Author: Bonsai Jack

Originally posted 12-21-2014

We offer two soil mixes. Inorganic and organic.

Organic is recommended for bonsai trees that are repotted every 1-4 years. Inorganic is recommended for bonsai trees that are repotted every 1-10 years.

Available in 1/4, 1, 2, 3.5, 7, 14 and 28 gallon lots.

BonsaiJack Inorganic Soil Mix 11011

Ingredients:
25% 1/4 Pumice, 25% 1/4 BonsaiBlock(calcined clay), 25% 1/4 Lava and 25% Turface.
pH: 6.7
Absorption Rate: .071 ounces per cubic inch
Evaporation Rate: 50.7% over 24 hours. 80.51% over 48 hours.
Re-water Days: 1-2
Bulk Density: .387 ounces per cubic inch
Particle Size: ¼
Inch (excluding Turface particles)
Minimum Size: 1/8th (excluding Turface particles)
Maximum Size: 3/8ths
Application: Universal mix for trees that are repotted every 1-10 years.

BonsaiJack 221 Organic Soil Mix

Ingredients: 40% Pumice, 40% BonsaiBlock(calcined clay), 20% Pine Bark Fines. All 1/4 Inch.
pH: 6.4
Absorption Rate: .077 ounces per cubic inch
Evaporation Rate: 53.24% over 24 hours. 81.8% over 48 hours.
Re-water Days: 1-2
Bulk Density: .59
ounces per cubic inch
Particle Size: ¼ Inch
Minimum Size: 1/8th
Maximum Size: 3/8ths
Application:
Universal mix for trees that are repotted once every 1-4 years.

These proprietary mixes are a result of lab testing more than 100 soil blends and aggregates. They are optimized for pH, water absorption, evaporation, bulk density and particle size. The mixes absorb a good volume of water and release more than half it over 24 hours. More than 80 percent of the water is released over 48 hours. This helps prevent wet feet and optimizes the wet / dry root cycle.

By Bonsai Jack

Originally posted 10-19-2014

Now shipping 1/2 inch BonsaiBlock drainage material. Great for all species including tropicals.

By Bonsai Jack

Originally posted 10-19-2016

Now shipping stainless steel bonsai root hooks that are made in the USA from American steel. $13.25 with free shipping.

By Bonsai Jack

Originally posted 8-27-2014

Bonsai Tree Security Techniques. GPS, Chipping and Motion Sensors.

Security has been an issue for many bonsai artists, especially those with valuable trees or those who have had trees stolen in the past. Many people have different techniques for protecting bonsai. This article will cover a few tested methods we use. The methods described can be implemented with off the shelf components.

#1, Motion Sensors.

Chamberlain manufactures a great motion sensor system, part number CWA2000. This system comes with one wireless sensor and one base station. You plug the base station into the wall and mount the wireless sensor in the area you would like to monitor. The base station will support an additional 7 sensors, part number CWPIR. Two sensors run in a cross pattern will cover a bonsai garden that is 30×30 feet. Add more sensors around your facility for additional protection. Eight sensors will provide good overall protection for a half acre lot. The base station beeps one to eight times depending on which sensors has been activated.

The sensors are good quality plastic, have great battery life and a range of one half mile. The base station/receiver will run on batteries in the event of a power failure. The batteries will last up to 18 months. The base station and sensors require 4 AA batteries each.

False alarms from flying birds and swaying trees do happen and should be a factor in your installation. The sensors can be adjusted for 15 or 30 feet. They are set at 30 feet from the factory. False alarms are very rare at night. If the sensor is activated at night it should be taken very seriously.

Overall the system is easy to mount and program. If you run into problems and or have questions please email me from the contact page on the website.

TIPS:

• Avoid using rechargeable batteries.
• Do not over tighten the battery covers.
• Windy days may cause trees to sway and false alarms. If this becomes annoying you
  can lower the station volume or turn the device off altogether until the annoyance passes.
• Install the sensors in a circular direction around your property in consecutive
  order. Example. Sensor 1, 2, 3… and so on. This will allow you to easily
  identify the location when a sensor has been activated. Location one will
  beep once and location 8 will beep 8 times.
• If you program the first sensor and it has two beeps you need to restart the
  process. Two beeps means the unit already had a sensor programmed in slot
  1 and will cause issues when you add more sensors.
• Test all sensors before mounting them.
• Test all sensors on a bi-monthly basis. They may become deprogrammed or stop
  transmitting.
• Use good name brand non-rechargeable batteries. You can find Duracell AA
  batteries on Ebay for about 70 cents each.
• Avoid mounting the sensors directly in the path of a sprinkler head.
• Paint the sensors to match the surroundings. If mounting on a pine tree you can
  use a couple squirts of gray, brown and maroon for great camouflage.
• The base station and sensor combo costs around $40. Additional sensors can be
  found for $22 to $40 each. I have had seen the best prices on Amazon. The
  prices do fluctuate. You can save several dollars if you are patient.

