My First Monster and Meeting Mach5

MACH5

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We had my multi award winning Imperial Stout to cap off the day! I am the exact same way, I like balance in my beer. If a beer is bitter and hoppy, it has to have malt backbone to support it. That IS is just as bitter as an IPA, but the malt sweetness and water chemistry balances the astringency.


I don't always drink beer, but when I do I drink Sal's brew. Bonsai on my friends.


I really should trademark that phrase. Oh wait....
 

LanceMac10

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Straight pumice? Do you have an auto-water set-up? With a full head of salad, lot's of water will be needed.

Hopefully no glitches with power if your using climate controlled storage. Temps are going south again next week.:mad:

I would imagine you discussed these sorts of things and came to a consensuses.:cool:

Good luck with you maple!:)
 

Tidal Bonsai

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Straight pumice? Do you have an auto-water set-up? With a full head of salad, lot's of water will be needed.

Hopefully no glitches with power if your using climate controlled storage. Temps are going south again next week.:mad:

I would imagine you discussed these sorts of things and came to a consensuses.:cool:

Good luck with you maple!:)

It’s dormant now, so large amounts of water are not needed yet. Also, the Doug Fir boards I made the sides of are about 9 inches tall, leaving a large soil column. The spagnum moss on the surface also helps to retain some moisture. I teach for a living, so I am around more than most for watering.

The heating hasn’t cut out in the past three years, so fingers crossed ?
 

MACH5

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It’s dormant now, so large amounts of water are not needed yet. Also, the Doug Fir boards I made the sides of are about 9 inches tall, leaving a large soil column. The spagnum moss on the surface also helps to retain some moisture. I teach for a living, so I am around more than most for watering.

The heating hasn’t cut out in the past three years, so fingers crossed ?


Yes the sphagnum moss should keep the soil nice and evenly damp. Straight pumice on my hornbeam and only watered it once a day. Sometimes it would go longer without it.
 

pweifan

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Yes the sphagnum moss should keep the soil nice and evenly damp. Straight pumice on my hornbeam and only watered it once a day. Sometimes it would go longer without it.

I've never used a top dressing of sphagnum before, but that speaks volumes on how much water it helps retain. Thanks for sharing!
 

LanceMac10

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Yes, it not only helps with soil moisture but also does promote root growth and development.




This was why I had sensations regarding the straight pumice application in tandem with a sphagnum dressing. I've found the sphagnum to be too accommodating to surface root growth.
Then the sphagnum becomes more attractive than the pumice. Then the moss dries quicker and becomes almost water resistant. In my observations, only.

Just trying to get a conversation started to help everybody...:D:D:D:D:D:D:D
 

MACH5

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This was why I had sensations regarding the straight pumice application in tandem with a sphagnum dressing. I've found the sphagnum to be too accommodating to surface root growth.
Then the sphagnum becomes more attractive than the pumice. Then the moss dries quicker and becomes almost water resistant. In my observations, only.

Just trying to get a conversation started to help everybody...:D:D:D:D:D:D:D


How thick is your sphagnum layer? The one I lay is rather thin just enough to keep in the moisture and the soil surface shaded. So I do not get many roots on the sphagnum layer itself. Also I always try and keep my sphagnum from completely drying up.
 

Tidal Bonsai

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I've never used a top dressing of sphagnum before, but that speaks volumes on how much water it helps retain. Thanks for sharing!

Last year I started using top dressing after watching Mirai streams where they recommended it. I have noticed a lot of benefits to a thin spagnum layer on the top of the soil. It helps to retain/regulate water, as well as keeping surface roots healthy and not drying out in the hot sun.

You get all of the oxygenation benefits of pumice without the downside of it completely drying out frequently.
 

Strongbox18

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What temperature do you try to keep your shed at if you don’t mind me asking? I have a few maples I recently collected that I had on the concrete floor in my garage, however I moved them onto some wooden boards to get them directly off the cold floor as they are starting to push buds already
 
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Tidal Bonsai

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What temperature do you try to keep your shed at if you don’t mind me asking? I have a few maples I recently collected that I had on the concrete floor in my garage, however I moved them onto some wooden boards to get them directly off the cold floor as they are starting to push buds already

I have a small shed that is not insulated with a small heater I set to 40 F. There is ventilation on the ceiling, so it doesn’t quite get that high in the dead of winter. It probably is somewhere around 34 F.

Right now I have some tiny buds pushing on the tips of my Korean Hormbeams, but everything else is still dormant.
 

Strongbox18

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I have a small shed that is not insulated with a small heater I set to 40 F. There is ventilation on the ceiling, so it doesn’t quite get that high in the dead of winter. It probably is somewhere around 34 F.

Right now I have some tiny buds pushing on the tips of my Korean Hormbeams, but everything else is still dormant.
Awesome thanks for the reply, definitely sounds like everyones maples are budding out early this year here in California, my garage has been staying around 48 at night and up to 57 during the day, so definitely warmer then yours. It’s my first time collecting field grown maples so I’m a little nervous and anxious to see some new growth
 

Tidal Bonsai

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Even after the rootball was “worked” with a hack saw, pick axe, sawsall, and metal stakes a month ago, it didn’t skip a beat! Buds are poppin’ and I am stoked to get this baby growing vigorously! Thanks for the help @MACH5!!!
 

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