A New Friend

You're not the only one who enjoys your trees. This is a Gray Tree Frog hanging out in a mame pot that sits on the moss of a hawthorn forest. The pot is meant to diffuse some water to the bonsai, but this little guy obviously thought it was a good place to soak.
No surprise this frog showed up in a bonsai, the Wikipedia entry I read for them says they are never far from trees.

The right tool can make all the difference...

If the bonsai pot in the photo looks somehow different, you’re not imagining things. It’s not really a bonsai pot, but lets start the story at the beginning.

Back in the bad old, pre-internet days when buying  bonsai  supplies meant physically being where a vendor was, at a lucky break in finding g a mail-order supplier, bonsai hobbyists were always on the lookout for supplies.  One bit of advice was to keep your eyes open, useful things can pop up just about anywhere. One early publication, obviously written in a much different, less politically correct era, advised vesting curiosity shops, junk stores and “quaint markets” to be found in the  “foreign sections” of big cities.

The ceramic object  pictured is a very inexpensive, mass produced trinket box in the blue and white style many non-Chinese believe to authentic Chinese. It had a lid that is long ago lost, and was purchased at Pier One back at time before that retailer had become an interior decorator show room and still handled, when they still sold cheap and interesting items from around the world. I bought it because the size and shape seemed good for a bonsai, and because back then I was eager to buy any thing bonsai related.

The problem with an item like this, not meant for horticultural use, is that it has no drainage hole.  That is not the drawback it may seem.  While it is important to have drainage in any growing container, it is far easier to create a drain hole than at first it may seem.  It shocks me now that the space of time between buying the item and drilling for growing is so long-about twenty five years.

Why so long? It was really a matter of procrastination. Having  bought the trinket box, I put off buying a specialized drill bit because I figured it would be expensive, or lots of trouble.  Putting a job off for a week and then two, makes it easier to put it off for one year then two, and lots of time can pass. Then one day you find yourself at a really hardware store, and once you’ve got what you came for, and the helpful staff member asks if you need anything else, the odd notion pops into your head to ask which drill bit is best for drilling ceramics.

To make a long story interminable, a carbide tip drill bit isn’t all that expensive (around $10,depending on size and retailer) and  drilling ceramic isn’t all that hard. It just takes patience.

Good quality ceramic can be very hard, and high fired glazes are actually harder than metal. So if your expectation is to just pop a hole in a ceramic item in the same way as drilling wood, the process will be different. Begin by getting proper safety equipment on-eye and ear protection is important. Flying bits or porcelain will do a number on your eyes, and because drilling ceramic can be time consuming, the high level noise will extend out for a while.

Cradling the item in wet sand will create a firm but yielding base, and the moisture will help dissipate heat generated by the drilling process. Having water on hand to cool the drill site is also a good idea. Container with recessed bottom will hold their own water, or have a helper  aim a trickle from a watering can. Use of a hose around a corded drill is probably best avoided.  If the piece you are drilling has a flaw in the glaze that is well placed, that’s a good location to drill, other wise apply an “X” of masking tape at the spot you want your hole. The tape will help assure the drill bit doesn’t go skittering around.

Now you’re ready to drill.   Ceramic is brittle so pushing too hard will result in a ruined item, while not pushing enough will mean the drill goes sailing about. It’s best to start slow and develop the right touch. Be patient, let the drill do most of the work and take your time. Fine china and bakeware type piece will take a long time-they are very hard. Like many things bonsai related, patience will be rewarded.

Now that I have a bonsai-ready pot, I hope it is less than 25 years until  it gets a plant in it.