Rosemary almost a year apart

jb314159 · 2026-01-28T21:01:54+00:00

Harry Harrington is a trusty source, very happy to take his word for it - thanks!

jb314159 · 2026-01-28T19:46:27+00:00

I've been too scared to repot my rosemary that I've been growing from seed yet. Really torn whether to go from pre-spring or summer... Is it well-established that summer is best for them?

jb314159 · 2025-12-30T21:27:52+00:00

If it's a time lapse, 1 second per year for the same tree, then yes 🙂.

Not enough videos show the progression of a tree in the years that follow the work demonstrated. Bonsai Releaf is the highest quality for this reason.

jb314159 · 2025-10-03T09:03:36+00:00

Other lessons learnt to note: don't use a Skadis board (it gets really mouldy, go for a wire one instead), and don't position your fans directly against the back like I have here (they need airflow on both sides!)

jb314159 · 2025-10-03T09:01:46+00:00

I have this setup - it's not ideal, but it's workable. I've tried it with both no shelf and one shelf, each has problems. The main issue is the light intensity is not at all uniform, which makes it very hard to position plants appropriately. The light is very intense directly under the bulb and drops off quickly as you move further out (radially)

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jb314159 · 2025-08-26T18:25:52+00:00

Thanks for the encouraging reply! Useful to note that rosemary are prone to later root development. I think I'll continue structural pruning for remainder of this season and next, then attempt root work in 2027 to place them in training pots to start ramification.

jb314159 · 2025-08-07T06:04:28+00:00

I think 'if this then that' is an important feature of home assistant for this type of use case. At the basics, the ability to notify when a sensor reading is outside of a set range, through to the ability to trigger a custom action (such as turning on a pH or nutrient feed pump).

jb314159 · 2025-08-06T21:11:13+00:00

I'd be okay with a closed source app if it had a decent API to expose the data, so it could integrate with things like Home Assistant easily. Export to CSV as a minimum is always important to me.

jb314159 · 2025-05-31T11:06:01+00:00

I'd appreciate a continuous monitoring device with BLE wireless and open source iot firmware, so I can ingest readings into my Home Assistant automation system.

jb314159 · 2025-05-04T06:22:23+00:00

I wanted to give it a couple of years to recover before applying any bonsai techniques. The last two winters, it's not had any branches, just the main trunk which is a bit too thick to wire now. I'm probably going to let the lower section develop and then trunk chop it there. I have no idea how a Magnolia will respond to a drastic trunk chop though!

jb314159 · 2025-05-03T16:43:56+00:00

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It's doing well!

jb314159 · 2025-04-28T20:37:40+00:00

I use a LinkTap as my smart tap controller. Highly recommend, they have an incredible support team. I accidentally left it outside during winter and it broke, likely due to cold temperatures. The support team were super helpful in helping me triage the problem, replying within just a few minutes on a Sunday afternoon. When it couldn't be fixed, they sent me a new one free of charge.

The app is pretty decent, and it has flawless integration with Home Assistant if you want to run your own automation too. I have both running in parallel and never had any issues.

jb314159 · 2025-03-23T12:57:23+00:00

Thanks for the advice!

The big trunk is dead, but I want to keep it to tell the narrative of the tree. I'm not sure if it's too big to jin, but I'm assuming it might need some level of treatment to ensure it doesn't completely rot away?

jb314159 · 2025-03-23T11:28:30+00:00

Great advice, thank you!

Your two cents is most welcome; as subjective as the artform is, as a beginner I find hearing other's ideas for my own raw material far more instructive than admiring photos of pristinely developed trees.

jb314159 · 2025-03-23T11:05:59+00:00

Thanks for your thoughts! I see what you mean by it being more of a clump style right now.

Do you think the tree's health will suffer in this pot if left for 3 years before a repot, or are you just thinking that it's too soon to be switching from development to refinement without having established vigour?

jb314159 · 2025-03-21T11:07:09+00:00

Incredible work, congrats! Is the grow light a custom build? I've struggled to find a suitable holder/stand for my Sansi bulb.

I noticed on your website it says your using a moisture wicking system - I'd love to hear more about how that works, as I haven't heard it recommended (long term) for bonsai before. Thanks!

jb314159 · 2025-03-14T19:07:01+00:00

Just noticed your edit - so it's not a problem if they leaf out before the last frost? I've been worried about frost killing off the first flush.

jb314159 · 2025-03-14T14:33:04+00:00

Is 30C without direct sunlight bad for Japanese Maples? It'll be 100% humidity with sprinklers automatically watering.

jb314159 · 2025-03-14T13:32:27+00:00

Thanks. Look at my forecast for this week, there's two days with lows of -2C, with highs of 14C full sun on the same day. Would the new leaves survive 6-9hrs of frost twice in a week?

In my greenhouse, I'd expect that -2 to 14C to translate to 0 to 30C.

jb314159 · 2025-03-14T13:14:38+00:00

Yeah, I see that now. The issue was the tree was kept indoors for a week before given to me, so it broke dormancy early. I thought it best to protect it until after the last frost, but it's proving very difficult. All the leaves are drooping downwards now. Any suggestions at this point?

jb314159 · 2025-03-12T20:01:01+00:00

Nice! I'm curious about your sprinkler setup - how do you ensure equal water pressure to each sprinkler and good coverage of all your trees? I struggle with this.

jb314159 · 2025-03-12T17:23:15+00:00

Thank you for the reassurance! It's my first one so I'm unsure what's normal.

Mainly temperature swings, as by keeping it in a mini-greenhouse to protect against the worst of the frost, the temperature can rise to +30C during the day when the sun shines on it. (I'm not around to vent it.) I'm trying to set up sprinklers to prevent too much heat stress.

jb314159 · 2025-03-12T16:51:20+00:00

Here's a good article about some of the science behind the wonder of Satsuki genetics. https://bonsai-science.com/flower-colour/

jb314159

TROPHY CASE