What to plant these on

paddles

Yamadori
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I have limited money, and would love to do a forest, I have a couple of large dishes, but am wary of actualy planting on them, because of the heat here, I like to have larger , deeper dishes that hold a bit of moisture, but I must admit that I've seen some very striking mountain scenes etc using bark or slate etc, but my query is whats the best for a beginner to learn on, and how is it best to water some of these things that are so shallow?
 

Bonsai Nut

Nuttier than your average Nut
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Maybe go to a local pottery place and make a couple of your own? Forest slabs are not that hard to make and are one of the few bonsai "pots" that you can make on your own without extensive training/experience.
 

darrellw

Mame
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Another, though short-term idea, would be a slab of wood. Of course, it will rot away in a few years, but if you are in a hot/dry area, it could help to moderate that.
 

paddles

Yamadori
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I've seen some nice ones on wood, I thought of trying to get a slab of redgum it would take a long time to start to rot, still worried about the watering issue tho, I tend to need to dip my pots in water at least once a week to keep them moist, and spray at least daily, sometimes 2-3 times a day.
 

rlist

Shohin
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I've seen some nice ones on wood, I thought of trying to get a slab of redgum it would take a long time to start to rot, still worried about the watering issue tho, I tend to need to dip my pots in water at least once a week to keep them moist, and spray at least daily, sometimes 2-3 times a day.

Just a guess, but I think you are using a commercial potting soil that dries to an impenitrable mass, and that is why you need to soak them?

Look up Free Draining Soil Mixture and depending on where you live and available materials, get your trees into this mix - it will be all the difference in the world.

Where I live, pumice, lava and akadama works great...
 

paddles

Yamadori
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No, just very hot and dry. Big fires over here at the moment. The dipping is just to ensure that everything gets a good drink, I use various mediums to pot into, however one of my biggest problems is supply, as in impossible to buy localy, and Hubby dislikes me buying over the net, we've gotten ripped off a couple of times. (Not to mention the cost of postage on 40kgs of dirt;) )
 

paddles

Yamadori
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Well things continue, I'm getting a large slab of bluestone to plant my forest on, I've got several choices as to what tree to use, silver birch, ceder, or maples, haven't decided which yet, I've got a couple of months to think yet, I'll do it in August.


I'm setting up an overhead automated misting system, to try to combat the dry heat around here.
 

bonsainotwar

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Forget that.How did you get your kitty to pose with a bonsai,without them eating it ? Enquiring minds need to know !
 

paddles

Yamadori
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I spray the bonsais with a mix of garlic water and paprika. only have to do it a couple of times, the cats got the idea after that. (Dog loves the stuff tho.)
 

bretts

Shohin
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Hi paddles any dog recipies?
 
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Colin Lewis has a book out called The Art of Bonsai Design in which is a step by step tutorial on making slabs using quick drying cement. I personally prefer the cement over the hypertufa because it can be thinner and in my opinion, looks far more natural.

The slabs are actual easy to make, takes little material, and really needs no special tools, other than some snips, a small trowel, and a area to make it in. Doing it yourself will allow you to make the exact size you need and add as much depth as you want.



Will
 

paddles

Yamadori
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I've used straight chilli powder to deter dogs, not on plants tho. works on washing and power cords
should work. would use carefully first in case it caused leaf burn? spray plant with water, then sprinkle chilli powder over the plant. thing is the dog sniffs first, gets a snout full of chilli dust, yelps etc.
 

Taylor Brown

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Ms.Paddles, I have been doing bonsai for about 4 years now and I have done a cotoneaster slab planting on a fairly thick piece of granite. My dad helped me out and it turned out pretty well. If you do decide to do a slab using a piece of granite you should use muck to hold the soil in place(muck is just clay). On my cotoneaster I also used moss to hold the soil in place and make it more sturdy.
 
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