AusBonsai

Hi all, after a little advise, I live in Vic in a small unit and am running out of room for my growing bonsai collection and was thinking of taking my trees to my farm, the problem is I only go there every 3 to 4 days so watering would be difficult. So the question is there is a large green house available, is growing my trees in there advantageous, or is outside better?

G'day Ricardo, are you asking the question because you are thinking the trees will last longer before the next watering if they are in a greenhouse ?? is there power at the greenhouse ?? is there a tap near the greenhouse ??
James

Yeah was wondering if they would grow better (faster) and will the humidity help with watering, there’s a hose near bye that I can extend and no power

I have no experience growing in a green house but did for a time live on a rural property. I had a drip system fed off a header tank for when I had to go away for a few days. What you do is mount a tank on a stand above the level of the plants, run a hose line from it along the top of your pots and place 1 dripper per pot or more for larger pots. And away you go.

You can get special drippers for low pressure water systems but I found the old adjustable ones worked if they were opened up a bit. With a few weeks of tweaking I managed to get it watering the dozen or so trees I had at that time, my 20litre drum was enough for 4days away in summer, a week in winter. I got the idea from a grower in central west Vic who was using one of those 1000ltr containers with a cage round it, she had it mounted on a platform 1.5mtrs high. All of her trees had lived with this system for several years quite happily without her ever having to touch a hose or watering can.

Matt

thanks for the advise i have all those things to rig up some kind of watering system but would still like some advise with the green house matter

so no help?

ricardo wrote:so no help?

G'day Ricardo, what is the % shadecloth on your greenhouse, and how many plants are you putting in there, also will they be on benches or on the ground ?? I used to have mine under 75% for years and for the last 12 months I had 50% on there, BUT I have discovered that they will probably grow a lot better under no shade during the winter months and I will probably put 30% over when summer comes, as for moisture holding, you probably would get an extra days grace if they were in the greenhouse, as someone else suggested make yourself up a dripper system or put a tap timer on your hose and set up some form of irrigation system, just be careful that the hose cant burst or you may loose that precious water.
James

ricardo wrote:Hi all, after a little advise, I live in Vic in a small unit and am running out of room for my growing bonsai collection and was thinking of taking my trees to my farm, the problem is I only go there every 3 to 4 days so watering would be difficult. So the question is there is a large green house available, is growing my trees in there advantageous, or is outside better?

Hi Ricardo

I recently testing out a thing that was invented by an aussie inventor. it's a thing that helps to keep the soil moist.

i've been using it for a week now. so far i find it very useful. i keep one of my bonsai at a place where it will not receive rain just to test out the device. the soil is still moist, not soaking wet.
it is call moisturematic

you can check out the website at http://www.moisturematic.com.au

I'll start a thread about my report in a week time.
i find it very useful because i fly around quite a bit.

John

theres no shade cloth only clear

plastic

If it is closed in, you should get a few days grace from watering 2 maybe 3, depends also on the soil mix in your pots, and also the variety of plants, but it would be definitely too hot in summer under plastic.cheers
James

I move most of mine under shade cloth for most of the summer heat, which for me is 35 to 42s. they do fine in there and best of all not as much leaf burning and i feel that they dont need as much water when in there.