Alex's new stick.

[BPSabelhaus]

 

[xp29]

She is so cute

 

[BPSabelhaus]

Not Alex's stick. My stick lol One of the small pieces I picked up when I got the last stick. Eventually will host a bonsai, but it has a long way to go. Still need to "paint" parts with clay and soil mix, fill it, select a fitting tree etc.... I have several cedars to use currently in root training and will be collecting a few more this winter. The actual planting / training etc... is still a couple years out lol. I just hope to get the base mossy with strawberry runners coming off the edge in the interim. Then hope I don't kill all the work lol
Keeping this one happily watered with proper sun will be tricky. Probably end up with a humidity controlled cabinet/ small greenhouse setup around it to keep it happy indoors in the summer heat, then back outside when it's happy time.

 

[xp29]

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Not Alex's stick. My stick lol One of the small pieces I picked up when I got the last stick. Eventually will host a bonsai, but it has a long way to go. Still need to "paint" parts with clay and soil mix, fill it, select a fitting tree etc.... I have several cedars to use currently in root training and will be collecting a few more this winter. The actual planting / training etc... is still a couple years out lol. I just hope to get the base mossy with strawberry runners coming off the edge in the interim. Then hope I don't kill all the work lol
Keeping this one happily watered with proper sun will be tricky. Probably end up with a humidity controlled cabinet/ small greenhouse setup around it to keep it happy indoors in the summer heat, then back outside when it's happy time.

that's pretty cool
The girlfriend had mentioned wanting to do a couple bonsai but she never followed through. It will be interesting to see your progress

 

[ChileanTaco]

Reminds me of when I had a Bonsai (do-it-yourself, from the garden) when I was much younger.

What have you used for shaping the pot? I have used concrete so far (when, as often, I could not make the pots out of clay as I had no access to a kiln), but starting again making pots here I'd got a package of concrete with horribly quality I then called quite annoyed "crumblerite" and "breakerite" (was so crumbly I could break it with my fingers... sadly something for "the round storage", i.e. the trash) Looking for some other material to try that doesn't require a kiln.

 

[BPSabelhaus]

Air dry clay. It's basically just there to become part of a larger substrate that retains a general form as roots and other stuff grow into it.

This one is a wee baby. 18 months or so old. No training at all, grown from seed in a hole through the pumice. Probably start training a general form and maybe some roots around 3-4 years.

 

[ChileanTaco]

@BPSabelhaus
Which brand (in case I can get the same)? Most "air dry clay" I found so far are either
a) papier-mâché (paper mache)
b) meant as toys: pretend being a potter, let it dry, later just mix with water and have fun again
c) the ones for reptiles, great in the enclosure, I use it around plants to hold them in place, but still not suitable for pots.
Nothing that gets close to a kiln-fired pot or concrete. Is the one you use stable enough to form a pot for plant that will be watered, or not?

 

[BPSabelhaus]

Right, it's not kiln dry but air dry. Over time it should be eaten by the roots and moss. The stick in the middle is basically holding it to the slate and everything else becomes rooted to the stick. Kind of like building up sticks and debris to make an artificial mound to grow plants on.

Not something you wanna stand on lol

The very thin end by the drain hole I might need to secure with super glue when it fully dries. Slightly loose there, but also might be fine as is. Doesn't have much to grip right there.

 

[ChileanTaco]

So that's not something you could make a pot that holds for years. Understand

Not something you wanna stand on lol

That wasn't intended But something that holds up for years and can be shaped into a (naturalistic looking) sturdy pot, without access to a kiln. (Incredibly hard to find, a place to fire clay - had access to one at a school I attended years ago, but otherwise... even if booking a course, hard to find.)
Think I have to look into a better concrete, maybe one directly made for art projects if I can find that here. (Previously, I just used the finest one from the hardware store and the results were decent.)
Btw.: I also use a lot of sticks and natural stones in planters, I love succulents and it goes well along with them. I like everything that lives and looks like a bit of nature at home.

 

[BPSabelhaus]

Yeah, this one is kind of intended to decay over time. Been dumping the waste water in my camas pots. They love clay. Making a pot like this packed with good soil then planting the entire thing might not be a bad idea for some stuff.
Might actually try collecting my own clay and firing in a pit some day. Plenty down at the river.

 

[xp29]

Anyone that is industrious could probably build an actual working kiln. Basically fire bricks and propane. I bet you could find plans online.

 

[BPSabelhaus]

Kind of built one out of stones and mud already lol. More of a can I even make a hearth sort of thing. Only I did not consider wind at all lol Small fire was enough to realize I could set a lot more on fire with a good wind. Also that it was facing literally the opposite direction it should lol

 

[ChileanTaco]

Anyone that is industrious could probably build an actual working kiln. Basically fire bricks and propane. I bet you could find plans online.

Technically yes, but that's nothing when living in an apartment
(There are even ways how to fire clay without an actual kiln - but still, one would need access to a place to make a fire, usually one makes a fire in a pit. If I would live on the countryside, on my own property, I would actually try.)
So that's why I'm looking for materials that harden into something sturdy without heating them, or at maximum up to a temperature feasible in the kitchen oven. (I use polymer clay for various crafts, hardens at 110 - 130 °C, but that's nothing for plants.) Concrete sometimes works well, but that last package just resulted in "crumblerite".

 

[BPSabelhaus]

Some of the thinner bits pulled away from the slate. Thicker stuff just pulled back exposing the edges which is what I wanted. Thin stuff stayed intact except one tiny corner that probably needed to go anyway. Once it's fully cured the loose bits will be glued into their final position. Pulled away slightly from a hidden spot on the wood. I'll glue it to be safe, but probably just a low spot on the wood exposing some grain. Might just clean the edges up or fill it back in.

Loose area is like the last inch or so of the long front root part. It kind of moved to where I kind of wanted it when I was done. Thought it was too close to the front and not exposing enough slate.

 

[BPSabelhaus]

"You're a complete waste of clay and ugly"

Ok, not bad

Better

Hmm another stick?

Both is best.