Solar Toys

It all started with a couple of solar tiki torches more than a year ago which I really liked.  Those proved to be totally reliable - running on a two NiMh batteries and flickering way into morning hours - I love that yellow flickering light. After a rare impulsive buy I ended up with a crystal ball led light which changes color.  A good conversation piece for a late night symposium.

Then I added Crystal Ball String Lights.  Though hard to setup these are cute. Surprisingly they run on a single NiMh battery.  Not bright but I do not mind.
Recently I added spotlights.   A separate solar panel houses 3 NiMh batteries.  What I like least about these spotlights are blue light color and short wires - maybe I should use CTO gel?.
My experience with small solar toys powered by NiMh batteries was so positive I decided to get a battery-backed solar pump for my future water feature.  The fountain is very compact but sufficiently tall and is totally self-contained.  We shall see!

New Plants - Bamboo Incognito

Bamboo is a must-have for any Japanese garden.  Here is what I like about it:

• Upright and takes little floor space
• Beautiful foliage
• Dynamic - responds to movement of air
• Hopefully easy to grow and maintain.

On the left is the original plant I found through this free offer page.  I need help identifying this species.  It's a runner for sure.  On the right are the cuttings from the above plant planted on my balcony.

Bamboo Privacy Screen/Trellis

I am inspired by Zen garden ideas about importance of boundaries.  So as the first step in remodeling the southern balcony in Japanese style I built a bamboo trellis which doubles as a privacy screen.  I hope it will also help to fight the scorching heat while retaining the light breeze.
So here are the steps I took for this (not so) little DIY project:

You Growing What?

Just noticed there are unplanned plants in my container!  Power of life is amazing.  Also tells you how much stuff is in the air.
Note to self: that drip irrigation even on a south balcony is a powerful thing!

Harvest collected from a single 30" container.  So far this one is the only affected.

What kind of mushrooms are these?

Plumbed Draining Tray

Ideal planter for my balcony would have drainage which I could plumb so that the water is routed off the balcony.  Self watering containers could probably be customized for this.  So far I am focusing on creating a drip tray with plumbing routing the water off the balcony.

Common Parts

I use economy-priced of-the-shelf components.

Tray

Elbow 1/2" male thread to 1/2" barb

1/2" tubing

I took the design through a couple of iterations.

New plants - Japanese maple, Juniper, etc.

I really really like the look of Japanese maple.  So much I saved on my phone this list of cultivars which can grow in a container.  And then, one of the days I was driving near my favorite big box store I noticed a parking lot sale.  That is Japanese maple sale.
In this container I have Acer palmatum var. dissectum 'Tamukeyama' with a clump of Dwarf Mondo Grass Green (Ophiopogon japonicus 'nana') split in halves.  Probably I should have bought two of the grass mounds.  This container sits on the northern balcony near the edge of the building so it is hit by a morning sun.  Tamukeyama is believed to be the most sun resistant of all the Japanese maple dissectums.  I love to sit in the shade and just admire its intricate leaves.

Lessons Learned - Planters and Plant Stands

My balconies are made of wood.  And there are neighbors under.  Therefore I do not like the idea of having pots on the balcony floor.  Its makes hard to keep floors clean and neighbors would not appreciate water dripping from their balcony ceiling.
Therefore pots need saucers.  And stands.  So that I can use a leaf blower to clean the balcony in seconds.  Oh! And the saucers should come with drainage for water runoff.  Outside the balcony.  I still have not found yet an ideal combination of planter/saucer/water drain. 
Therefore I am trying to build one!

Lessons Learned - Plants

Time flies.  Here is an update on my plants an what I learned about them (and myself ;-)

The combination of mother-in-law's tongue and southern maidenhair fern described here was most elegant and pleasing.  My attempts to propagate Sansevieria failed.  I used moss ground cover to maintain moisture and I think it was a mistake.  By the end of the winter mother-in-law's tongue leaves just rotted at the bottom.  I found no place for fern so just I discarded it.  Yet I would love to redo this container when I have a chance.

Sago palm described in the same post hardly changed.  I do not care much for it and it does not exactly match my vision for the north balcony, but it just keeps going.  Albeit slowly.  Must be root-bound.

On to South-facing balcony.  I knew the plants will not survive unless I automate watering.  All planters were hooked to a drip irrigation system connected to tap via timer. Most of the emitters are of micro-bubbler type. Watering was done every 3 days in summer and every 6 days in winter for 5 minutes at a time.  In retrospect, I should have been watering plants daily in summer.  Besides I forgot to change the schedule in spring and lost few plants.