Does Bonsai also interest you in weather?

[TheDarkHorseOne]

I've been an inherent weather buff since I was young, but when dealing with trees or plants, it becomes a bit more pertinent. Given my buff-ness, if you will, on the subject, I've decided to buy a weather station. Specifically, a Davis Vantage Vue.

Now, I'm not affiliated with this site, nor have I even purchased from them yet, but I will be next week. They have the best price on this little beauty that I've seen on the 'net.

http://www.scientificsales.com/Davis-6250-Vantage-Vue-Wireless-Weather-Station-p/6250.htm

Check it out and see the information it'll give you. I believe they have some add-ons that will accommodate soil moisture and UV and a few other interesting things. The info it gives, I think, would help anyone with an interest in gardening, bonsai, etc. Frost dates. Warning about certain anomalies. Rain. Wind. Barometer. Trends. All sorts of graphing. You can even get the 'ware that will allow you to broadcast your site's weather to the 'net. Just a pretty cool device I'm planning on buying next week and thought I'd share with you folks.

Here's a quick vid that shows the device and it's monitor...

[video=youtube;xZ-bQrwnzUc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZ-bQrwnzUc[/video]

 

[Dav4]

I did get a weather station as a bonsai accessary. I use it mainly to evaluate temps and trends, particularly during spring and fall when the trees were prepped to go into winter storage or had been just removed from winter storage, when they were at their most susceptible to freeze damage. Now that I'm in GA, I seem to focus more on the dew point and relative humidity readings. I don't think the plants care about dew points but I do...I need to know how many t-shirts I'll sweat through while doing my yard work

 

[Attila Soos]

Very interesting.
I never knew about such a product, at this affordable price. If I did not live in So. California, I would buy it in a heartbeat. Here we don't really need it, since the weather is so mild and friendly throughout the year. But I may still buy it just out of sheer curiosity, to play around with all the great info that you can get from it.

 

[berobinson82]

Y'all, just so you know, not all Virginians say y'all that much y'all.

 

[rockm]

What'r y'all talking about?

FWIW, I just look outside for the weather, along with watching the local forecasts.

I wouldn't know what to make of equipment like this. My guess is that it might put me into a hypervigilant state and make me run around doing more than necessary.

I used to follow every word of weather forecasts when I started bonsai. I even rushed home to get trees under mulch when the first frost hit. I nearly got a hernia moving trees that didn't need to be moved. I don't do that any more...just get the trees under cover come Thanksgiving and then do the bonsai two step in the spring when frostsand freezes are around.

I don't worry about weather much from May through November...unless hail is forecast. The local weather guys have equipment that can pinpoint that kind of stuff to within a few hundred yards...

 

[Smoke]

I find the yearly Farmers Almanac to be the most reliable weather tool there is.

You could plant vegatables by that thing!

 

[Paradox]

I find the yearly Farmers Almanac to be the most reliable weather tool there is.

You could plant vegatables by that thing!

Some "professional type" people actually do just that!

I'm a boater and my work requires me to spend many days out in the environment so weather has always been something I watch closely. Its consideration for my trees was a no brainer. We've had one of those weather stations for years and they are useful.

I do however watch the seasonal temperature changes more than I used to and things like frost/freeze warnings. I've bought some min/max thermometers that I have placed in the area my trees are and check them daily. I also monitor the rainfall amounts in my area for one of the other offices at work and have a very accurate rain guage in the yard. The added benefit is that I know exactly what the rain amounts are for my trees.