Caught a bonsai bug, went crazy the end of this summer. New to forum!

pwk5017

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Toad, you ever make it up to Pittsburgh? I would be happy to provide you with some cuttings of Portulacaria afra for free if you are ever in the area.They root quite readily(so you can keep propogating them), they are moderate/fast growers, and most importantly, you can grow them indoors! Here is one that I have grown from a cutting for 3ish years. Its coming along.

I remember trying to grow stuff in my dorm room at PSU. I still have a lot of the pine seedlings I would start in january and then put outside when I got home for summer break. Basically, extended my growing season for 2+ months. I think slight tweaks like that are certainly possible if you are diligent and know what you are doing, but all out rebellion against mother nature is not.
 

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toadmyster223

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That's really cool! I appreciate that, buddy. I was just in Pittsburgh last week, but I dunno when I will be back. If I do plan to come up, I'll definitely shoot you PM. Thanks! And yeah, I'm really not trying to rebel against nature, just bend and stretch a little :)
 

toadmyster223

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Preparing to winter my trees!


I've finally got something to do with them, and they've (nearly) all made it this far. I'm hoping the fact that they were all pretty young sprouts will lend to this working out. When one of you mentioned a mulch bed, did you mean to plant them there exposed, or lightly bury them in compost like you would root vegetables?


I'll have to wait til I get a better data plan to upload any more photos, but the lantana is doing great and blooms constantly, all the little nubbins are still living, and one has a figure 8 wired into its green, upreaching stems. The mystery tree has grown alot, and has about 6 tight S bends. I planted my poplar outside and it is exploding. I plan to bring it in or cover it during winter so it doesn't perish. I acquired several more very small poplars and bundled them and planted them. They're doing well as well, and I'm hoping they really clump up. One hemlock withered away and died, but the other one is doing well, despite growing very slowly. I've got two more mystery pine trees outside, although I fear the heat did the smaller one in.

Pretty pleased with how things are going, hoping the deciduous trees will cope with their coming winter.
 

bonsaiBlake

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Preparing to winter my trees!

When one of you mentioned a mulch bed, did you mean to plant them there exposed, or lightly bury them in compost like you would root vegetables?


Basically bury the pot to rim edge, 3-6" of mulch on top of that, then wrap the entire tree with burlap to protect from wind and sun. should keep everything happy.
 

sorce

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Wow. What a thread.

Toad I understand your situation. Got to do what you got to.

Everyone here has the best for you in mind.

Anything new? Situation changeee?

Best.

Sorce
 

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sorce

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Reddish purple maybe birch?
 

toadmyster223

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Basically just made good friends with a teacher that's got a farm and plenty of space for stuff. Gonna cart them over there for the winter and probably give his wife one.
 

Stiple

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toadmyster, are you still thinking of running the experiment through for the perpetual summer on a few of your trees?

It's not as crazy as everyone else is making it out to be, at least not for the short term and not sure about the longterm yet. I've had a juniper, boxwood, weeping willow, and some tropical growing well indoors since two Decembers ago. Your pic of the cardboard lighthood looks reminiscent of the one I built a few years ago for my pre-bonsai. How bright are the lights you've been using?
 

toadmyster223

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You know stiple, I really couldn't tell you. I know my buddy grew a fairly immense amount of reefer with them once in his closet, and the plants seem to be liking them. The mystery tree's leaves catch a brown edge sometimes, but that might be something with the nutrients it's got.

No more perpetual summer, sending them to the farm. I think I will keep the lantana indoors, at least the little ones.
 

sorce

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Great toad.

Hows welding?

Can you fix a tractor yet?

Sorce
 

toadmyster223

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What's wrong with the tractor? Lol. I'm still no mechanic!


Welding is going great though. I've earned a vertical flux-core certification, and suspiciously failed a vertical D1.1 stick certification along with the entire rest of the class, who all failed for similar looking porosity. It appears to have been caused by a batch of bad rods, and we're hoping to get the school to pay for a retest before we graduate in September. I've found a few good jobs in the area I might pursue after graduation, but I'm getting my own welding machine, so I might try to fiddle around selling doo-dads for a while. The machine is coming from my friend with the farm, who mills and machines sail boat parts. I've been helping him make an absolutely immense amount of parts, and he's giving me his gently used welder. Good stuff.
 
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