Colander selection

[Pixar]

Ok , what is the right type of colander to be using ( stainless or plastic ) ? What size should I be looking at ?
I have some small Delonix Regia tree to place in the ground . How long should I be looking at before I have to removed ?

 

[hemmy]

Ok , what is the right type of colander to be using ( stainless or plastic ) ? What size should I be looking at ?
I have some small Delonix Regia tree to place in the ground . How long should I be looking at before I have to removed ?

Pot/colander/container size depends on the size of the tree. If you are growing out stock, a good rule of thumb is no more than 10.16cm of space from rootball to wall of container (i.e., the “4 inch rule”). Otherwise the substrate may stay too wet.
If you are ground growing, but using a container to restrict root size, then you’ll still want a size that lets the roots get to the wall and into open ground quickly.

That said, I don’t understand the benefit of using a colander in the ground, unless you just let some escape roots for the season while it sits in on tothe ground. The typical colander are cheap plastic and wouldn’t do much to constrict the roots. You might as well just plant them out. The benefit of colanders on the bench or atop the ground is the air-pruning impact on the roots which causes dense ramified root balls on trees that don’t respond well to massive root reductions to get it a bonsai pot (Japanese Black Pine).

Some US growers use root constriction bags in the ground to get a root mass closer, while taking advantage of the insulating and draining properties of the ground. I think the bags have tiny hairs inside that grab the roots to prevent circling and promote branching. But some roots eventually find their way out to the open ground. With any method of ground growing, you still need to create and maintain good nebari through regular pruning.

How often you lift the tree from the ground to prune and setup the nebari is a balance between slowing down the growth but developing good nebari.

 

[Pixar]

My 5 small trees are only 12 inches high and less than the thickness of my finger - I could just stick them in the ground as I only got 550mm width spacing between my neighbour and my retaining wall or shall I used a colander ?

 

[Lorax7]

My experience with colanders has been that the plastic tends to get brittle and degrade quickly from UV exposure. They'll be literally falling apart in 2 or 3 years in most cases. The plastic isn't engineered to be UV-resistant because normal people don't put their colanders outside in the sun.... only bonsai nuts do that!

Save your money and get pond baskets or Anderson flats instead. Same underlying principle but they last a lot longer because they're made of UV-resistant plastic.

 

[Eckhoffw]

You could plant them in ground on a tile

 

[Pixar]

My experience with colanders has been that the plastic tends to get brittle and degrade quickly from UV exposure. They'll be literally falling apart in 2 or 3 years in most cases

I think I'll experiment with planting some in the colanders ( they only cheap ones ) and some in the ground . I just want to see how well the trunks get thicker and basically how I go about doing this in the future . I'm only a beginner . Had complete success with planting my Tamarind seeds ( planted 10 and got 10 to germinate ) so my green finger is working .

 

[Maiden69]

To get the most out of a colander or pond basket you need to water and fertilize more than in a pot. This was discussed by Jonas quite a few times in his blog. Colanders enhance the water to oxygen levels, but they dry out faster than pots. If you can not make the commitment to water the trees 2 or more times a day during the summer, I suggest you skip them, or plant in the ground or in an Anderson flat.

 

[Lorax7]

To get the most out of a colander or pond basket you need to water and fertilize more than in a pot. This was discussed by Jonas quite a few times in his blog. Colanders enhance the water to oxygen levels, but they dry out faster than pots. If you can not make the commitment to water the trees 2 or more times a day during the summer, I suggest you skip them, or plant in the ground or in an Anderson flat.

In your climate in Texas, sure, watering twice a day is going to be necessary in the heat of summer for most things. But, such a blanket statement is not universally valid. Here in Michigan, I do not need to water my pond baskets twice a day except during a very short time when the summer heat is at its peak, and on those days I’m watering everything twice a day even if it’s in a regular pot, not a pond basket. It also depends on what you’ve planted in it. For example, you’re never going to need to water a Jade tree twice a day, no matter what container it’s in. I wouldn’t water a Bougainvillea twice a day either, not even in a pond basket.

 

[Maiden69]

I did my comment based on the USDA zone he is located in. After looking at the actual weather, he may get away with once a day in the summer, although he is in a 10b zone, he doesn't get the high temps we get here in TX in an 8B. I wish they went away with the zoning and come up with a number/letter combination that covers high/low temps as well. He also stated the tree he is planting. a Delonix Regia, the Flamboyant flame tree needs a LOT of water, especially through the summer. So I guess by blanket statement was not such a blanket statement, since I was answering to his question directly, and not making a statement to be applied universally.

 

[Vance Wood]

Pot/colander/container size depends on the size of the tree. If you are growing out stock, a good rule of thumb is no more than 10.16cm of space from rootball to wall of container (i.e., the “4 inch rule”). Otherwise the substrate may stay too wet.
If you are ground growing, but using a container to restrict root size, then you’ll still want a size that lets the roots get to the wall and into open ground quickly.

That said, I don’t understand the benefit of using a colander in the ground, unless you just let some escape roots for the season while it sits in on tothe ground. The typical colander are cheap plastic and wouldn’t do much to constrict the roots. You might as well just plant them out. The benefit of colanders on the bench or atop the ground is the air-pruning impact on the roots which causes dense ramified root balls on trees that don’t respond well to massive root reductions to get it a bonsai pot (Japanese Black Pine).

