Vacationing

AnutterBonsai

AnutterBonsai

Shohin
Messages
268
Reaction score
232
Location
Houston,TX
USDA Zone
9A
Here's a question from a newbie; if I am leaving town for 2.5 days, would it be possible to leave bonsai next to sunny window (9hrs of direct light) indoors?

My medium is not fully inorganic so I believe it not to dry out much, but my main worry is will this affect much on the photosynthesis aspect of my bonsai?

I live in a small apartment so no options for automatic watering systems.
 
How much preparation time do you have?
What kind and how many bonsai?
 
penumbra said:
How much preparation time do you have?
What kind and how many bonsai?
Click to expand...
About a week.
A shohin azalea in pure small kanuma, two mame juniper nanas in potting soil, two young JBP 2 year old whips in 10 inch squared pond basket, and a shohin japanese boxwood.

so 5 bonsai total I'd have to worry about. my other pre-bonsai will last fine under shade, done it before for same timeline.
 
I can only tell you what I would do if I had to keep them inside a few days. For your climate, not mine.
The Black pines leave outside in the shade and water them for 3 days before you leave .
The mame junipers, boxwood and azalea would be closely grouped in a large pebble tray. I would either use a water wick for each of them (which is actually exactly what I would do because I have the materials and experience), or just water the crap out of them for a couple of days prior. If you house humidity is low you could make a plastic tent, with vent holes, to cover the plants without laying on the plants themselves.
 
That's risky if a heat spike runs through. That was my whole reasoning on setting up my auto watering system. It worked great, and I even left some mame out on the table came back home and all were ok.
 
Thanks for the tips! I also have a contact whom I can leave the trees behind with who has a big garden containing his bonsai, I'd have to pay him but its about $1/day per tree. I haven't heard back from him just yet so I'm trying to make a plan B in case the offer falls through somehow.
 
@AlainK posted a great wicking system.
All you need is a bucket and a rope!

A stupid Walgreens desktop fountain and a outlet timer could be rigged up in a bin too!

Let's write a song...

"When Vacations ain't Vacations no More."
🤣
But for real.

Sorce
 
AnutterBonsai said:
Thoughts?
Click to expand...

All of em? Hehehehe!

An old rag and a milk jug? You gotta empty the milk before you leave anyway! Cereal!

I'm not into people selling stuff that anyone can make for less than what they're charging you.

And eff Amazon.
There's a reason why every other delivery company has trucks with exits on the safe side.
I don't shop with people who don't care about their employees.

Sorce
 
For 2.5 days you can fully submerge your pots with no ill-effects. I'd recommend this over trusting others
 
You probably dont have to even fully submerge them.
You could put them in trays with an inch of water and they will probably be just fine when you get back.
I wouldnt leave them in water for more than a couple of days though.

Ive done this with my tropicals for a week in open inorganic soil with no ill effects
 
I just got back from a three week vacation.
I was told that everything was watered almost daily…
The wicked (rag from pot to water tray) trees in a water tray were alive.
The submerged trees were alive.
All maples that were not wicked died
many Oaks died, 3 of 4 that were in bonsai pots.
most sticks in pots also lost their leaves, but there may be some hope.
One BC was in a smaller flooded container, it seems to have dried up, all leaves are brown, but it’s pushing buds.
So, do not take long vacations without a good plan.
man automatic watering system might be worth building.
when I am home I typically water some plants before I leave for work, and all of them when I get home. They didn’t get that and there was a heat wave with reduced rains while I was gone.
 
AnutterBonsai said:
Here's a question from a newbie; if I am leaving town for 2.5 days, would it be possible to leave bonsai next to sunny window (9hrs of direct light) indoors?

My medium is not fully inorganic so I believe it not to dry out much, but my main worry is will this affect much on the photosynthesis aspect of my bonsai?

I live in a small apartment so no options for automatic watering systems.
Click to expand...
not sure about this but maybe put trays of water under them for a few days. or in the sink or tub

i water plants inside about once a week so im not sure if you need to be worried at all
 
bonsai-eejit-logo.jpg


Vacation? Ain't nobody doing bonsai got time for that!! 😆
 
Crawforde said:
I just got back from a three week vacation.
I was told that everything was watered almost daily…
The wicked (rag from pot to water tray) trees in a water tray were alive.
The submerged trees were alive.
All maples that were not wicked died
many Oaks died, 3 of 4 that were in bonsai pots.
most sticks in pots also lost their leaves, but there may be some hope.
One BC was in a smaller flooded container, it seems to have dried up, all leaves are brown, but it’s pushing buds.
So, do not take long vacations without a good plan.
man automatic watering system might be worth building.
when I am home I typically water some plants before I leave for work, and all of them when I get home. They didn’t get that and there was a heat wave with reduced rains while I was gone.
Click to expand...
So sorry about your trees. Unless there's an automatic watering system, its definitely hard to fully trust any other method lol.
 
Crawforde said:
I just got back from a three week vacation.
I was told that everything was watered almost daily…
The wicked (rag from pot to water tray) trees in a water tray were alive.
The submerged trees were alive.
All maples that were not wicked died
many Oaks died, 3 of 4 that were in bonsai pots.
most sticks in pots also lost their leaves, but there may be some hope.
One BC was in a smaller flooded container, it seems to have dried up, all leaves are brown, but it’s pushing buds.
So, do not take long vacations without a good plan.
man automatic watering system might be worth building.
when I am home I typically water some plants before I leave for work, and all of them when I get home. They didn’t get that and there was a heat wave with reduced rains while I was gone.
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear that you've lost trees

I use a hose, lawn sprinkler and battery operated timer for my trees. As long as the batteries are good, it never fails.

I put new batteries in every spring as a precaution and I get the season out of them
 
sorce said:
And eff Amazon.
There's a reason why every other delivery company has trucks with exits on the safe side.
I don't shop with people who don't care about their employees.
Click to expand...
He’s too busy taking trips to outer space to care about employees.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

BonjourBonsai
Vacationing at the beech...
Replies
10
Views
709
BonjourBonsai
BonjourBonsai
Back
Top Bottom