[IBC] hydroponics?
 

Has anyone tried hydroponic techniques with bonsai? I've been
looking at simple things like capillary mats recently, but it might
be interesting to take this further.

Successes? Failures? Thoughts?

--
Lee.

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What exactly are you wanting to do with hydroponics? Obviously it's
not a great technique for keeping plants in attractive bonsai pots. It
can be a good way to start new plants.

On Thursday 05 May 2005 18:00, Scooter the Mighty wrote:
What exactly are you wanting to do with hydroponics? Obviously it's
not a great technique for keeping plants in attractive bonsai pots. It
can be a good way to start new plants.

Yes, starting new plants is part of it. Giving the the adult bonsai
optimal growing conditions is part of it too though, if that can be
done without making them outgrow the usual bonsai sizes.

But I don't see any reason why it has to be unattractive. I saw a
water-feature bonsai, for instance, with the bonsai on a rock above
a pool, also within a rock, and the bonsai supplied with water from
the pool via a hidden wick. I'm sure there are similar things that
could be done to make it look nice. For now, I'm just wondering
what technologies will work well, and then I'll worry about making
it look good later :)

Are you saying that you've had some experience with starting bonsai
via hydroponics? I'd like to hear the methods used, if so.

--
Lee.

************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Sue Crabtree++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

Lee Braiden wrote:
On Thursday 05 May 2005 18:00, Scooter the Mighty wrote:
What exactly are you wanting to do with hydroponics? Obviously
it's
not a great technique for keeping plants in attractive bonsai pots.
It
can be a good way to start new plants.

Yes, starting new plants is part of it. Giving the the adult bonsai
optimal growing conditions is part of it too though, if that can be
done without making them outgrow the usual bonsai sizes.

But I don't see any reason why it has to be unattractive. I saw a
water-feature bonsai, for instance, with the bonsai on a rock above
a pool, also within a rock, and the bonsai supplied with water from
the pool via a hidden wick. I'm sure there are similar things that
could be done to make it look nice. For now, I'm just wondering
what technologies will work well, and then I'll worry about making
it look good later :)

Are you saying that you've had some experience with starting bonsai
via hydroponics? I'd like to hear the methods used, if so.

I'm interested in the subject of hydroponics, and I work in a
microbiology lab so I have some of the chemicals available to make some
of the media. By no means should I be mistaken for an expert! I've
just kind of fiddled around with it.

Lee Braiden wrote:
Has anyone tried hydroponic techniques with bonsai? I've been
looking at simple things like capillary mats recently, but it might
be interesting to take this further.

Why on earth would you want to? My experience with hydroponics is with
industrial-scale systems; in NY mesclun growers use hydroponics. It's
very good for large-scale production of plants that you want to harvest
quickly, but makes no sense for bonsai, particularly since the biggest
enemy of hydroponics is Oomycete root rots. You can squeak by and
prevent root rots if your crop takes only a month to mature, but
years????

The closest thing to hydroponics in bonsai is that guy who used to be
on TV and grew his plants in sphagnum. Because the matrix was wet and
inert, that would almost count as hydroponics.

If you go a step further, growing bonsai in pure turface with a
nutrient solution is close to hydroponics, since turface is still
inert. However, turface has the advantage of holding water and
allowing natural aeration; the granules also have a cation-carrying
capacity (CEC), so you don't need to fertilize constantly (after
fertilization, the turface will hold the nutrients and release them
gradually).

If you go a step further and add some composted bark to the turface,
you have what bonsai growers normally do. So I don't see the advantage
of hydroponics at all.

Nina

On Thursday 05 May 2005 20:40, Nina wrote:
Why on earth would you want to? My experience with hydroponics is with
industrial-scale systems; in NY mesclun growers use hydroponics. It's
very good for large-scale production of plants that you want to harvest
quickly, but makes no sense for bonsai, particularly since the biggest
enemy of hydroponics is Oomycete root rots. You can squeak by and
prevent root rots if your crop takes only a month to mature, but
years????

Hmm, ok, fair enough :)

--
Lee.

************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Sue Crabtree++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++