My neighbor told me to stop babying my bonsai and I thought he was nuts

So this old guy down the street, Mr. Cho, has been growing bonsai for like 40 years. I was out trimming my little juniper last spring and he walks over and says I'm overwatering and pruning too often. He said just let it sit in the sun and ignore it for 2 weeks. I wanted to argue but he pointed at my tree's yellowing leaves and just laughed. After 3 weeks of his method, the leaves turned dark green and it started pushing new growth like crazy. Turns out all that fussing I was doing was stressing the roots out. Has anyone else had a "hands off" tip from an old timer that actually worked better than the book way?

3 comments

3 Comments

barbara_grant412d ago

Did Mr. Cho explain why too much attention stresses the roots out? I'm curious about the science behind it, or if it's just one of those things you learn from doing it 40 years.

elliotm5712d ago

Had a similar thing happen with my roses a few years back. An old master gardener told me I was watering them too much and that they liked it when the soil dried out a bit between waterings. I was following every instruction from the book and they were always getting black spot and droopy leaves. After I backed off and let them get a little thirsty, they perked up and bloomed like crazy. Sometimes I think we overcomplicate things because we want to control every little detail, but plants have been doing fine on their own for millions of years. Mr. Cho sounds like he knows what he's talking about.

sean85412d ago

Used to water my tomatoes like clockwork every day, thinking I was helping them out. Changed my mind after accidentally leaving them dry for a few days and they looked twice as healthy.