rhawes
Shohin
Just wandering if anyone had any suggestions or what they might do. I have almost 80 plants and not sure what to do also thinking of the little bottles self watering Any ideas or recommendations would be appreciated
Any one here use a timed drip system on their bonsai for vacation
- Thread starter rhawes
- Start date
sorce
Nonsense Rascal
Don't go!
How long?
My Walmart rig has worked well for 2years under $80 easy.
www.bonsainut.com
Doubling up isn't a bad idea.
I ran mine for a while before comfortable. Couple weeks.
Sorce
How long?
My Walmart rig has worked well for 2years under $80 easy.
What A Terrible Extended Retreat.
Water For Real. Resorce I went away for a week recently. For the first time in a long time, had a great vacation. Didn't worry about my trees cuz I tucked them all under this... Cheaper versions of these products...plastic not brass blah..under about $80 w/ batteries. Set for 25 minutes at...
Doubling up isn't a bad idea.
I ran mine for a while before comfortable. Couple weeks.
Sorce
cbroad
Omono
Make sure you get a timer with at least two separate zones. 80 plants will be a lot of demand off of one line. It would suck to set everything up and find out there's no pressure at the end of the line and those plants aren't getting watered.
Definitely run your system for a couple weeks to work out any issues with your set up. Put fresh batteries in the timer before you go out of town.
Definitely run your system for a couple weeks to work out any issues with your set up. Put fresh batteries in the timer before you go out of town.
River's Edge
Masterpiece
Picture of your set up would generate specific solutions!
Are you looking for an inexpensive system for occasional use? Battery operated timer on a sprinkler, group plants together while away.
Or something that can be used over time as your collection progresses?
Timer, programmable, zone settings, emitters selected for flow and delivery depending on pot size, species needs etc.
Are you looking for an inexpensive system for occasional use? Battery operated timer on a sprinkler, group plants together while away.
Or something that can be used over time as your collection progresses?
Timer, programmable, zone settings, emitters selected for flow and delivery depending on pot size, species needs etc.
Bonsai Nut
Nuttier than your average Nut
Why not use a broadcast sprinkling system? A valve, timer, PVC, and fittings, might set you back $100. I used to stress about my trees in SoCal until I set up broadcast sprinklers. Winter - once per day. Summer - twice per day. Done.
Shibui
Imperial Masterpiece
I also use sprays with a timer. I found that drippers only watered a small part of the pot because of the free draining mix. If you try drippers use several emitters on larger pots.
Above advice is good. Always run for a couple of weeks to identify dry areas and other bugs. Take note of limitations of water supply through small pipes and lower flow/pressure toward the end of long runs of pipe.
My advice is to always use larger pipe that you think necessary. A small increase in diameter makes a huge difference in water supply at the end of the line.
There should be lots of advice online about testing your supply for flow and pressure and to calculate losses in various sized pipe.
Above advice is good. Always run for a couple of weeks to identify dry areas and other bugs. Take note of limitations of water supply through small pipes and lower flow/pressure toward the end of long runs of pipe.
My advice is to always use larger pipe that you think necessary. A small increase in diameter makes a huge difference in water supply at the end of the line.
There should be lots of advice online about testing your supply for flow and pressure and to calculate losses in various sized pipe.
bonhe
Masterpiece
I have used irrigation system for at least 12 years without any problem! My area is really hot and dry in the summer. I have over 100 pots at different size from small to big. We went to vacation 3-4 weeks in the mid summer. Please take a look this link
www.bonsainut.com
If you frequently have to use the system, you are better to invest into the good system. Buy the controller which operated by electric and battery backup when the electricity is out .
Thụ Thoại
My year around bonsai work in the Inland Empire, CA
I finished pruning and wiring for this pomegranate 2 days ago. Bonhe
If you frequently have to use the system, you are better to invest into the good system. Buy the controller which operated by electric and battery backup when the electricity is out .
Thụ Thoại
rhawes
Shohin
Well I will probably be gone a couple of days But I am thinking about not going at all Well I guess we will see
Thanks for the advise everyone!!
Thanks for the advise everyone!!
sorce
Nonsense Rascal
I got lazy when I got back and left mine running too much. Many things change when watering habits change so drastically.
Since you, "don't have to go water", it's easy for those changes to ...change things!
