What Should You Do If You Accidentally Underwater A Bonsai?

Water is extremely important for the health and survival of your bonsai so it should be no surprise that a lack of water is extremely bad for your tree.

Although, sometimes this can happen …we are all guilty of accidentally under watering a tree at some point in our lives, but what should we do when this happens?

Really you need to get your tree some water as soon as possible and hopefully it will be okay, but will go through some ways you can spot that this problem may be happening and what to actually do about it if does happen.

What Is Under Watering?

Under watering is exactly what it sounds like …you haven’t given you tree enough water and this can be catastrophic for it. 

This is generally going to happen in two different ways. The first and probably more likely is through forgetting to water.

Maybe you forget to check the tree today, or you are just checking a lot later than your usual time, or you somehow watered everything else and missed one tree out. This is usually pretty bad as the tree will be in need of water and right when you should be giving it some …you don’t.  If you do any of these things, your tree can die very quickly from the lack of water.

The other type of under watering is when you do give the tree water …but not enough. This is usually caused by poor watering skills and not understanding how to do things properly. People who do this, just give the tree a quick squirt and its gets the top layer of soil wet …which isn’t enough.

You need to make sure you are watering properly and totally soaking the pot. You want to see water running out of the bottom of the pot.

If you are under watering like this, you tree will slowly decline. It is getting some water, so it will not die as quickly, but it certainly can’t last with this level of watering forever and you will really start to see some sings of this happening.

Signs Your Tree Is Under Watered

Every species of tree will shows signs of being under watered slightly differently. I will go through some classic signs but you may find you tree only shows one of these, or maybe all of them.

It also really depends on how dry the tree is. Basically it’s dying, so each of these things is only going to get worse and more pronounced until your tree is dead.

While it is good to know these signs …it is also important to know what your tree looks like when it is healthy, then you will notice that it has changed and can start to question why …maybe it’s not enough water, maybe it’s something else, but either way you will be looking for the problem.

Signs Of Under Watering In The Pot

Looking at the pot is always a good place to start. You will notice that your soil looks dry and you may even notice the moss is also dry and brown looking too.

You should know how your soil looks wet, so it will be very obvious when it is dry. You can also lift the pot up and it will feel very light as there is no water in it.

Signs Of Under Watering In The Tree

Once you pot dies up, the tree is no longer going to be able to push water up into the tree, so you will start to notice some negative changes within the tree.

As I already said, it will depend on what species you have as well as how dry the tree is. Some of these signs may happen within minutes, other may take a few days to show, but like I said… your tree is now dying so things can only get worse.

One of the first things you will notice is the leaves often go limp, or droop or maybe even curl up. Just think of a lettuce that has been sat for a few days, all wilted and sad. If your tree can start to looks like this, which is a huge sign it’s thirsty.

You may also notice the leaves start to shrivel up and they can also turn yellow and drop off. This is usually if is under watered for a long time. Basically the tree is trying to manage the fact that it doesn’t have enough water so is getting rid of leaves to try and preserve its supply.

However, in some species this can happen very quickly, you may only miss watering by a few hours and start to notice all your leaves are yellow and falling off. 

Water Your Tree Immediately Once You Realise It Is Under Watered

If you have realised you have under watered a tree, either from forgetting, or just generally not giving it enough …then you need to water it again as soon as possible.

The longer it remains dry, the higher the risk it will die, so you really need to get it some water as quickly as you can.

Water the tree fully and make sure the pot is totally full of water and you can see the excess coming out the bottom.

I would actually come back 30 minutes layer, maybe an hour… and water again. You really need to make sure that the pot is fully soaked and every little corner has had some water.

Sometimes areas can dry out and it can be hard to rehydrate them, so coming back and giving everything a second soaking can usually make sure no spots are missed.

Do Not Allow The Tree To Dry Out Again

Now that your tree is sufficiently watered, it is important to not let it dry out again.

You need to keep on top of the watering until it recovers and make sure it is always damp. This means you need to be hyper vigilant over the next few weeks as your tree will be weakened from this mishap and if it happens again, it may not be strong enough to survive.

Don’t Start Over Watering The Tree

It is also important that you do not go too far in the other direction and start over watering your tree.

You just need it to be damp, not too wet, not too dry. It can be very easy to get over excited and start watering too much to make up for things.

You can go crazy right away and an hour later … but after that, just water normally. Check every day and give the tree water if it needs it, but it is very important that you keep things damp.

You need it to be balanced and happy, so swinging the balance in the opposite direction and keeping it too wet will cause all sorts of other issues, which you really don’t want. 

Will Your Tree Recover If It Is Under Watered?

I can’t say if your tree will survive of not, it really depends on a few different factors and maybe even some luck.

I will quickly go through some things that will affect your trees chances of survival.

It Depends How Long It Was Dry For

The amount of time that your tree has been lacking water for is really critical to how likely it is to survive. It really as simple as the longer it is dry …the worse things will be.

Some trees do have some tolerance to dryness, but there will always be a limit and once your tree hits that threshold it will die.

You can kind of compare it to us and oxygen. Some people can hold their breath longer than others …but once things go one for a little too long it can quite dangerous and then deadly.

This is why it is so important to water your tree as soon as you realise it is dry. Every second will count and the longer you wait, the closer your tree is to death.

It Depends On How Healthy It Is

The healthier your tree, the more likely it will be able to withstand the stress of being under watered.

If your tree is already weakened in any way, it will find it harder to recover.

This is why aftercare after you do any sort of work is so important. Your tree will be stressed out and if you mess up your watering during this time period it will be too much extra stress and it can overwhelm the tree and it will struggle more and possibly die.

It Depends On The Species

As I have sort of touched on already, some species can handle more dryness than others.

This will really depend on where your tree originates from. Those from more warmer, drier climates are usually more drought tolerate, simply as these are conditions it is likely to face in the wild.

If you look at succulents they are the master of this. They can last weeks, maybe even months without water …but even these have their limit.

All trees will need water eventually so even if they can tolerate a little dry spell, it doesn’t mean you should test their limits.

Conclusion

Hopefully now you can spot if your tree is under watered and you can deal with it appropriately if this does happen.

It really can be a serious life and death situation for you tree, so you really need to try and avoid this from happening as much as possible.