What’s your latest Bonsai related purchase?

[Frozentreehugger]

As talked about before . Food service steamer trays . For training pots. There is 1/2 size 4 inch deep and 2.5 inch deep 6 count of each and full size 2.5 inch deep 3 count . I feel there are several advantages . Including good sizes . Bright colour will reflect sun ( avoid pot overheat in heavy sun ) thin strong . Square max use of space . Stainless steel . Corrosion resistance . Reasonable price . The 1/2 are 9.99 $ and 10.99 $ each the full size are 12.99$ Costco business centre . These are the trial run

Sone pics from repotting. I like the steamer trays enough to get more . I foresee them working well . If you try them . Stainless is hard on tools to drill a quality metal dril pit is fine. Slow . But I destroyed a quality hole saw , trying for a drain hole . A diamond one would work but make a lot of heat . 3 inch round metal cutting chop blade is fast and easy . I think next step is a rack
Or table suspend them from there lips . Considering the consistent size .

 

[Natty Bumppo]

On the way home from J.C. I stopped at the nursery and bought a little, 6" eastern hemlock in a pint sized pot. I'll slip pot it into a gallon bag and let it grow out this year

 

[Carol 83]

A few gallons of Bonsai Jack substrate and 12 training pots.

 

[Michigan Tree Murderer]

Sone pics from repotting. I like the steamer trays enough to get more . I foresee them working well . If you try them . Stainless is hard on tools to drill a quality metal dril pit is fine. Slow . But I destroyed a quality hole saw , trying for a drain hole . A diamond one would work but make a lot of heat . 3 inch round metal cutting chop blade is fast and easy . I think next step is a rack
Or table suspend them from there lips . Considering the consistent size .

Won't the sun heat those suckers up to much? Looks good, I'm just thinking July would cook the roots around here.

 

[Shogun610]

Couldn’t help but add another tree.

View attachment 484118

Can you work on making progression thread on that Juniper you got from OG bonsai masters of the US? And the other additional ones from Mirai ? I’m pulling for you to care for them and progress them. Just to share for a starving artists sake.

 

[Frozentreehugger]

Won't the sun heat those suckers up to much? Looks good, I'm just thinking July would cook the roots around here.

In a quick answer no . The
Mirror finish will first reflect the sun . But more important the metal is thin . Therefore it has no mass to absorb and retain heat . Yes a dark thick metal will get hot in the sun as the mass retains the heat . But think a car radiator dissipates the heat of the fluid in it to the air , or a thin sheet metal acting as a heat shield . A dark thick bonsai pot will retain more heat . This is good and bad . The thin metal pot should allow the mass af the compost to heat faster in the sun . But also cool faster in the shade or night . In other words the thick ceramic pot . Would warm up slower and cool down slower . The actual max hot temp should be very close in both , if there in the sun long enough . If anything the reflective surface . And thin layer , allowing the compost closer contact with the air . Should be cooler . If that makes sense .

 

[Shima]

https://tinyurl.com/2p953t2x

Knipex wire cutters. Rather than continuing to compromise my Masakuni wire cutters on heavy copper wire I finally got around to ordering the cutters of choice of some bonsai pros. Too often I've heard of breaking traditional cutters when taking too large a bite. No nonsense compound action will help to save these aging hands.

 

[ShadyStump]

Sone pics from repotting. I like the steamer trays enough to get more . I foresee them working well . If you try them . Stainless is hard on tools to drill a quality metal dril pit is fine. Slow . But I destroyed a quality hole saw , trying for a drain hole . A diamond one would work but make a lot of heat . 3 inch round metal cutting chop blade is fast and easy . I think next step is a rack
Or table suspend them from there lips . Considering the consistent size .

You're going to wind up doing your bench supply shopping on food service websites.
Your yard is going to turn out looking like a buffet !
I can see the roll top lids for shade, restaurant style stainless benches for repotting season, the little silverware cups at the end of the line full of chopsticks!

I bet you just put your tropicals on steam table for winter.

I laughed too hard at that image.

 

[Matte91]

 

[Frozentreehugger]

https://tinyurl.com/2p953t2x

Knipex wire cutters. Rather than continuing to compromise my Masakuni wire cutters on heavy copper wire I finally got around to ordering the cutters of choice of some bonsai pros. Too often I've heard of breaking traditional cutters when taking too large a bite. No nonsense compound action will help to save these aging hands.

