My new grow boxes

[Miikeboyle]

Hey guys,

I have not been very active on this forum but have rekindled my bonsai hobby and want to share.

Today I made some timber grow boxes. They are still unfinished but I should get around to it over the next few days.
They are 450x450mm internal. I'm going to use some wood from pallets for the base with 20mm gaps between them for drainage and plastic mesh to hold the gravel and soil in. I considered using some old treated pine decking but I'm not sure if the treated pine would have a negative affect for the tree.

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[Jason57]

great job Miikeboyle!!!
ive made mine from pallets.....untreated pine. didn't want to risk using
treated timber in case it poisoned the trees. I have chinese elm, olive and ficus
growing well.

[cre8ivbonsai]

with 20mm gaps between them for drainage and plastic mesh to hold the gravel and soil in.

Hi Mike, welcome back to bonsai

Good work, but why 20 mm gaps wouldn't ~1mm work better?bthen you don't need mesh at all = less root disturbance and entanglement. I to would naturally stick away from treated pine' but it may last longer, maybe hard wood would be best ...

[Miikeboyle]

I thought the 20mm gaps would really help with drainage. Maybe a 5mm gap and then I wouldn't need to worry about the mesh.

[Damian Bee]

Nice boxes.

I used treated pine barge boards (140*25 plank).
I made 600*450 ext with handles and feet and cored out 4 x 25mm holes in the bottom.
Once the boxes were assembled I painted the insides with an acrylic waterproofer and at the same time placed drainage mesh over the holes and glued it in with extra waterproofing goop.

Although I resent moving them (yep they're bloody heavy), they have each kept their plant alive for over 4 years and show no sign of falling apart. Thankfully they are where they don't need moving

I would not use untreated pine, it will start to rot pretty fast unless you can keep all the joints and surfaces dry.
You could oil it, (haven't tried that yet )

I would take a photo but it's freezing right now

[Damian Bee]

Ps. I hope you used heavy screws like batten screws. The timber can easily warp and split and it pays to have the big guys in there doing the job

[JaseH]

Ps. I hope you used heavy screws like batten screws. The timber can easily warp and split and it pays to have the big guys in there doing the job

Yeah this is a good idea - a couple of the ones I made from pallet timber warped after getting wet and popped all the screw heads off that were holding it together!

[Miikeboyle]

Thanks for all the tips everyone.

The wood is not treated so I don't expect it to last too long. It's already been sitting in the weather for a few years. I'm hoping to get a few years out of it before they fall apart. I used a nail gun so they are pretty solid but if they do start pulling apart I'll just put some screws in it.

[Rory]

Just food for thought, but Ray Nesci bonsai nursery in Dural sells similar sized grow pots for only $5.50 each (very very light plastic), which is easy to lift. For $5.50 each, I would just go with those as the option, rather than going to all this effort and having them weigh a lot more. But each to their own. They have fantastic drainage, (you can't get better drainage), because they have slits going up the sides, all along the bottoms etc. They even have holes throughout the lip to tie for anchoring. They really are the beez kneez.

[Miikeboyle]

I'm travelling out that way in a few weeks for a christening so I'll definately check it out.

[Scott Roxburgh]

Just food for thought, but Ray Nesci bonsai nursery in Dural sells similar sized grow pots for only $5.50 each (very very light plastic)

Pics?

[Rory]

Just food for thought, but Ray Nesci bonsai nursery in Dural sells similar sized grow pots for only $5.50 each (very very light plastic)

Pics?

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Sorry about the modified pic, but I don't have a pic showing the bottoms of the pots. That is a full size adult chair it is on, but this is only a medium sized one, there are much bigger ones, but you get the general idea. It has holes where I have circled in red on the lip, which is hard to see in the pic, so I made it more obvious with little circles. The 'drainage vents' are all across the bottom, and the very bottom has slits going all throughout it, so the water doesn't pool at the bottom either. I might try to put up better pics if I can remember later, but at work at moment.

FYI, that is a casuarina placed in one, and that pot is about 21 cm across if I recall rightly. I have noticed that the Casuarina benefit greatly from these pots because of their great drainage capabilities. If you add very course (over 1cm thick) gravel to the mix, it really drains very well and is perfect for many varieties that are quite thirsty, but don't like their roots sitting in constant wetness.

[Scott Roxburgh]

Ahh...Orchid pots, yes they are good but something that we don't need to line with mesh would be better.

[Rory]

Ahh...Orchid pots, yes they are good but something that we don't need to line with mesh would be better.

You don't line them with mesh. You simply put the mix straight in. That is the whole point.