Watering Systems and Silent Auction Forms

Automated Watering Systems

I know a few of you were looking forward to my Automated Watering Systems mini-presentation. It’s a very informative program that I presented for my Marin Bonsai Club a few months ago. Luckily, I have some slides with notes that you can look at if you are in need of designing and implementing a system of your own. I’ll summarize the main points here.

Those that might benefit from one might be people who have busy travel schedules to those who cannot find a neighbor or bonsai friend to come assist with this very important task for our trees. However, the main message is that there is no free lunch when it comes to watering systems. You have to consider the tradeoffs between automated-ness, reliability, cost, and how well suited it is for bonsai.

Controllers

The level of automation can vary from simple timers to very complex internet-linked fully automatic controllers. A simple timer requires you to program the timer yourself. You tell it how often and how long to water for. This is a very cost effective way of automation. It only requires that you regularly monitor the soil wetness and adjust the program accordingly. The main drawback is that you need to account for the sudden heatwave. This can be done by either slightly over-watering all the time, or manually water extra on those hot days.

More advanced controllers account for the weather and estimate the water usage by the trees. They do this by pulling local weather data from the internet. This allows for a more hands-off approach as it will water more during the summer and less in the winter. The drawback is that these systems tend to cost a little bit more. They are also not perfect in their estimation, so they require regular checking-in to make sure controller’s the water level estimation is correct.

Watering heads

Another consideration is the type of watering heads that deliver the water. There are at least two kinds, but the important two will be discussed here. Each type has considerations such as water distribution evenness, watering efficiency, how much they affect the tree aesthetics, and installation simplicity.

The first one is the soaker tubing. Imagine a tube that is slightly porous that wraps around the trunk of the tree. When water is in the tube, the entire tube leaks a small amount of water. This allows for even water distribution throughout the pot. It is also water efficient as all the water delivered will pass through the pot. Since the water is delivered directly to the pot at the soil level, the tree’s aesthetics is minimally impacted. There is no trunk bark erosion and minimal mineral deposits on the leaves. However, it does leave a prominent tube on the surface of the tree. Lastly, soaker tubes work well for all trees except for the smallest ones. It is difficult to coil a tube around a the smaller shohins and mame sized trees. I recommend soaker tubes for most purposes.

The second major head type is the mister. Spray misters spray a fine mist in a conical pattern. The head is adjusted to cover a large area of multiple trees to be watered. The water distribution pattern is usually very even. However, watch out as the trees grow towards summer (and depending on how you aim your misters) the new growth can block the water from spreading out evenly. Misters are more appropriate for watering a small tray of shohin trees as a result. It is possible to use them on larger trees, as I have for about a year. However, the watering efficiency is not the best as a good portion of the water will miss the pots. Also, if the mist hits the leaves or the trunk, you will get mineral deposits and heavy moss growth on the trunks. Another benefit of misters is that they’re faster to set up. If you have a time crunch like I did, it can be faster to set up a few misters that will cover the whole collection, as opposed to crafting individual soaker tubes for each tree.

The other major watering head that exists, but I don’t recommend are dripper heads. They don’t have even water distribution by default, and designing them to have good distribution is complex. Otherwise, they share some of the other benefits of soaker tubes for aesthetics.

Remote MOnitoring and Reliability

System reliability is a very important consideration for any automated watering system. You need to trust that your system will work when you are not there. This means the system should be checked on daily to ensure that there are no leaks, clogs, or other issue with any part of the system. Over time, you develop trust in the system to water while you are gone. To take the monitoring to the next level, I installed a simple outdoor webcam that I can use to visually check in on the trees while I am gone. If you do not have this, an easy way is to ask a neighbor to come check in. Make sure you explain to them how to operate your system manually, what issues to look for, and that they know what your garden should look like. Ideally, they would have some gardening experience and can identify the signs of underwatered trees.

Conclusion

After using a misters only system with a smart controller, I switched over to a hybrid soaker tube and mister system. The larger trees get the soaker tubing, and the smaller shohins sit in a large tray with a mister pointed at it. I continuously monitor the system daily and while I am away. So far, the system has been great. The switch over to soaker tube has helped a lot with the distribution evenness and my trees are loving it! 🌳

Silent Auction forms

Please print out a form for each item or group of items you wish to sell at the Silent Auction on August 18. Refer to the June Newsletter for more details.