Some US growers use root constriction bags in the ground to get a root mass closer, while taking advantage of the insulating and draining properties of the ground. I think the bags have tiny hairs inside that grab the roots to prevent circling and promote branching. But some roots eventually find their way out to the open ground. With any method of ground growing, you still need to create and maintain good nebari through regular pruning.

How often you lift the tree from the ground to prune and setup the nebari is a balance between slowing down the growth but developing good nebari.

You should not use a collander, pond basket, or one of my planters in the ground. Growing one of these things in the ground defeats the purpose of using them in the first place. The idea behind any of the screen sided devices is to air prune the roots, develop a massive fine root system that will allow a drastic pruning back to put the tree in a bonsai container. If you put it in the ground all you will have done is provide a prune back point which is of little benefit in the development of a bonsai. This method is not as effective as field growing but is two to three times more effective than putting the tree in a larger pot followed by havin to deal with the expanded root system.

 

[sorce]

How much roots to cut off Nursery stock when planting in ground on a tile?

Good day all, I just bought this Acer Ginnala that I plan on planting in my yard shortly, to develop. I'd like to plant it on a kitchen plate, to discourage lateral root growth and making it easier when digging it up. My question is, how much of the root ball can I safely remove?

www.bonsainut.com

Sorce

 

[Jiminsauga]

I’ve seen one Japanese grower use metal colanders for jbp. His only complaint was that if they were in direct sunlight the container got pretty warm and he didn’t see as vigorous growth compared to using plastic colanders of the same size.

It makes sense. Roots don’t like the heat.

 

[Pixar]

To get the most out of a colander or pond basket you need to water and fertilize more than in a pot. This was discussed by Jonas quite a few times in his blog. Colanders enhance the water to oxygen levels, but they dry out faster than pots. If you can not make the commitment to water the trees 2 or more times a day during the summer, I suggest you skip them, or plant in the ground or in an Anderson flat

I got a watering system up that covers the complete retaining wall so I can sort this out easily

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Initially the Japanese only recommended the use of colanders for pines, and really not for any other type of tree.

Later their use was expanded, but colanders are a bad idea for moisture loving trees. JBP and other pines, good. Maple, colanders often lead to excessively dry conditions which is bad for maple health.

Deciduous trees that like to dry out between watering, will appreciate a colander. Trees that must stay moist, will likely do poorly in a colander.

 

[Pixar]

Could I added outdoor grow lights to the system ( wiring them in outside ) to give the trees additional sunlight ? I was going to run a solar panel and battery setup to give 12 volt power outside ( no problem for me as I sell everything and I'm an electricain )

 

[Maiden69]

The additional benefit of colanders is air pruning, which gives you an abundance of feeder roots that are contained close to the tree. That helps you when it comes to move the tree into a bonsai pot, but most importantly, more feeder roots means the ability to absorb water and nutrients from the soil. This is why trees in colanders and root pouches grow "almost" as good as when they are in the ground, but with the big difference that you have to water and feed more to take advantage of this.

All the trees I have right now that I want to develop are in root pouches or colanders, except for this years cuttings and seedlings (other than my bald cypresses which I already moved one into a rootpouch).

Check the videos on Dr. Carl Whitcomb channel, I am not using his root maker pouches as I am using Rootpouch, but plan on this coming season, right now I am placing mine inside another pot with pumice or perlite between the pouch and the pot to prevent the walls from drying out too much. This would be a better option for your delonix. I have a luma apiculata in a colander, and I had to place it into a shallow tray with water as it was drying out faster than my other trees. I am either moving it into a bonsai pot this year and keep it a shohin, or move it into a pouch and keep developing it.

https://www.youtube.com/user/RootSystemDude/videos

 

[Jiminsauga]

Could I added outdoor grow lights to the system ( wiring them in outside ) to give the trees additional sunlight ? I was going to run a solar panel and battery setup to give 12 volt power outside ( no problem for me as I sell everything and I'm an electricain )

Only if your back yard is heavily shaded and didn't see even 5 hours of direct sunlight. But even in that situation as long as you have clear overhead sky your plants would do fine.

Your watering / soil would just need to be adjusted for the lack of heat from the sun that would help dry out your soil daily.

You could theoretically extend your growing days by having grow lights supplement light later in the evening. But that really depends on your situation. Just don't go overboard, trees also need a rest period.

 

[Vance Wood]

Initially the Japanese only recommended the use of colanders for pines, and really not for any other type of tree.

Later their use was expanded, but colanders are a bad idea for moisture loving trees. JBP and other pines, good. Maple, colanders often lead to excessively dry conditions which is bad for maple health.

Deciduous trees that like to dry out between watering, will appreciate a colander. Trees that must stay moist, will likely do poorly in a colander.

I have used my training planter for Japanese Maples.

 

[Pixar]

You could theoretically extend your growing days by having grow lights supplement light later in the evening. But that really depends on your situation. Just don't go overboard, trees also need a rest period.

Thanks very much

 

[Lorax7]

I have used my training planter for Japanese Maples.

I've got Japanese Maples in both pond baskets and these trays with no issues so far.