This is why it's so important to tie your tree down when repotting, but the same concept applies to roots growing near the surface of your bonsai pot. Roots can only grow when they are immobile. Passive decomposition will still occur as akadama swells and contracts through the absorption of moisture or freezing over winter, but moss helps to slow the process and extend the time your bonsai can stay in its pot.īonsai moss helps to promote root growth in a couple of ways - by stabilizing the soil surface and providing a dark environment. The main force of the water will be taken up by the moss, instead of the soil particles. Moss helps to slow this process by adding a protective buffer for roots. A condition such as this is inevitable over time and will need to be fixed with a repot or vacuum clean-out. This prevents water from flowing through the pot properly and is not a good environment for roots to grow in. This breakdown is called passive decomposition of soil and can result in a compacted layer on the top of your root ball. If you are using soil with an organic component, such as akadama, the soil will break down over time when exposed to the force of water from our hoses or rain. When it becomes dry, it's probably time to water your tree. If the moss is moist, then you know there is enough moisture in the container. It is obviously more convenient to water less, but this can also act as a lifeline for trees that may have missed a watering for whatever reason, say if you got stuck at work.įinally, moss can act as a guide to help you decide when to water your bonsai. Secondly, moss will slow the evaporation of water from the pot, allowing the tree to make full use of the water and increasing the length of time required between waterings. This counteracts the draw of gravity pulling it downwards and helps to create a more even distribution of water across the whole root mass. Having a good layer of moss growing around your bonsai has a few benefits when we are watering our trees.įirst of all, moss draws water upwards through the pot. It helps to balance water distribution in the pot and reduces water loss, protects the soil from erosion, promotes healthier root growth, and develops a healthy ecosystem of microbiology in your bonsai pot. There are a few horticultural reasons to be cultivating moss on your bonsai's root ball.
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