Strainers:

[agraham]

Going strictly from the pictures I would have guessed the gravel to be closer to 1/4" in size.It's difficult to know though without a better idea of the scale.Any info on the particle size John?

andy

 

[Graydon]

Thanks for that post John. I remember you making one similar over at bonsaiTalk a year or so ago but never took the time to search for it again. Interesting stuff for sure, at least for me. Thanks for posting. If you have more photos I would be thrilled to see them.

I did some research on Shizuoka and the do seem to have a true winter but it is mild with almost no snowfall. The summers do appear to belong, hot and humid. The amazing part to me was the 83" of rainfall annually and the almost lack of elevation at 100'. That is a lot of rain as the average for my area is a little over 50" annually with an elevation of 141'.

I think I will be patient and let my pines in colanders grow. One more year and it's time to nest them.

 

[John Romano]

yes, scale can be deceiving, Graydon - the river sand is about 1/8" size - the trees are relatively small. I would compare it to the size of Growers Grit crushed granite. The use of this river sand exclusively in the first two colander stages is not used in the 3rd developmental stage where branch ramification is achieved. This is when an akadama based mix is used (with some other ingredients) with the tree in a bonsai pot or shallow training pot.
John

 

[Chris Johnston]

John, thank you for the post and photos. As I was trying to say but apparently was unable to communicate clearly, colanders and this size pond basket are best for shohin trees or slightly larger. That's not to say that screen-sided planters can't be advantageous for much larger trees, just that the size of the container determines its usefulness.

Would you agree or am I completely in bizarro world?

 

[Anonymous User]

As I was trying to say but apparently was unable to communicate clearly, colanders and this size pond basket are best for shohin trees or slightly larger.

Thank you for letting us know what you meant to say, this is a far better statement than what you actually said.

It goes without saying that a pot that is 3" is suitable for small trees, a pot that is 12" is suitable for medium trees, and so on......

Screen sided planters however, are suitable and beneficial for all sizes of bonsai, a person is not limited by the size of the tree at all, only by the size of the container, which truthfully, considering that screen sided planters come in all shapes and sizes and can be custom made, presents no limitation at all.

I'm glad that is cleared up,



Will

 

[John Romano]

Would you agree or am I completely in bizarro world?

Chris, sometimes I feel like I am in the bizarro world also
Although I don't have any personal experience with using screen sided containers for large trees - it sounds quite logical that they would work - I do agree with what you say ..... though in our bizarro world, that may not matter !!

“I mean—hell, I been surprised how sane you guys all are. As near as I can tell you’re not any crazier than the average asshole on the street—” McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest

John

 

[Chris Johnston]

Thank you for letting us know what you meant to say, this is a far better statement than what you actually said.

It goes without saying that a pot that is 3" is suitable for small trees, a pot that is 12" is suitable for medium trees, and so on......

Screen sided planters however, are suitable and beneficial for all sizes of bonsai, a person is not limited by the size of the tree at all, only by the size of the container, which truthfully, considering that screen sided planters come in all shapes and sizes and can be custom made, presents no limitation at all.

I'm glad that is cleared up,
Will

Yeah, thanks for being so big about it.

 

[Anonymous User]

Yeah, thanks for being so big about it.

Thanks for noticing.



Will

 

[No it's not...]

Now kiss and make up!

 

[FOX7591]

I know perhaps you are trying to bring this thread back on track, but have you taken the time to read anything that was mentioned/written here

i have taken the time, its hard to follow when every1 was snappin at each other and when the topic gets really sciency

 

[Bunjinent]

Wow! The Strainers thread gets beat to death on this site, too...LOL

 

[Vance Wood]

Any discussions of subjects that are controversial, cutting edge, technical or down in the dirt, bring out the knowledgeable, the ignorant, the arrogant, those who think they know every thing, those who know nothing and those who don't know the difference. Put all this together and add those who just like to stir up the pot of turmoil you get some good information, some bad information, some intelligent discussion and a lot of crap. Unfortunately it is up to the reader to decide which information is worth assimilating and which information is just plain old Ca ca de jour.

 

[Chris Johnston]

It also tends to bring out the nasty in those who claim they know all there is to know about a subject, rendering any other opinions automatically "bickering."

 

[milehigh_7]

Well there is no danger of me knowing "all there is to know" on any subject. Vance, I am sending you a PM on this topic I have a question and I am not sure of how to properly ask it in a public venue.

At this juncture of a very lengthy discussion I would like to thank all of you who know way more than I ever will for posting in public what you know. I read and learn from all of it. Even the "bickering" is sometimes useful. In regard to the various schools of thought on such topics, a wise man once told me, "Eat the fish and spit out the bones son."

 

[Anonymous User]

It also tends to bring out the nasty in those who claim they know all there is to know about a subject, rendering any other opinions automatically "bickering."

Could you show us one single instance where a person "claimed to know all there is about a subject," just one?




Will