#2, RFID Tags.

These have been covered before so I will not go too far into detail. They are very small microchips that are implanted into your tree or pot for unique identification. This is similar to a VIN number for a car or a serial number for a mobile phones. It helps prove ownership and tree identification with the use of a pet scanner. A $20 mobile phone and loyal pets have identifying serial numbers, why not your $500 Black Pine? The tags are sold by several companies including us. Bontag and BonsaiChip to name a few.

#3, Bonsai Satellite Tracking Devices GPS.

This is the most exciting security measure I have come across. A company called Globalstar has a spin-off LLC called Spot. This company has a couple of great products including the Spot Trace. The Trace is a s small GPS device measuring about 2x3x1 inches. The unit is waterproof. Activation and setup can be complicated but the end result is a reliable unit. Once its activated you can bury it in your bonsai soil about 1/2 inch deep and forget about it. You can program the unit to check in via email or SMS once a day. The unit will notify you in the event it has detected movement and allow you to track your tree in near real time. You can also setup a “GEO fence”, an electronic area to designated as home. Once the tree leaves that area you will be notified.

The most important feature is battery life. Previous technology has only allowed for tracking devices to last about 3 solid days before charges. This is because GSM tracking devices are basically mobile phones without a keypad. They need to communicate on a regular basis with cell towers. This results in excessive battery consumption. Other factors such as variable signal, tower hand-off and device monitoring can also cause additional battery consumption.

No need to worry about short battery life with the Spot Trace. This unit bypasses all of the GSM mobile phone tower problems and communicated directly with outer space. Its truly a GPS device. How cool is that! It conserves battery power until needed. It only transmits a small packet of data once per day to check in or when movement has been detected.

Another advantage is global tracking as the device communicates directly with LEO satellites, not independent phone carriers that can have poor signal areas or only operate in specific regions.

The battery will theoretically last 12-24 months because a bonsai tree is stationary most of its life requiring minimal transmissions. Its important to use the manufacturer recommended replacement AA long life batteries. These batteries cost about $5 each. Spot requires two.

Spot offers great technical support. This is a new technology for them. The interface can be somewhat confusing. The initial setup can take a few days to master before you are confident to bury your tracking device. Its worth the wait. Once it has been setup and you have fully tested the device you can bury and forget about it. It will check in once per day and notify you when movement is detected. It will send location updates during the movement and notify you when the batteries need to be changed.

Cost is a factor. The device has a retail price of $100. I have found them on sale for $75 and $80 each with mail in rebate. I would recommend you purchase these directly from findmespot.com or an authorized dealer to ensure you receive the proper warranty and technical support. Many retailers of this product have website coupon codes that can further reduce the price. The other expense is the service. It runs $100 per year or $8.35 per month. This is a solid investment for collections that exceed $10 grand in value.

Placement is important. Very few people have hundred thousand dollar collections and can afford multiple tracking devices. I would recommend you purchase one unit and place it on a “bait tree”. This would be the tree most likely to be stolen from your collection because of size, quality and location.

Overall this is a good investment for the advanced bonsai artist. Its not a complete protection scheme. If added to other security measures it will make for a sound investment.

If you do purchase this device and have some Spot/bonsai related questions feel free contact me from the contact page on the website. General technical support from Spot is also available.

Is important to note that this unit is advertised as waterproof but not guaranteed against water damage. Basic mechanical skills are required when sealing the unit back up after a battery change.

Good luck and thanks for the continued support.

By Bonsai Jack

Originally posted 9-7-2014

Tree tags will display the common name, botanical name and bonsai artist. Available in blank plates or professionally engraved. Please see the website for more details.

By Bonsai Jack

Originally posted 6-11-2014

Make Your Own PVC Bonsai Wire Caddy. DYI Build

Caddy Assembly
Instructions

Parts needed

We have hundreds of anchors, 45’s and bushings left over from builds. They are available at cost plus shipping. Email [email protected] if you need any.

Its important to dry fit all parts before gluing.

• Press 3/4 caps onto bolt ends to create a round knob
• Mount the drop in anchors into one side of your 12 1/16th inch sections of PVC. This can be done with a hammer and piece of rebar.
• Grind the ends of the 12 1/16th inch sections that contain the drop in anchor so it can easily slide in and out of a side outlet elbow.
• Attach the 12 1/16th inch sections to a 3/4 tee to create the bar that holds the rolls. The anchor ends should not be glued.
• Attach two 2.5″ inch sections of 3/4″ pvc and one 2.5″ inch section of 3/4″ pvc to the remaining tee to create a handle. Attach the end caps to he handle
• Attach the handle to the bar.
• The handle assembly is complete.

