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too much shade?

Posted: September 22nd, 2013, 1:54 pm
by yamadorikid
Hi fellow members,

My bonsai's are place behind a screen which blocks alot of the direct sunlight throughout the day, hopefully you can see from the photo below.

I would only get maybe 2-3 hours each day of direct sunlight..

ive noticed that my juniper leaves are alot lighter in colour to another juniper that i just bought yesterday,

is this because they are not recieving enough sunlight??
this photo was taken in the morning about 9am, plants will have direct sunlight from about midday to 2-3pm when the sun is above the trees.

is this placement of my bonsai trees enough sunlight? or should i move them to another spot?

Re: too much shade?

Posted: September 22nd, 2013, 2:53 pm
by Naimul
I have my trees growing in similar conditions, they get maybe 4 hours of sunlight when the sun is highest, and they dont seem to be struggling in terms of growth

Re: too much shade?

Posted: September 22nd, 2013, 8:55 pm
by shibui
Most species will grow happily with just a few hours of direct light. Yours get quite a bit of reflected light as well. The problem is not so much health but long internodes and lanky growth as the trees reach out for more light. This just makes it a little bit harder to keep a compact shape to the trees. If you have the option I would try to get them a bit more direct light but be careful because that will change the amount of water you need and may even burn some of the growth that has adjusted to the shade - shouldn't kill the trees, they will just grow new, hardier leaves o match the conditions.
Everyone has different conditions and it is just a matter of modifying techniques and practices to accomodate the conditions we cannot change.

Re: too much shade?

Posted: September 23rd, 2013, 9:45 am
by yamadorikid
thanks for the info...i will try to keep an eye on how they continue to grow...

maybe ill have another section where i can place my bonsai's thats in the sun, and rotate them around..

Re: too much shade?

Posted: September 23rd, 2013, 9:52 am
by cre8ivbonsai
If you're looking at alternative positions, also be mindful of radiant heat from concrete or brickwork, it can be a killer too ;)