AusBonsai

Thought I would try growing a bonsai in a light globe. It should add for an interesting desktop experiment. Not a bonsai yet, but is wired and has movement so I'll give it time.

I'm sure you wondering "but why?", because I can have a lil' bit of Bonsai inside at the computer with me, haven't heard of many other "light globe" bonsai, I've got way too many seedlings lying around and I was bored.

Was going to go with a Lilly Pilly seedling, but instead went with a little privet I had cut down and defoliated a few times.
I cheated first time round and wired it out of the globe then planted it in it. I think to re-wire it's going to need to be pulled out of the globe, possibly by smashing it and re-planting in a new globe.

Anyway here's a few pics if anyone else is silly enough to want a "Globe Bonsai".

Wear gloves and eye protection when doing this- To get the black material out, tap it hard with the tip of the needle nose pliers, it will crack and break out, then break the inside glass vile, clean it out and it's done.

Once I planted the privet I sprinkled a dried mix of 3 native mosses and 2 miniature ferns over the surface. Keep wet and watch your mini terrarium flourish.

What about drainage holes???

make sure you wash the bulb out with salt and water as the salt gets rid of the clear powder inside the bulb, its a strong chemical that they put inside the bulb to help it not crack under heat

+
Mitchell
If we didn’t try something different we would be in a cave eating raw meat.
Barry

kvan64 wrote:What about drainage holes???

That's what my ficus said about living in the fish tank!

Don't need them mate, just regulate your watering methods. As long as you don't flood it out, the humidity will allow moisture to escape out the top hole.

Jake wrote:make sure you wash the bulb out with salt and water as the salt gets rid of the clear powder inside the bulb, its a strong chemical that they put inside the bulb to help it not crack under heat

Really? I have never heard of that. Got any references?


Barry,

dont need a referece mate its a fairly well known fact

Jake wrote:dont need a referece mate its a fairly well known fact

I wasn't meaning to "back-up" your statement as I dis-agreed, I was requesting it as I was interested. I have never heard of the glass being "coated" and would like to know about the process.

most bulbs have a fine clear or slightly white powder on the inside look it up on google, every now and again you read in the news papers of crack and ice smokers ending up in hospital after smoking out of light bulbs that they didn't clean. it can be fatal if the right amount enters the blood stream.