Bonsai project help! (Group Planting)

[injoyinmyself]

Hi there! Great website you have here! I wanted to share this idea I have and wanted to make sure this would all work out before I go ahead and start. Also I wanted to hear what you think of course!

Okay so here it is: So I was planning on making this look like a mini forest of some sort. I was going to build a large table with a glass border around the top so I can grow trees within it. Here is a rough picture of my idea. Hopefully it allows you to see:

file:///C:/Users/Bong/Pictures/forest.png

It's going to be roughly around three feet wide, three feet long. This is going to be made out of wood, glass, and plexiglass.
As you may know, to keep it a bonsai it must stay in a limited sized pot, so what I planned to do was to put all the plants I was planning on putting in individual pots and just fill in the gaps with soil. At the bottom where the pots would sit would have many holes for airflow and what I'm wondering is if that would be enough airflow? I don't want to suffocate the plants or anything to bring them discomfort. As you've hopefully seen in the picture I provided, the hexagonal holes are supposed to represent a wire mesh for extra airflow.
Also I was thinking of putting a mini fan underneath in case of excess moisture. Would that be smart, or no?

Since it's going to be made out of wood I decided to put plexiglass, with holes, on top of the wooden area. So basically the potted plants and soil would sit on top of the plexiglass.
Also I was planning on putting moss around the "forest" would that be smart? Can moss get over watered?

Also I planned on putting a mini waterfall. I would definitely make sure the plants wouldn't get over watered or the material I would use wouldn't deteriorate because of the water. I just thought it would bring in humidity, as well as beauty.

You're probably wondering what plants I would be planting. Well that then leads me to another question: Would it be safe to mix the plant species in the same area?

I was planning on putting my juniper, ginseng ficus, holly tree, dwarf golden arborvitae, Italian cypress, as well as other junipers, venus fly traps, ferns, and a moon cactus as well as other species of cacti. I was also going to start propagating some trees out in my neighborhood and put them in the forest as well.
Do you believe that would work out fine? I just want to prevent any future root rot or any other possible problems it have. I recognize the fact that some plants may need sunlight more than others so I would make it so the potted plants would easily come out and put back in.

I live in Las Vegas, NV and if you don't live here you can only imagine the heat waves we receive during the summer.

From what you have read, how would I prevent any excess heat within the soil? Or prevent any root rot of any sort?

If you feel I should add anything or change anything, please let me know!

Thank you very much fr taking the time to read this and hopefully write back!!

[rainbowgardener]

To start with, can't see the picture. It looks like you tried to upload it directly from your computer, because that isn't even a URL. That doesn't work. Instructions for how to post pictures here are in New to Helpful Gardener? under Helpful Tips and Suggestions for New Members. And welcome to the Forum!

Sounds like you have a very creative idea, but tricky to carry out. I'm not a bonsai grower, so I can't really say anything about the technique of it, watering, etc. But as an experienced general gardener, I can say that usually we group things together that have similar requirements, for sun, water etc. You have already solved part of that by keeping them in individual pots, so they can have their own soil and perhaps their own moisture level. But still you have to think about will your forest be indoors year round, indoors in winter, outdoors year round? Your ficus can stay indoors all the time. Many other bonsai trees need to be outdoors at least some of the time, if not all.

Also you are grouping things together like ferns and cacti that need very different climate conditions.

Then there is an issue of scale. The idea of the bonsai forest



is to give the effect of an actual group of trees (not actually forest, because it doesn't have other elements of a forest like shrubs) that has been miniaturized. So they are all at the same scale. If those are pine trees that would in nature be 50 feet tall, now they are 1 foot tall. So they are all reduced to the same scale. But there would be no way to reduce say your venus fly trap, so it would look huge compared to your trees. You could maybe find very small cacti or ferns that wouldn't dwarf your trees.

But you might want to think about things that conceivably could be found together, not only for growing conditions, but also for the look of it. Do you want just jumble of stuff on a table or do you want things that will give a harmonious image together?

I don't mean to be discouraging, just suggesting issues to think about. It seems like you are tending to complicate your idea more and more. You might do better at least initially to keep it as simple as possible.

But again Welcome to the Forum and best wishes with your project. I'm sure some actual bonsai growers will be along who can say more about the technical issues, watering, etc.

[tomc]

Multi tree plantings, are most often more than one of the same cultivar of tree. IE several pines etc.

Some folks do also grow accent plants with their tree. Um, moss and ferns are two that come to mind.

A crab and a spruce for instance may not grow at the same speed and often resist keeping at the same pace.

I'd be much more concerned with how well your slab (base, bowl, or tray) drains, and how well the soil drains than how well you can erect a terrarium around your planting.

Most trees live well only out doors. A structure like a terrarium will cook a tree, post haste. Literally poaching it in place.

Most commercial potting soil (composts for UK readers) are not good choices for trees in shallow pots or slabs. Much, much too anoxic.

I just went back and re-read your plant listing. In Las Vegas??? Most bonsai are living under shade cloth and or a shade house. For nine months of the year, and indoors (under lights) the other three.