New Pines on the way.

Klytus

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Singing Pines Tyneside-England
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Bought unseen and all the more exciting for it.

A Yunnan,a Yellow Mountain and a Thunderhead.

Will it be horror or happiness,i'll have to wait and see.
 

Klytus

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Still waiting,2-3 week delay whilst stock is replenished.

In the meantime i fabricate a box,i wanted something more exotic than a pine casket and it had to be untreated so i opted for the local trade and retail stores contemporary hemlock spindles.

These are simply square section planed hemlock slightly chamfered on the edges and sold for fixing to your bannisters.

My new Mitre saw needed bending into shape as i wanted a straight 90 degree cut an not some sort of weird Chinese slanting cut.

Today i actually did bend the handle of a Chinese hammer but not whilst working on my grow box.

Interesting times indeed.

I also used the Golden Ratio in determining dimensions,well nearly.
 

pwk5017

Shohin
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why the golden ratio? Ive read nurmerous studies on its "effects". Are you hoping for a supernatural affect on your growth or is this a rule for rectangular pots? Kind of interested cause i am laser cutting pottery molds as we speak and i did NOT us the golden ratio for my rectangles....ill have to break out my nautilus shell next time ; )
 

Klytus

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I used the Golden Ratio to prevent the box from looking utterly wrong,but still it could have been a tad wider or perhaps not as long.

The design started off 8 sided,then 12,then back to four with the spindles offset to produce stepped curves,then alternating before becoming regularly box shaped with an small inset plinth.

It will reside in the front garden and be visible and accessible from the foot path and the road so it needed to be cumbersome enough to deter the Didicoys and unobtrusive enough to not register on the radar of the Oiks.
 
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FrankP999

Shohin
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Still waiting,2-3 week delay whilst stock is replenished.

In the meantime i fabricate a box,i wanted something more exotic than a pine casket and it had to be untreated so i opted for the local trade and retail stores contemporary hemlock spindles.

These are simply square section planed hemlock slightly chamfered on the edges and sold for fixing to your bannisters.

My new Mitre saw needed bending into shape as i wanted a straight 90 degree cut an not some sort of weird Chinese slanting cut.

Today i actually did bend the handle of a Chinese hammer but not whilst working on my grow box.

Interesting times indeed.

I also used the Golden Ratio in determining dimensions,well nearly.
How about a photo of your "golden mean box" :)

Frank
 

Klytus

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Singing Pines Tyneside-England
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Ha,the Necromancer is back at work as my Pines finally arrived last wednesday

And so long overdue update that i would like to share.



Here you can see my growing box complete with a struggling Ginkgo Tremonia,a Hinoki 'Nana Gracilis',a grafted Jap black pine 'Thunderhead',a presumably grafted Pinus Sylvestris Watereri,and lastly a tall but sadly grafted Hwangshan Pine.
 

Bill S

Masterpiece
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Klytus, how long do you expect them to be growing together in that box?

It might look good sitting at your doorway, but I'm thinking you made some possible trouble for your self. Although your mix looks very porous, it seems a bit deep, this could cause some drying out issues, as in not drying down enough. As well the roots will grow tangled together causing removal issues, how does the ginko compare to the pines for soil/water needs, I don't know much about ginkos.

Nice box though, it brings to mind some possibilities.
 

rockm

Spuds Moyogi
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What Bill said. Too many trees. You're headed for trouble--could take a couple of years, but believe me, these plants are doomed if you leave them all together.

Can't really tell, but Bill is also probably right about the soil too...
 

Klytus

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The soil you can see is 100 percent lava lumps,about an inch and a half deep.

The soil you cannot see is a magnificent blend of Kanuma,Sophiticat Pink,Orchid bark,Orchid Compost,Cactus Compost,Charcoal and slow release fertilizer pellets of about 6 inches.

The final inch is a lava lump drainage layer.

The plinth raises the growing area four inches,this is so the open door rests against the box rather than sweeping into the plants.

The Ginkgo roots are surrounded by a potting mesh strip of 6 inches by about a yard,joined into a hoop with wire.

In this fashion the Ginkgo is contained and ready for easy root ball removal,it also means i could use a slightly more moisture retentive mix in this area.

I had planned to encapsulate discrete growing areas for all the plants by this method but the inclement weather put a stop to it.

I also forgot to add me packet of fungus...

I will lift these from time to time for root pruning and incorporation of new soil.

There is also a prevailing wind,from right to left,i use the Scots Pine as a windbreak for the Hwangshan.
 
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Sorry, that is not a growing box, it is a planter. I keep roses in mine...


Will
 

Klytus

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My next step is going to be perusing pond baskets,hopefully find some with holes in the floor as well as the sides.

Or simply cut out the floor and use them as discrete growing areas for the individual rootballs.

Did i mention there is also a drip when it rains from the bay window roof one floor above?

I could have a lovely grape vine but decided to try my luck with Conifers as they get full sun from 11am till dusk and that ever present wind.

The Chupetinho pepper in the background developed a 45 degree slant because of it.
 
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