MBC and REBS Joint Sale

Saturday August 6, 2022
10am-4pm

Terra Linda Community Center
670 Del Ganado Rd
San Rafael, CA 94903

I wanted to give a special shout out to Marin Bonsai Club and Redwood Empire Bonsai Society’s joint sale. It is up in San Rafael this Saturday August 6 at 10am-4pm. I’ll be there all day helping out. I know MBC has a large selection of pots from storage that are up for sale. There will be lots of other bonsai material for sale from both clubs. Hope to see you there!

Upcoming programs

Transorming Nursery STock into Bonsai

Thursday August 4, 2022

Program Change! We will be having JT who will be sharing his professional skills helping us to see how ordinary nursery material he purchased the day of our nursery tour can give you a jump start with large mature material. JT picked out a 20 gallon sized olive tree as we where all gathering out front of the nursery that morning.

Annual Silent Auction

Thursday August 18, 2022

Another program change! We are rescheduling our Silent Auction to the 3rd Thursday of August. Bring your trees, pots, tools, books, soils, fertilizers, and other extra bonsai materials to support the club.

Show PrEp

Thursday September 1, 2022

With our show fast approaching, this demonstration will cover the key aspects of preparing a tree for the show. We hope you all will put in a few trees for the show and make this event a success!

MIDORI BONSAI SHOW

Saturday October 1, 2022 at the Quinlan Community Center in Cupertino

Our annual show is back! Please sign up to volunteer for this event. We will need everyone’s help in making this show happen again. 🌳

UPCOMING NORTHERN CALIFORNIA (AND BEYOND) BONSAI EVENTS

Joint Bonsai Sale by MBC and REBS

Saturday August 6, 2022
11am-4pm

Terra Linda Community Center
670 Del Ganado Rd
San Rafael, CA

Joint Bonsai Sale, hosted by MBC and REBS, on Saturday, August 6, 2022, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at the Terra Linda Community Center, 670 Del Ganado Rd, San Rafael. The sale will include established and starter bonsai trees, pots, tools, etc. Checks and cash accepted. Free admission. Parking available. For details, contact Diane Matzen at dcmatzen@gmail.com or George Haas at gwhaas@comcast.net.

The second John Y. Naka Memorial Bonsai Exhibition

August 20-21, 2022
10am-5pm

244 So. San Pedro St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012

The second John Y. Naka Memorial Bonsai Exhibition (formerly known as Nampu Kai) during Nisei Week, George J. Doizaki Gallery, JACCC, 244 So. San Pedro St., Los Angeles, CA 90012, 10am to 5pm.

GSBF Bonsai Rendezvous 2022

October 8 & 9

Hotel Mission de Oro
13070 S. Highway 33
Santa Nella, CA 95332

Annual GSBF event held at Hotel Mission de Oro, 13070 S. Highway 33, Santa Nella, CA 95322. Free and open to the public. 30+ vendors from northern and southern California as well as several out of state vendors will be on hand both days. Admission is free, donations are appreciated. Free demonstrations throughout the days. Bring-your-own bonsai work area. Mel Ikeda and his tomodachi group will demonstrate the art of creating bonsai amongst friends. Silent auctions of bonsai trees and related material will be held both days. Consignment silent auction sells opportunities are available. Rendezvous hotel room rate $155 two-night minimum. For more information contact Rich Guillen at richguillen@att.net or (831) 348-5015.

PACIFIC BONSAI EXPO

November 12-13, 2022

The Bridge Yard
Oakland, CA

The Pacific Bonsai Expo is a juried exhibition featuring 70 outstanding bonsai displays and a selection of the community’s top vendors. Jurors Bjorn Bjorholm, Ryan Neil, and William N. Valavanis will select the trees. The exhibitors are the judges. Your trees are the stars. It’s an event not to be missed.

The Capital City Bonsai Association Show

January 21 & 22, 2023
10AM-430PM

Temple City Live Oak Park Community Center
Live Oak Room
10144 Bogue St
Temple City, CA 91780

The Capital City Bonsai Association Show will be held at The Shepard Garden and Arts Center (in McKinley Park), 3330 McKinley Blvd. Sacramento, CA 95816. Show hours are 10 am - 4 pm both days. The show is a benefit to raise funds for the Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt and will feature trees from American Bonsai Association, Sacramento; Bonsai Sekiyu Kai Sacramento Bonsai Club; and the Satsuki Aikokai Association

The sale will include established and starter bonsai, pots, tools etc. Admission is free. Contact Paul Holtzen for more information at pbholtzen@sbcglobal.net.🌳