An attempt to protect against bonsai theft/tree protection

As we all know, people like to walk away with a tree or two now and again. Sometimes the theft can set us back some cash, but most importantly these trees are our connection to this world in a way that can not be bought. We put efforts that are not only physical but also emotional, to maintain a tree, to create something that will (hopefully) become part of our legacy. Not to mention it's a boat load of fun.

In regards to securing bonsai, I have come up with a idea that although, has a few flaws, may prove to aid in securing bonsai in a affordable way for those who are unable to hide their trees with fences, bushes, or isolation.

The design you are looking at illustrates the use of 4 main, easy to find, items.

1) stainless steel eye bold and nut
2) stainless steel washer
3) lock
4)air craft steel cable (optional)

The illustrations shows a bonsai displayed on a bench that has a hole drilled into it.
The I bolt is fed through the bottom of the bench into the pot. A washer is then placed around this bold and a nut threaded to keep it in place.
You can then secure a lock or; you can run the cable through multiple trees and locked at the ends.

Cons:

Unless you create a slit for the eye bolt to pass, the tree will have to be potted post installation. Even if you do this you will have to allow some space vertical space on a work bench or lazy susan for the protruding bold.
(I haven't thought of a way to add this bolt post potting yet. But I am working on it.)

Pots with one drainage hole will have to be drilled or a perforated cylindrical spacer will have to be used in place of the washer to allow for drainage.

Thoughts?

The tree i spoke about in my thread that was featured on TV as stolen was protected by something similar and was just jerked out of the pot. I would be fearful that the tree would still be stolen and the pot destroyed.

Don't take this as a negative reply. I think it's great the topic gets explored and I would think discussing ways to secure our treasures is a step in the right direction.

even by leaving off your name on the club directory with no address only phone can have a would be thief getting that info off the internet and finding out where you live. Quicker than what it took to write these few sentences.

anyone have any ideas as to what a security system to protect a collection would cost to install and then pay to maintain? What would the cost of the micro chips be and how could they be "installed"?

Personally, I think having a security camera installed offers the best value and deterrent.

I find a German Shepherd quite effective in this regard ;-)

Can see nothing wrong with your system Joe.

Chipping is not really effective as they can only be used to prove ownership. The tree has to be very close to a scanner in order for the unique number to be read. There are no miniature satellite location chips that I am aware of, yet.

I have wondered if it would be possible to use a GPS chip to track important items. I would imagine the price of these chips have come down in recent years to become tenable. Although I've never had a plant (nice enough to be) stolen, one of my favorite surfboards was lifted, which I had a similar emotional attachment. I'd imagine the interaction with the located thief would be awkward at best.

MrFancyPlants wrote:I have wondered if it would be possible to use a GPS chip to track important items.

Won't it need a power supply?

I guess it really depends on how your area is. For me, being in a condominium community, where there is almost always somebody around, a motion detector flood light is a great investment. Maybe add a siren triggered by a lifted pot?

I don't have anything as valuable but these are my babies (and are precious to me). I am considering installing video surveillance system now.

We have discussed the option of GPS and it all comes down to what was for mentioned, a power supply. The size is also an issue.
The way a GPS works is different then the way a Digital Id tag works. This is the only thing GPS I have found that would work but I think it is too big and inconvenient Micro GPS tracking system


I have a baby monitor that has RCA outputs. Which means i can hook it up to a computer and stream the vid to any device.

Video systems are pretty affordable now and usually have the same options to connect to a comp and stream.

Food for thought...

While I think we can all agree that each of us can take reasonable measures to protect our collections from theft, we should also be very careful of what we telegraph around the web as to what our collections actually consist of.

Understandably, this is an interactive forum, as it should be, with many of the most generous minded people as far as imparting their knowledge and sharing their possessions. Yet, there are those viewing this same forum and others like it who may have other ideas in mind.

Very good point Orion, I never thought of that when I signed on. Anyone can find where I live by googling my name. They have to contend with 2 dogs, a motion sensor light and a wife who could shoot the eye out of a gnat. i decided to omit my last name from my user name to make it a little more difficult.

definitely makes you second guess your web presence, especially after googling yourself. Decided dropping some info on some of my sites might be a good idea as well, but like David said, I too have the 2 dogs, motion lights, and a wife I wouldn't want to cross in the middle of the night lol. Plus at least in my case I do not have anything of significant value to anyone but me at this point. It is sad that people would steal something like a bonsai tree, koi, even a family pet to make a buck.