Sorce
Since you, "don't have to go water", it's easy for those changes to ...change things!
Sorce
AaronThomas
Omono
Neighbor kid
Coppersdad
Mame
Ditto
I tried a drip system with a timer and discovered not only that is was not capable of covering all my trees but in addition, a drip emitter is just not able to thoroughly water a pot filled with bonsai soil. Also, I choose not to spray the foliage each watering.
Don't "they" say to make three complete passes? -- once for the soil -- once for the tree -- and once for the pot ??
I just can't trust anything mechanical. (Besides, in addition to the cash, the neighbor kid really likes my wife's apple pies!)
Jzack605
Chumono
I don’t have anywhere near 80 trees, and I rarely go away in the summer. But last year I went to turkey for a week. I put all my trees in one spot I knew would get the most water, sheltering the most delicate toward the interior to minimize transpiration and had a regular fan sprinkler go on every day midday. In conjunction the lawn sprinklers (also the standard fan style) would go one every other day early in the morning. No issues.
leatherback
The Treedeemer
For a once off, the simple solutions are often the best.
I have 2 sprinkler lines in my garden connected to a timer and Gardena micro-sprinklers. These reach about 4-6ft. A few days before I leaves I put all the trees in the area between the lines and see what happens moving trees around. Bit of a messy situation, but usually when I am away someone is home. So this really is only for the joint holidays. I make sure a friend drops by several times a week to check and hand-water some of the bigger demand trees
Shibui
Imperial Masterpiece
Recipe for disaster. Nobody except you and other experienced bonsai people really realize that every day means EVERY day. Most interpret that to mean when they feel like it. Others just get busy and forget. Most just do not understand how critical, how close to death our plants are.
Same applies to Cousin, Auntie, Brother, etc. You are courting disaster leaving bonsai in the care of non bonsai people. There are hundreds of tales of such vacation disasters.
Bnana
Chumono
I have a timer on a tap and a line with drips and spray nozzles. The drips spray radially so a nice spread and the spray nozzles can cover quite a bit.
This works twice a day for one minute and that saturates everything (10 trees but can be extended easily). I'm not afraid of overwatering for a few weeks with proper soil.
You can order this stuff in China cheaply.
This works twice a day for one minute and that saturates everything (10 trees but can be extended easily). I'm not afraid of overwatering for a few weeks with proper soil.
You can order this stuff in China cheaply.
Wires_Guy_wires
Imperial Masterpiece
That's probably because you never hear about the people that did it right. They don't write threads about it.
My parents love watering my trees, and they did it right for 4 consecutive years.
It's the instructions that make it difficult.
Mine were simple:
If it looks like a conifer, water it every other day.
If it doesn't look like a conifer, water it daily.
If you're not sure, water it daily.
If it rains, don't water.
If it doesn't rain, water
If you're not sure, water them anyways.
Water every pot for at least 15 seconds. The timer is on the bench.
And that's it.
We like to make things more difficult because we like our special trees and we believe they should be treated as unique. But sprinklers, as well as parents, don't see that difference. We don't instruct sprinklers with an 8 page manual for every single tree and we shouldn't expect family members or the dude next door to need the same instruction.
In my first year I made special zones, with a label:
Zone 1: water on mon, tue, wed, thu, fri, sat, sun.
Zone 2: water on tue, thu, sat, mon.
It didn't look pretty, but I wasn't there anyways.
AaronThomas
Omono
Seriously? So you mean to tell me that if you tell someone, "I need something done every day."... you expect them to do it every other day or not at all?
You apparently have had crap luck in dealing with relying on other people... no disrespect intended.
I have had the same kid or my parents water my plants for the past 12 years and never had an issue...I have on the other hand the following has happen.
- I have had a water main break in the neighborhood... and the kid went to the store to buy bottled water to water trees without being asked.
- Irrigation lines pop.
- I have had a raccoon knock over a pot and the kid picked it up and put back in the pot and place in the shade.
- Irrigation go out due to a power outage.
- Timers burn out.
- Had the kid pull a shade cloth because I left quickly in an emergency last summer.
- The kid call me with a question about watering a certain tree.
Until "they" come up with an irrigation system that can handle all the what if scenarios... I'll stick to the human method when I'm out of town.
I'am not saying there is no such thing as human error... but its a complete stress reliever knowing my trees are being taken care of when I'm not around.
