QuantumSparky
Shohin
Some of you must have some silly or crazy stories related to your bonsai journeys! I'll share first, maybe with photos to come.
I recently built a propagation box after watching Mike Kincead's video. I originally had it placed in direct sun with a shade cloth draped over it (dumb me) and cooked my cuttings. After that fiasco, I moved the box under a large tree to receive dappled shade. It has no bottom, for drainage purposes, and is filled with 1:1 peat and perlite.
Last week I noticed a cicada shell in the box. Not too weird, I had left the glass top cracked to give the cuttings an "air out" day. The following week when I went to water, I realized what I should have put together at first...
Cicadas spend quite a lot of time underground before awakening and digging their way to the surface. Apparently when I had placed my propagation box on the mulched ground under that tree, I had positioned it directly over top of at least 5 cicadas who happened to have dug themselves down into the earth however many years ago.
I went to water my cuttings and to my surprise, I found those 5 cicadas relaxing in my frame. Lucky for them, I happened to check the box before the sun cooked them over the course of a few days. I plucked them out, placed them on the ground and hosed a small puddle onto the ground. They drank up, gained strength, and flew away after a few minutes.
Definitely my weirdest experience since I started the hobby. Now what's yours?
I recently built a propagation box after watching Mike Kincead's video. I originally had it placed in direct sun with a shade cloth draped over it (dumb me) and cooked my cuttings. After that fiasco, I moved the box under a large tree to receive dappled shade. It has no bottom, for drainage purposes, and is filled with 1:1 peat and perlite.
Last week I noticed a cicada shell in the box. Not too weird, I had left the glass top cracked to give the cuttings an "air out" day. The following week when I went to water, I realized what I should have put together at first...
Cicadas spend quite a lot of time underground before awakening and digging their way to the surface. Apparently when I had placed my propagation box on the mulched ground under that tree, I had positioned it directly over top of at least 5 cicadas who happened to have dug themselves down into the earth however many years ago.
I went to water my cuttings and to my surprise, I found those 5 cicadas relaxing in my frame. Lucky for them, I happened to check the box before the sun cooked them over the course of a few days. I plucked them out, placed them on the ground and hosed a small puddle onto the ground. They drank up, gained strength, and flew away after a few minutes.
Definitely my weirdest experience since I started the hobby. Now what's yours?