• Use a dremel to cut out ten 8.5″ circle dividers from your PVC panel. The PVC panel can be found at Lowes and Home Depot. Lowes Item # is 72405 | Model #: 688840. Its important not to substitute another size of panel as you will have fit issues later on in the build.

• Use a hole saw to cut a 1&1/8th hole into the plates. The hole should be centered at 2 inches in from one edge. Hint. you can cut 20 of these at a time if
  you use several clamps.

• Cut these sections of PVC.

• Its difficult but important to get a square cut. A large tile saw works well.
  Its virtually impossible to get a square cut with a hack saw.

• Cut these sections of PVC

• Now assemble these sections with 4 side outlet elbows to create your base.
  This part is tricky and will require fast hands. After you have glued
  these sections place the base on a flat surface and make adjustments with
  a twisting motion until its perfectly level. You have to work fast.

• Cut these the 5″ inch sections of 3/4″ pvc. Attach two of them to
  one side outlet elbow to create an open triangle. Repeat to create your
  second triangle. Now attach four 45’s to the exposed ends of the 5″
  PVC keeping them perfectly aligned with the direction of the pipe. Attach
  four sections of 1.5″ pvc to the exposed ends of the 45’s.

• Attach the base to the triangles you just created.

• Install the rolls and dividers to the caddy. Lightly screw the end caps into place
  and measure for horizontal play. If the caddy has horizontal play then
  your wire will slip between the dividers and cause problems. Every caddy
  will have some play. Measure how much play you have and insert the
  bushings to compensate. I have hundreds of these bushings available for 50
  cents each, email [email protected] if you need a couple.
• If you choose to paint your caddy you will need a spray paint that clearly states
  plastic on the label. its a good idea to use acetone to remove most of the
  PVC barcodes and text before painting as they will belled through the
  paint.

Good luck.

By Bonsai Jack

Originally posted 4-20-2016

Bonsai Block is a superior replacement for turface. BonsaiBlock advantages include…

• A constant ¼ inch size versus turface, which is made up of smaller particles
  that reduce drainage.
• Less water retention. Our tests show a 20 percent water retention rate for
  Bonsai Block versus Turface that shows a retention rate of 44 percent. This
  can reduce root rot. Please see our blog at BonsaiJack.com for more
  information on these tests.
• Better cosmetics. BonsaiBlock looks better in shape and color. It has a natural
  pebble look with multiple earth tones. Unlike Turface that has a light
  color machined appearance.
• High firing temperatures. Both Turface and BonsaiBlock are calcined clay but
  BonsaiBlock is fired at higher temps making a stronger material that will
  not break down as fast.
• BonsaiBlock has a consistent PH range. Our tests have shown Turface with an acidic PH
  of 4.41 versus BonsaiBlock with a PH of 8.63. Turface labels show a very
  wide PH range of 4.0 to 8.0. This is very inconsistent in my opinion.

BonsaiBlock is a superior product and is priced lower than lava and about the same as Turface. It has many of the same properties of Maroon Lava and superior properties to Turface.

Bonsai artists will continue to use turface as a soil ingredient and that is your decision. We sell both kinds. We can only provide information for
alternative products to consider. It is my opinion that turface should only be used for acid loving shohin or mame trees.

We are using a mix of two parts BonsaiBlock, two parts pumice and one part pine bark fines for tropicals.

Thanks for the continued support.

By Bonsai Jack

Originally posted 4-6-2014

We are growing and so is our supply. Take advantage of bulk or local pickup pricing today.

Thanks to the overwhelming support from our loyal customers we are starting to order aggregates in larger batches. Our last pumice shipment was 37 yards(7474 gallons). We can in turn offer larger lots, lower prices and local bulk pickup pricing.

We have added several 14 and 28 gallon SKU’s to bonsai lava rock, pumice, pine bark fines, BonsaiBlock and Turface to our product line. These SKU’s are discounted as we all save in shipping costs. It costs about $15 to ship one 3.5 gallon bag of aggregate. We can ship three bags of aggregate for about $30.

If you are lucky enough to live in South Florida you can save even more by taking advantage of local pickup.

The 14 and 28 gallon SKU’s are only available on this website.

Local to Ft Myers? Please note: Not all local pickup products are available to Ft Myers residents due to possible conflicts of interest.

Here is a photo showing our quarter inch bonsai soil aggregate lineup. From left to right

Bonsai Block – Pumice – Maroon Lava – Black Lava – Pine Bark Fines

By Bonsai Jack

Originally posted 4-2-2014

We have added Dark Grey to our Bonsai Cut Paste color selection. This is the 6^th color we have released. The new color will compete with our best selling Olive Drab Cut Paste due to its ability to adapt with a large number of tree colors and low price.

This product is available on Ebay and the website.

By Bonsai Jack