Gary,
There are no crazy ideas. I tell myself that all the time - and you'd
think I'd listen to myself but no, that would just be too much to ask.
So ultimately I agree with you but not with myself. 8^P
I think the weight of the tree is as good an objective indicator of
water depletion as you're going to get. Your methodology, however,
sounds a little over simplified. You will, at least, have to
periodically recalibrate - but that should be simple enough by keeping
track of the saturated weight and developing an algorithm to adjust your
watering target weight.
Now, if you were to use load cells or piezoelectric sensors under each
pot feeding data to a central controller which could actuate individual
solenoid valves for each tree... throw in light and thermal sensors...
write some monitoring software to tie it all together and allow
independent plant programmability (and don't forget to include alarms to
indicate broken valves, plugged emitters, and broken sensors)... then,
when you collect enough data, you can preprogram for new trees based on
the size and species and an arbitrary health index...
And after everything is working perfectly Murphy's law will still wind
up killing your favorite tree because you overlooked some variable and
depended too heavily on the technological fix. The human brain is still
the best water controller available.
I hope you will keep good records and let us know the results.
-Don
-----Original Message-----
From: Internet Bonsai Club
] On Behalf Of Gary Huff
Sent: Tuesday, May 24, 2005 4:26 PM
To:
Subject: [IBC] Bonsai Watering-A Crazy Idea
I enjoy the traditions of bonsai as well as the next guy, but
I am experimenting with using the weight of a bonsai to
determine when to water them by incorporating a little
technology. I'm rather new to bonsai and I am trying the
skewer method of determining when to water my plants, but
sometimes I'm having trouble figuring out exactly when to
water from moisture, or lack of it, on a skewer stick. Bonsai
experts kept saying you can determine when to water also by
the weight of the plant, so I just started to use a digital
postage scale, which shows lbs/oz or kg/g, to help me to know
when to water my bonsai. Of course this only works with
smaller plants and if you don't have many to deal with. What
I'm starting to do is when I repot I weigh the bonsai before
any water is introduced and then again after it's totally
saturated. This gives me two numbers and then I try to figure
out at what point between these two weights do I need to
water again. From what I have read it seems to be, as a
general rule, average plants at about 50% or so moisture
content of soil; please correct me if I'm wrong. This would
change with each bonsai and that I am trying to determine
now. Obviously watching my plants will help me to determine
at what point to water. Has anyone experimented with this
sort of crazy idea and does anyone have any insight into what
a general rewatering point would be for some common bonsai,
say a Juniper, Chinese Elm or any others? If you think this
is a crazy idea let me know, but I'm thinking it would be one
way for someone new to this hobby, like myself, and someone
who doesn't mind using a little technology with an old
artform, to figure out when to water with a little more
certainty, and hopefully keep a few more bonsai alive and
well. Oh yes, try not to laugh too much at this idea.
Gary Huff
Virginia
Zone 7a
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