StoneCloud
Omono
Yessir!
Unprepared Tragedy
- Thread starter Johnathan
- Start date
M. Frary
Bonsai Godzilla
I got mine out of a pile sitting around at the mother in laws.
Not sure what it was originally used for.
Barn wood would be fine.
I'll probably never put my trees on anything else either.
I'm cheap.
And every couple of weeks it's easy to move so I can mow under it.
The grass and weeds love the miracle grow and water that runs out of my trees.
I don't care what my benches look like either.
Obviously.
Bonsai Nut
Nuttier than your average Nut
If you want to do a good job, just remove a few inches of soil (max 3") put down weed barrier cloth, put up your shelves (blocks directly on the weed cloth) and then shovel in your gravel when you are done. It doesn't have to be a lot of gravel - it is there just to look nice and prevent mud and weeds, as well as protect the weed cloth from you tearing it up when you walk on it. I have been to many nurseries who put down weed cloth, stack their shelves, and never do anything else. Do NOT dig a deep foundation so that the base of your shelves is below grade, because then you will be creating a mud hole. You will be watering your trees a lot, so you want your gravel to be at grade if not slightly above grade so that water will run off.
GrimLore
Bonsai Nut alumnus... we miss you
Take a look at post #16 in this thread https://bonsainut.com/threads/new-bench.25961/#post-416372 I consider reclaimed lumber the best but that is a personal choice...
Grimmy
michaelj
Chumono
That triple level bench you posted is the one I made. It was cheap. Maybe $40-45 for the planks, $12 for the blocks. Took minutes to put together. It holds a lot of trees, and it's showing no sign of falling apart after a couple of years. I've had untreated wood last well over a decade like this. It's not warping; I use common sense and put the heaviest stuff near the blocks. It would probably be warping if my collected junipers in the party tubs were weighing down the middle.
If you want treated wood, it's not much more. A suppier near me sells them in 2x8x16 for $19. You just cut them in half and one board will get you a two-plank 8-foot bench.
If you want treated wood, it's not much more. A suppier near me sells them in 2x8x16 for $19. You just cut them in half and one board will get you a two-plank 8-foot bench.
Johnathan
Omono
I know this may be an EXTRA newb question, but I'm not afaid to ask it... what do you mean by "grave at grade"... like gravel at surface level of surrounding ground?
This is a beautiful looking piece of lumber. This barn wood looked nothing like that and they wanted like $2 a foot for it, none of it looked uniform at all. I am more curious about the substrate you have there. Is that just mulch?
I'm leaning more towards a mulch over gravel just from an expense stand point.
Johnathan
Omono
Such an awesome setup. Thank you for posting this! I'm not trying to break the bank on this one. Maybe once I'm established long term. ... I didn't even think about local lumber yards just box stores. I cannot do this triple bench because my dog would surely mark all over that lower bench, while that would mean more trees, the woman nor the dog would be happy lol
Johnathan
Omono
Went with cheap mulch instead of gravel. Went with untreated wood instead of treated. I think I saved about $20 by doing that.
I went that route because I intend to do something higher quality more durable and personable in a year or so.
I don't expect there to be much more rainy days, and if winter is the same as last shouldn't be much snow or ice either.
Its far from perfect, but once I add some bungee cords it'll definitely be functional!
Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who has helped out!! Enjoy these pics while I go work on the 4 ft shade bench on the other side of the house!
I went that route because I intend to do something higher quality more durable and personable in a year or so.
I don't expect there to be much more rainy days, and if winter is the same as last shouldn't be much snow or ice either.
Its far from perfect, but once I add some bungee cords it'll definitely be functional!
Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who has helped out!! Enjoy these pics while I go work on the 4 ft shade bench on the other side of the house!
Attachments
Johnathan
Omono
LanceMac10
Imperial Masterpiece
Personally, I regard Dawn Redwoods as a "shade tree".....particularly in your climate.
I actually have one, and have had a few.......leaves are kinda' delicate, and they like roots to be cool. In my experience!
Bonsai Nut
Nuttier than your average Nut
Looks great! Now just space the boards about an inch apart to let the water through. I also space them apart because it gives me a little more room for trees
GrimLore
Bonsai Nut alumnus... we miss you
In my avatar is a large space that took 5 1/2 TON of crushed stone and a lot of other work to complete. A one time forever deal in a large space. We downsized a LOT and in the tiny space I now have triple ground mulch works just fine for me. It is a lot less work and pre preperation.
Grimmy
Johnathan
Omono
Personally, I regard Dawn Redwoods as a "shade tree".....particularly in your climate.
I actually have one, and have had a few.......leaves are kinda' delicate, and they like roots to be cool. In my experience!
