Only real loss here nothing simulated. 😉

Great results David! Thank you for sharing!

HI everyone. I saw this tread and wanted to add my two cents. Most LED lights now use a blend of mostly red and blue spectrum LEDs and depending on that companies proprietary light spectrum there will be other spectrums mixed in as well. In general blue light helps with vegetative growth, while red light helps with flowering. Plants have two different types of photosynthesis systems, one of which absorbs the blue light spectrum and the other absorbs the red spectrum. It is my opinion that we should utilize both forms of photosynthesis, as opposed to only putting one part of the plant to work. In addition, it has recently been found that red light is actually found in the root tips. Scientists have not completely understood this, but the thought is that it may help the roots to navigate the soil. The Black Dog LEDs I use have a mix of different colored diodes to create a full spectrum light, although it still looks purple to the eye. Their site has great articles about grow lights and the way they approach light color and spectrum. Outside of the color spectrum of your light, you should pay attention to Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR), and the light penetration. Most newer grow lights and bulbs will have a par rating, as that is the band of radiation that will serve our plants best. Light penetration is much harder to determine, but if you look at the distance the light should be placed away from the plant it will provide a good clue to the lights ability to reach beyond the top of the canopy. Fluorescent bulbs, for example, should be placed within inches of the leaves to provide enough light. LEDs on the other hand are often recommended to be hung 10-18 inches from the top of the plant to avoid bleaching. So the fluorescent light does not have a great ability to penetrate the canopy of the bonsai, where as an LED fixture typically has a much greater length from the light that is filled with an abundant amount of light. In fact, when placed too close to LED lights laves will bleach out at the intensity of light is higher than what a plant can take. The bleaching is almost like a different form of leaf scorch. As you can probably tell I really like LED lights at this point, but I do still have several T5 fluorescent fixtures I still use. My trees under fluorescents tend to grow readily from the top of the tree, while lower branches typically do nothing for me during the winter. Sometimes lower branches even drop leaves and die back if really shaded. I do not have this issue with my LED fixture, and have also added a light mover to help further reduce apical dominance. This works by exposing the bonsai to constantly moving light which allows the light to hit the inside of the canopy as it moves along. It also prevents new growth from pointing in one direction. I hope to refine some of this further for a presentation to the society, so please add questions to this and I will do my best to cover it here and during my presentation in March 2022

Hi Travis, Thank you for the kind words about my ficus, and for noticing the Portulicaria afra verigata in one of the photos. Instead of adding to this topic, I went ahead and created a new forum post specifically for that bonsai and you can find it here. Portulicaria afra verigata progression.

Hi guys, I have started using a counter top RO unit and it is great for my needs. This could be your winter option David. My tap water is also a pH of 8, and has a TDS around 800. After the filter the pH is about 6, and the TDS is 4. I use a MSU RO fertilizer to add nutrients back into my water. I am about 6 months into using the new RO filter, and am very happy with the results.

Hi Dan and Matt, Tee best resource I have found for all things moss, is the Moss Growers Handbook which is a free download. I will let Dan chime in about rain water collection, but the RO system I went with is made by APEC, and I have been very happy with it.

100% humidity = 0 transpiration is what I am seeing. without the ability to move H2O, O2, and CO2 through the plant and leaves effectively, due to 100% humidity, the photosynthetic reaction stalls out. This is also a good demonstration of why it is important to keep the air moving in your grow set up. Moving air, with less than 100% humidity 😉, helps to drive transpiration, which in turn drives photosynthesis which leads to more plant growth.

I ordered my bare root seedlings from Cold Stream Farms in MI. The ones I ordered didn't make it, but bare root material is super cheap so no loss. For hornbeams in particular I think bare root is a bad idea in our climate. I will let you know if I find another source.

I always love buying a few trees from Evergreen Garden Works. They do not currently have procumbens, but they do have a few other juniperus species. https://www.evergreengardenworks.com/availabl.htm

Thanks for the input everyone! I have had pretty good success over the last 3 months using RO water with MSU fertilizer bringing it to 200 TDS. You are all correct to collect moss from areas that fit the environment you are able to provide, and I think the water quality is also a critical point that can often be missed. The moss I have been woking with is at least 4 different species that I have collected from sunny locations growing between stepping stones on a road base type substrate. The photo below is from the beginning of January and the moss had been transplanted into place for roughly 45 days. Then the next photo is from a slightly different angle, but of the same area 3 months latter. These moss species were found outdoors in the metro area, and I know one of them is silver tip moss, Bryum argenteum. The environment I have been providing is indoors under my grow lights, with constant air movement. Keeping the black growth (algae?) under control has been a challenge, but allowing the rock and substrate to dry down at least twice per week has been killing it back slowly. I have also been propagating silver tip moss under humidity domes, and the change in growth habit is very interesting. One more shot of some moss slowly trying to take over a piece of tufa stone.

I am keeping this bougie a but under wraps until it fills back in for the spring solo show. 😉

Hi Andy, I have a root on rock bougie that I am growing as a bonsai wabi kusa hybrid. The main disadvantage to working with bougainvillea roots is that they are super fragile. They best term I have heard compares bougainvillea roots to al dente pasta, and I wold say that holds pretty true. Plan on a lot longer time growing the roots over the rock if you give it a try.

I put all of my tropicals outdoors during the summer months. I find the trees grow much better outdoors, and most pest issues resolve themselves outdoors as well.

Thank you for starting an inspiration thread Nicholas! My inspirations are not exactly bonsai, but I think they can greatly influence or local bonsai aesthetic. Below are a few cottonwood trees that I have enjoyed studying the structure of. I think Jade plants lend themselves to this type of growth habit very well. The above shows a great windswept/semi-cascade and literati, while the photo below shows a version of a broom style I actually like.

That is an incredible hornbeam! I have planted bare root American hornbeams with no success. Have you learned anything specific about repotting or root work with this species?

Awesome results for striking cuttings! How often did you need to water under your conditions? I am curious if a larger particle soil could be used, or even air pruning containers. Thank you for sharing your new technique, and I may duplicate it with a changed soil or container and report back how things go.