Simulating seasons for natural growth and dormancy patterns

[bonsaiapprentice]

Hey guys, thanks for all the replies; any info is good info in my book, even the wrong one.

As I mentioned in my first post, this is just an experiment for “shits and giggles” if you would; albeit a rather controlled, methodical and logged experiment.

My plan is to find a place like say Whichita, Kansas, for example, which is in zone 6. I would then take note of the temperatures of all 365 days, along with humidity levels, and length of sunlight, which should be available or somewhat easy to find. I would also take note of amount of rainfall throughout the year and take that into account when programming the watering regiment which would also be automated using a simple rain sprinkler system connected to a controller and timer.

I don’t think the soil or medium has anything to do with dormancy patterns so I’ll use what I always use which is an organic super soil mix which has worked perfectly in the past. It’s a prepared soil, which takes me about 2 months to “cook” but once it’s done you basically just have to water your tree for the first 6 months to a year without having to top dress or use spikes or anything like that (if you’re using 3 gal containers or more, anything smaller and you will need to feed sooner). Note that these trees will not be in bonsai pots but it regular nursery pots.

I will be posting more details about the trees I’ll be using and everything else in general later tonight. Stay tuned!

 

[bonsaiapprentice]

Another thing I’m looking into is light intensity and spectrum in said city or zone. I would use full spectrum LED and program them to say have more blues in the summer and deep reds in the fall. I’m trying to find information year round to see exactly how it changes throughout the year and program that into the light so it can change as it does in said city or zone.

 

[bonsaiapprentice]

I strongly believe that in being able to control light intensity and duration, amount of water available and temperatures, you would be able to get close enough to successfully grow these trees inside.
Also take note that I’m starting this experiment in nursery pots but eventually, if it is successful, I would transfer these trees into proper bonsai pots and continue the experiment. I figure I’d make it a bit easier for the trees at first. I always focus more on the roots than the top and it’s always paid off. My father always told me that the secret to any tree or plant is taking care of the roots; “you take care of the roots and they take care of the plant”. Also being constricted in a bonsai pot at first would blur some results that could skew a proper assessment. Taking that variable out will help identify problems I’ll have along the way. Once I get things dialed in and I see that the trees are healthy then I’ll transfer them into bonsai pots and continue the experiment.

 

[bonsaiapprentice]

I’m thinking a better approach would be to take an average for all values mentioned before of all the cities in zone 6 and/or 7 and use that as the median value...

 

[Forsoothe!]

Another thing I’m looking into is light intensity and spectrum in said city or zone. I would use full spectrum LED and program them to say have more blues in the summer and deep reds in the fall. I’m trying to find information year round to see exactly how it changes throughout the year and program that into the light so it can change as it does in said city or zone.

This may be useful...

 

[bonsaiapprentice]

This may be useful...
View attachment 349162

It is! Data is beautiful, thank you that’s very useful

 

[bonsaiapprentice]

This may be useful...
View attachment 349162

You can see that in a place like I mentioned, Wichita, from May to mid August the radiation from the sun is at its peak. Noting also that it is slightly a longer duration of high radiation in lower latitudes like for example in Florida. I would imagine that this, in combination with other factors, plays an important role in why certain trees don’t survive in certain places.

 

[bonsaiapprentice]

Ok so for anyone who is interested.. this is my soil or medium recipe that I use.

It’s 75% inorganic matter and 25% organic matter.

-akadama
-pumice
-bamboo charcoal
-volcanic rock/ash
-perlite (for its light weight; I find it helps create spaces in the medium).
-pine bark
-earthworm castings
-kelp meal
-fish meal
-seabird guano
-azomite
-humic acid granules
-mycorrhizae

Mix all these ingredients, slightly dampen, and leave in a moderately warm place and covered and sealed for 2 months. Open to dampened and mix every 2-3 weeks. Once the 2 months are up it’s ready for use. Drainage is great and roots seem to be love it. It’s worked for me on plants and trees and so far with great success.

 

[bonsaiapprentice]

I also layer my pots. Starting with a layer of large size pumice. Then I’ll add the mix above for about 75% of the remaining space of the pot. Then I’ll add a layer of bark and on top a layer of akadama. This I find helps both with drainage and protection. I find it also helps the top roots get better established and have those roots grow outward instead of everything downward.

 

[Skillachie]

Hey how did this experiment go ?