I will call him Lazarus!!!

[Wilson]

So I took my annual trip to the cottage, leaving my trees to a caretaker. I always have a hard time feeling that the trees will be ok. I can home to discover 2 hawthorn, 7 jacaranda, a smoke tree, and my privet burnt to a crisp! I ran around watering, misting, and cursing. After days of shade and lots of B1 misting, the privet came sprouting back!!! This pleased me for the obvious reason, but even more because I love to have some tropicals to amuse me during winter. Anyone else have stories of caretakers or automated irrigation fails?

 

[petegreg]

It's always sad to hear this. I've lost almost entire collection twice being out of home. Once because my wife couldn't do everything and then I didn't know my best friend had a problem with drinking. My shame.

 

[Carol 83]

Lost a Chinese Elm this summer, because my son "forgot about it". We are leaving Saturday on vacation for a few days, and I asked a friend from work to stop by and check on them, in case he "forgets" again!!

 

[JudyB]

I would trust my irrigation system before I'd trust a person without bonsai experience.

 

[barrosinc]

http://www.bonsainut.com/threads/damn-summer-vacations.21792/
Lost a bunch last year when the gardener that was "fixing" the automatic irrigation system decided to move all my trees to a different sprayer and removing a leaking one.

 

[MACH5]

http://www.bonsainut.com/threads/damn-summer-vacations.21792/
Lost a bunch last year when the gardener that was "fixing" the automatic irrigation system decided to move all my trees to a different sprayer and removing a leaking one.

Max so sorry to hear! I missed your other thread. Is your large maple ok?


Wilson sorry to hear as well. It is always heartbreaking loosing trees specially from something as simple as lack of water.

 

[barrosinc]

Large maple looks like nothing ever happened to it.
I have a couple of branches that I am building back, but this is the second year and the branches only put out 2 leaves and never an extending bud (any ideas?).

 

[Lobaeux]

I leave tomorrow night on a trip, thankfully it's supposed to rain, but I've got my wife on watering duty.

I'm nervous.

 

[MACH5]

Large maple looks like nothing ever happened to it.
I have a couple of branches that I am building back, but this is the second year and the branches only put out 2 leaves and never an extending bud (any ideas?).

Ok good to hear! Can you provide pics on your thread? Don't know why you're getting so little growth. I assume is in good soil, being fertilized, watered etc?

 

[Potawatomi13]

http://www.bonsainut.com/threads/damn-summer-vacations.21792/
Lost a bunch last year when the gardener that was "fixing" the automatic irrigation system decided to move all my trees to a different sprayer and removing a leaking one.

Was gardner hanged for negligent stupidity?

 

[CWTurner]

I've got my wife on watering duty.

"Hi Honey, I just called to see how you're doing today. Oh BTW, did you water my trees"?
CW

 

[barrosinc]

Ok good to hear! Can you provide pics on your thread? Don't know why you're getting so little growth. I assume is in good soil, being fertilized, watered etc?

I meant just the two weak branches.

Was gardner hanged for negligent stupidity?

have not seen him since...

 

[MACH5]

I meant just the two weak branches.

Ah ok. Just keep strong areas in check to divert energy back into areas that you want to develop. That, and time and patience.

 

[BillsBayou]

It's wonderful when they rise from the dead. I have a winged cedar elm that went into shock this past Spring. It took MONTHS for it to finally show budding. It's fully leafed out, but it has lost many of the outer twigs.

I've heard that the trick is to get your cat sitter to love bonsai. Otherwise, you'll just come home to find your trees dead, yet curiously soaking wet (because they realized at the end of the week that they never watered your trees and rush to do it at the last minute).

I go through an extensive two-day relocation of my trees to two locations in my yard so I can set up an automatic sprinkler. I really need to get an irrigation system installed.

 

[Lobaeux]

"Hi Honey, I just called to see how you're doing today. Oh BTW, did you water my trees"?
CW

Somehow, you're listening in to my phone calls!!

 

[jeremy_norbury]

Just came back from holidays/vacation - only two dead trees and insignificant ones too.

A "dead" tree I told them NOT to bother watering, WAS watered and came back to life - go figure.

 

[mattspinniken]

Crazy idea, but they have somewhat inexpensive outdoor security cameras that you can view through your smart phone. You also can get irrigation controllers that can by monitored and manually turned on through your smart phone. The irrigation controllers cost about $250. You could manually turn on your sprinklers and then make sure they came on with your security app. The future is here.... haha. Just a thought.

 

[Vance Wood]

Crazy idea, but they have somewhat inexpensive outdoor security cameras that you can view through your smart phone. You also can get irrigation controllers that can by monitored and manually turned on through your smart phone. The irrigation controllers cost about $250. You could manually turn on your sprinklers and then make sure they came on with your security app. The future is here.... haha. Just a thought.

This is a good solution that I would be interested in knowing more about. For the last several years I have left the situation in the hands of my grown son, who is more than competent and an automatic watering system. My son more or less checks on the results of the automatic system, but sometimes things fail and people get side tracked for one reason or another. You sometimes have to ask yourself the question: Have you ever lost a tree under your personal care anyway?

 

[mattspinniken]

This is the Irrigation Controller Vance http://www.rainmachine.com/products/rainmachine-touch-hd-12.html. I plan to install one at my house to replace my Rainbird Controller soon and I can let you know how it goes. I have heard a lot of good things about the controller. There are a number of options for the security camera but I don't know much about that. I know they have a set up that would work at Best Buy.

 

[JudyB]

This is the Irrigation Controller Vance http://www.rainmachine.com/products/rainmachine-touch-hd-12.html. I plan to install one at my house to replace my Rainbird Controller soon and I can let you know how it goes. I have heard a lot of good things about the controller. There are a number of options for the security camera but I don't know much about that. I know they have a set up that would work at Best Buy.

I would be leery of using anything that adjusts watering based on the weather, maybe you can disable that portion of the control.