View attachment 149653 View attachment 149654 View attachment 149655
You have such nice trees! Yes it will definitely go to the shade bench. I moved it to an overly shaded area ( gets afternoon/ evening sun from like 3-6) and is has suffered even more. I think this spot will do it wonders!
Looks great! Now just space the boards about an inch apart to let the water through. I also space them apart because it gives me a little more room for trees
It's crazy how much space I have now utilizing pretty much the same space. I will have even more once I get everything into pool baskets! Gonna have to talk with @tstrum about a collecting trip this fall for sure!
Can you post that avatar pic. For some reason I can't enlarge it from my phone. I couldn't even imagine 5 1/2 tons of stone. Once we buy our house I'd love to get a concrete slab poured....... but I can't help but wonder, with the mulch retaining water for a little while, isn't that good for humidity purposes? Or not that big of a deal???
herzausstahl
Chumono
It's funny, I'm redoing mine. Thanks @Bonsai Nut for the recommendation of only 2 shelves as I would've done 3. Now I just need to get the 8x8 blocks to stabilize it proper. Just gonna mulch mine in case I decide to repurpose the area in the future. Only small stone is around my ponds (great filler for natural look in between large rocks). @Bonsai Nut do you see any issues with prebonsai on the ground? If so I might just go with 3 shelves to maximize the space & muscle the back row ones over (I could benefit from the work out anyway).
Only pic from my phone. Area covered in shredded cedar mulch I was lucky to find at one of the yard waste sites in town. Like @M. Frary im cheap on some things too plus I enjoy a more rustic look than clean lines, just my gardening style. Also benefit of managing my parents restaurant, almost limitless supply of 5 gallon pickle buckets. Probably have 40-50 around my yard right now. Actually easier when removing dirt from the yard to haul to the yard waste site. Can fit 22 or so in the bed of my truck & unload in 5-10 min verses shoveling it out of the bed of my truck.
And @Johnathan glad to see you've learned "happy wife happy life" lol ignore it at your own peril or if your bored & want to spice things up. Nice benches!
Only pic from my phone. Area covered in shredded cedar mulch I was lucky to find at one of the yard waste sites in town. Like @M. Frary im cheap on some things too plus I enjoy a more rustic look than clean lines, just my gardening style. Also benefit of managing my parents restaurant, almost limitless supply of 5 gallon pickle buckets. Probably have 40-50 around my yard right now. Actually easier when removing dirt from the yard to haul to the yard waste site. Can fit 22 or so in the bed of my truck & unload in 5-10 min verses shoveling it out of the bed of my truck.
And @Johnathan glad to see you've learned "happy wife happy life" lol ignore it at your own peril or if your bored & want to spice things up. Nice benches!
Bonsai Nut
Nuttier than your average Nut
I probably should have said "only two shelves if you are going to use double 2 x 8 boards". If you wanted to adjust the design so you only used one 2 x 8 per level (for example for shohin) three shelves would be fine. Think about it this way - two shelves at 2 x 8 plus an inch gap between the boards means you have to lean over 34" of shelving to reach a third shelf stacked above. I have these shelving units (with two shelves) up against a masonry wall, and I have other large trees on the top of the wall. If I could not walk around the back of the wall to access those top trees, it would be extremely difficult to do so from the front. Not only do you have to reach over 34" of shelves, but you have to be able to lift your trees out without snagging them on trees beneath them. It's a tight fit
herzausstahl
Chumono
Would you worry about prebonsai on the ground for infection?I probably should have said "only two shelves if you are going to use double 2 x 8 boards". If you wanted to adjust the design so you only used one 2 x 8 per level (for example for shohin) three shelves would be fine. Think about it this way - two shelves at 2 x 8 plus an inch gap between the boards means you have to lean over 34" of shelving to reach a third shelf stacked above. I have these shelving units (with two shelves) up against a masonry wall, and I have other large trees on the top of the wall. If I could not walk around the back of the wall to access those top trees, it would be extremely difficult to do so from the front. Not only do you have to reach over 34" of shelves, but you have to be able to lift your trees out without snagging them on trees beneath them. It's a tight fit
Bonsai Nut
Nuttier than your average Nut
Sorry I didn't see this question earlier. Yes by "at grade" I meant "at the level of the surrounding ground or higher".
Bonsai Nut
Nuttier than your average Nut
I prefer my trees sitting out of the dirt. I have a lot of pre-bonsai in Anderson flats and pond baskets, and most of them sit in a paved area or on hardscape or on shelves. If I have to sit a pre-bonsai in dirt, I typically set it up on bricks or pavers.
Other than aesthetics (and keeping things a little less dirty) I think it improves drainage. As far as infection goes (I assume you mean fungal infection?) I can't prove there is really any benefit - after all trees live in the dirt naturally
However perhaps by keeping things a little cleaner and less damp it might help. I have no proof that it does however.
