Bonsai Nightmare

[dbrock]

You know what they say, "Misery loves company." I wanted to start a topic about things going totally wrong in your bonsai experiences. I think we all have them. Post any that you would like to share.
This is what happens when a small torado is just strong enough to touch down and then pop up and skip around the country side. That shade cloth was hung with two clothes line cables(not easy to break). Luckly, none of my trees were completely blown away or sustained sever damage.

[centaura]

I think my worst experience was mowing my lawn once, the day before I was leaving for 5 days. While mowing, I kicked the hose that runs to my bonsai sprinkler - causing the hose to kink. None of my trees were watered the entire 5 days that was gone. Had it not rained while I was away, I would have lost most of my collection. Even then, when I came back everything was severely wilted and needed watering IMMEDIATELY.

-Cat

[plantmanky]

Dbrock,

Glad to hear your bonsai are all safe and sound. It's been a blustery year so far up here in Kentucky too. We've had a number of storms blow through with 70 MPH winds and I like you were lucky there was no damage. I remember the storm that got Joplin, MO and when it got to the Paducah area it howled all night with strong winds and rain. I was actually afraid to go out to the greenhouse and nursery area for fear of what I'd find. My son actually went out and came back and reported all was ok. When I did get the courage to go out, not a single tree had been blown off the benches. I was dumbfounded but greatful!

Randy

[plantmanky]

I think my worst experience was mowing my lawn once, the day before I was leaving for 5 days. While mowing, I kicked the hose that runs to my bonsai sprinkler - causing the hose to kink. None of my trees were watered the entire 5 days that was gone. Had it not rained while I was away, I would have lost most of my collection. Even then, when I came back everything was severely wilted and needed watering IMMEDIATELY.

-Cat

Cat,

oooooh, that's nasty!!!! makes me cringe just thinking about it. I know how long it takes to bring things back into shape after something like that.

Randy

[dbrock]

As bad as that one looks, I have one worse. This last winter, we had one bad winter storm that got down to 27 degrees, which is bad for Houston, TX. I had purchased a green house from Harbor Freight (don't ever do it) and had all my tropical inside it with an electric heater to keep it warm that night. In the middle of the night two of the panels on the green house blew off. I went out in the morning to find my tropicals at 27 degrees. Lost all but one Bougainville and my Podicarpus. I had several nice Tropicals and I was so depressed for months. I destroyed that green house this Spring.

[plantmanky]

I destroyed that green house this Spring.

I certainly can understand that. When that kind of thing happens to me I often will make a deliberate effort to celebrate the distruction with an evening bonfire and a burbon on the rocks and enjoy the flames.

Randy

[dbrock]

I would love to do that. However, we have a burn ban in effect so that will have to wait, but it is coming.

[MatsuBonsai]

A few years ago one of the stronger hurricanes made it all the way up to KY. A few pine seedlings were blown off the bench, but were unharmed. Two smaller azaleas were also blown off but weren't so lucky. I'm currently regrowing tops on both of them.

The benches have since been rearranged and high winds don't seem to be a problem in their current configuration.

[pjcrom]

I think my worst experience was the first three years I was learning.. I lost three tree just learning the stresses each tree can handle, however the most recent was the heat wave that came through and killed some of my cotton easter clones.