I use plastic crates all the time. I don't pay for them either, I just take them from behind supermarkets.
I line them with mosquito net. It's the cheapest way to do it and it's easy.
If I get one that's too large, I will sometimes cut off an end and affix it to the right dimension with just aluminum wire. It works for me.
Larger ones can flex too, so I'll add a wooden bracket around them as well (see my profile for examples)
I mean that’s theft… not that I really care about Walmart/Kroger/etc., the employees get yelled at for this though because corporate assumes they are being thrown away. Even if they were broken we were to send them back as some other company actually owned them.
No actually, I just ask an employee which ones I can take. There's disposable ones that they throw away, so they would literally just end up in the trash otherwise.
Go back to 2021, stack the crates into a podium like structure, then place a bonsai on the highest crate. Then challenge people to make it to the bonsai. It’ll take the internet by storm and finally place bonsai on the proverbial map
Seem like a good option. I’ve used similar looking baskets (although smaller) from the Dollarama that were made to hold stationary. Worked really well.
Honestly I find any plastic mesh basket will work as long as the soil doesnt fall through the holes. So just use some mesh or moss to cover
They absolutely work. I have used them with only sphagnum moss as substrate for yamadori with great success! They are easy to move around without having to worry about stability as well.
I have 2 trees in those, doing fantastic so far. I use a thin geo synthetic between soil and basket so the soil cant wash out but the water passes through.
If you took a sawzall and trimmed them to a third of their height then lined it with mesh that would work.
They’re actually shallower than the 13 x 13 x 11 pond baskets. These are only 10” deep. Sawzall feels suspiciously like work…
Ah, I see, I didn't have a sense of the scale. Yeah, I'd still halve them. Sawzall is work, wiring is work, watering is work, bonsai is work.
I don’t do work ;-) Pruning is relaxation. Snip snip.
Jeez, downvoted for being tongue in cheek, tough crowd.
Snip, snip is serious business.
Yeah I wouldn’t cut them. Just fill with less soil if need be.
I used similar to grow out a few trees just used a larger size agg layer as soil catcher
They're great! Use sphagnum moss to cover the large holes.
Oh that’s so much better than endless mesh…
Planted a small forest in a basket like that and the sphagnum moss helped keep all the soil in.
That sounds superb! Any chance for some pics?
I use burlap in the crates with my peppers.
Use mesh or it kinda defeats the purpose
No, I don’t think it is
fantastic idea
I use plastic crates all the time. I don't pay for them either, I just take them from behind supermarkets. I line them with mosquito net. It's the cheapest way to do it and it's easy. If I get one that's too large, I will sometimes cut off an end and affix it to the right dimension with just aluminum wire. It works for me. Larger ones can flex too, so I'll add a wooden bracket around them as well (see my profile for examples)
I mean that’s theft… not that I really care about Walmart/Kroger/etc., the employees get yelled at for this though because corporate assumes they are being thrown away. Even if they were broken we were to send them back as some other company actually owned them.
No actually, I just ask an employee which ones I can take. There's disposable ones that they throw away, so they would literally just end up in the trash otherwise.
I think these are a great idea. Please update us with your bonsai in them
I used them and they work quite nicely. The shape allows for good nebari work from the getgo
Go back to 2021, stack the crates into a podium like structure, then place a bonsai on the highest crate. Then challenge people to make it to the bonsai. It’ll take the internet by storm and finally place bonsai on the proverbial map
…what? What reference am I missing here?
I think it was the milk crate challenge viral video that is being referenced
They are great, I use them for forests, the bigger holes I plug with coir husk or sphagnum moss.
Seem like a good option. I’ve used similar looking baskets (although smaller) from the Dollarama that were made to hold stationary. Worked really well. Honestly I find any plastic mesh basket will work as long as the soil doesnt fall through the holes. So just use some mesh or moss to cover
Where do you find those?
Some people said they can get them directly from grocery stores
Will swing by one tomorrow
It will work
Toss some screen in that and call it a day
I like them for cuttings too. I work at a grocery store and have collected a fair share of them. Normally, they get tossed in the compactor.
Where does a person buy produce crates? I am intrigued
I'm getting flashbacks looking at these crates
Definitely useable for development. It may take some experimenting to find the right soil mix, though.
They absolutely work. I have used them with only sphagnum moss as substrate for yamadori with great success! They are easy to move around without having to worry about stability as well.
I have 2 trees in those, doing fantastic so far. I use a thin geo synthetic between soil and basket so the soil cant wash out but the water passes through.
What exactly do you mean, geo synthetic?
*row cover* is the correct word
grab some zip ties and line with fiberglass or nylon window screen mesh and you're good
No