Ebihara Board Technique and Drainage

[Canada Bonsai]

The North-East of France isn't exactly known to be dry..

When I read this I thought you were going to talk about champagne!

I am in Halifax, Nova Scotia, another region famous for its bubbles (Lightfoot and Grand Pre are exceptional) and, also like North East France, its rainfall! Its rains almost every day in Halifax, at least it feels that way.

I have to agree with you @meushi I have about 40 Japanese maple on boards and:

• the ones on plywood are doing very well after 2 summers
• The ones I put I put on untreated cedar are also doing well
• A few that I put on solid wood (a mix of 3-4 unknown varieties) developed mold (spongy white/blue), which did no harm to the trees though
• The 2 that I put on 'Russian ply' (baltic birch ply) are doing the best, but this material is not cost effective
• I also tried tile - I don't like it and will not reuse it. Root growth was visibly less than it was on wood options (did the tile stay cool? I don't know), and it was harder to organize the roots.

They all receive the same water, light, fertilization, etc.

Moving forward, cedar would be my first choice, if I can find it in the appropriate size. My second choice would be plywood. I might choose a thicker plywood if possible

While we're on the topic, on a recent Bonsai Wire podcast episode they mentioned Ebihara growing trees directly on asphalt/pavement, with a perimeter fence to retain substrate. This is a very attractive idea to me, and I hope to be able to try it or something similar

 

[just.wing.it]

I use a tile on my Acer Rubrum.
Used a diamond bit to drill a little hole for a screw.
So far so good.....been 2 or 3 years now.
Tile won't deteriorate.
Being a small tree, this one is a 4 inch square tile...may need to up-size it one day.

 

[meushi]

When I read this I thought you were going to talk about champagne!

Well, those vineyards are just a 1h drive from my garden... there were vineyards all around me, but they've been gone for a long time. It's more cereal-y than grape-y now, and there's also a lot of hops

 

[Ohmy222]

Are you referring to the expanded PVC sheets? Those should work good and the sheet is not expensive at all and very easy to cut.

Here is the link for what I use

Coroplast 36 in. x 72 in. x 0.157 in. (4mm) White Corrugated Twinwall Plastic Sheet COR-3672 - The Home Depot

COROSPLAST Twinwall Plastic Sheet is a fine substitute for host building materials. Water resistant and lightweight for easy installation.

www.homedepot.com