As a car tech mine are over 20 years old . Great tool
I have abused them more than any bonsai application . There compound leverage action . Will cut practically anything that will fit in there narrow jaws . There essentially mini bolt cutters . I’m curious do they still say made in Germany on them . I have heard like everyone else . They moved some of there manufacturing to China . And quality may not be the same

 

[IzzyG]

Can you work on making progression thread on that Juniper you got from OG bonsai masters of the US? And the other additional ones from Mirai ? I’m pulling for you to care for them and progress them. Just to share for a starving artists sake.

I’ll try to take some time this weekend to start a couple!

 

[Ply]

I’ll try to take some time this weekend to start a couple!

If I could also add a request , I'd love to see a progression on the 'lightning bolt' juniper you got from Bjorn. Such an iconic tree imo. I really associated it with Eisei-en/Bjorn, so in a way Im sad to see it leave Bjorns hands. But Bjorn's running a business at the end of the day so in that regards it's just a natural course of events for a tree to change ownership.

Either way I'd love to see what it will evolve into over the next years!

 

[Shogun610]

I’ll try to take some time this weekend to start a couple!

Okay yeah cause if they decline I’m not going to be happy .

 

[Shogun610]

I’ll try to take some time this weekend to start a couple!

And again this isn’t so much you but also the people who sold them .. are they done appropriate ? Are you set up to know all the nuances with these trees , did the sellers ask these or get your knowledge / skill etc

 

[IzzyG]

And again this isn’t so much you but also the people who sold them .. are they done appropriate ? Are you set up to know all the nuances with these trees , did the sellers ask these or get your knowledge / skill etc

It’s sort of varied but no one selling trees whom I’ve met/transacted with(raw or otherwise) have given me any sort of test to ascertain my ability to care for any of the trees. There’s varying degrees of questions but all have been to “help out the new owner” more so than a requirement to purchase. Pretty much all have followed up with me about the trees and all have been accessible for any sort of questions post acquisition. It’s my own personal belief; the onus lies in the new owner/buyer to acquire the skills/knowledge to care for the trees and not the seller.

As for the trees themselves, all are doing very well(despite some arriving weakened) and quite a few have evolved further in their journey.

 

[Shogun610]

It’s sort of varied but no one selling trees whom I’ve met/transacted with(raw or otherwise) have given me any sort of test to ascertain my ability to care for any of the trees. There’s varying degrees of questions but all have been to “help out the new owner” more so than a requirement to purchase. Pretty much all have followed up with me about the trees and all have been accessible for any sort of questions post acquisition. It’s my own personal belief; the onus lies in the new owner/buyer to acquire the skills/knowledge to care for the trees and not the seller.

As for the trees themselves, all are doing very well(despite some arriving weakened) and quite a few have evolved further in their journey.

Good to know

 

[IzzyG]

If I could also add a request , I'd love to see a progression on the 'lightning bolt' juniper you got from Bjorn. Such an iconic tree imo. I really associated it with Eisei-en/Bjorn, so in a way Im sad to see it leave Bjorns hands. But Bjorn's running a business at the end of the day so in that regards it's just a natural course of events for a tree to change ownership.

Either way I'd love to see what it will evolve into over the next years!

I’ll try and get a thread going on Bjorn’s RMJ. It has had quite a hectic 10 months or so prior to arriving in my care. Between a heavy pruning for Nationals(in 2021) to having failed grafts and eventually being reworked shortly afterwards, it definitely needed to recover. It’s showing excellent growth so far this spring and I intend to let it regain its strength through 2023. I do however, plan to repot next year if all goes well. The tree isn’t securely anchored and I do believe it affects the health of the tree so that’s definitely a priority into 2024.

 

[Frozentreehugger]

Nothing is better for a recheck . Than unboxing new power tools

 

[August]

Went to the local cactus and succulent society show, picked up some rad pots.
The first is from a collection of pots made by developmentally disabled folks via a non profit called Envision:


Second by a local artist named Wendy Kochar:

 

[ShadyStump]

Went to the local cactus and succulent society show, picked up some rad pots.
The first is from a collection of pots made by developmentally disabled folks via a non profit called Envision:
View attachment 485142View attachment 485143View attachment 485144

Second by a local artist named Wendy Kochar:View attachment 485145View attachment 485146

That first pot I actually find a bit fascinating.
They're both pretty cool.