We keep teaching how to keep Bonsai at an affordable level $$$$

Hello Folks,

a few weeks ago, I was asked to look in on a small group trying to start off in Bonsai. An elderly lady approached me with two cake / pie tins and asked if she could grow or plant her efforts in them.
[ I remembered back in the late 80's that was how Bonsai were exhibited in the Horticultural show. ]

I took her pans, and used some plaster-of-paris to copy them. Dried the moulds and presented them back to her a week ago. Then used an earthenware clay mixed with the ingredients needed to drop the maturing temperature to cone 04 which is close to 1100 deg.C [ 2,012 deg.F ] and give a vitreous body.
Added on a few knobs for feet.
I have been able to hire a very large electric kiln for about $250.00 TT [ approx - $40.00 US ] it would take many, many pots to fill it for firing to a vitreous state, fewer if we are glazing.

Big smiles, as I showed her, a simple soil mix and her elm and malpighia e., went into pots. Ditto her friends, and others as I cast quite a few pots.

May even take up making the concave pruner, when the $10.00 US pruners finish on on-line shopping.
[ used for cutting twigs, no breakage and I also teach that they should be stored in an oil cloth within a twist tied plastic bag.]

"Bonsai may be the playthings of the Rich", but I can still make folk happy/content, giving a great sense of achievement.

By the way, I dig buckets of earthenware clay from our old canefields, or I use the stuff the ants put out to make their cones-

Using elm roots, gives little trees of great character, sizeable trunks for what they are and very pleasing to the eye.
Laters.
Khaimraj

Way to go Khai (applause)! Bonsai can come from and go many directions.

"Using elm roots, gives little trees of great character, sizeable trunks for what they are and very pleasing to the eye.
Laters.
Khaimraj"


Dec 2013


Today

nicely done khai and in short order too !

and thats one thing that colin lewis preaches... cheap or free trees !!!

you know what they say about deep pockets and short arms