Always Have a Backup Plan

And wouldn't you know it, I was digging through some old pots and containers and found something that will make for a very nice backup should I not be able to build a custom one to my liking.

Bought this thing years ago and didn't have any immediate use for it.  The skull will actually fit down inside of this pot, so once filled with soil there will be a nice ring all the way around the skull that the roots can sink into, while still having that nice little bit on the side for something interesting.

I've also hotglued the mandible to the skull (it is two separate pieces) because I think I like it more as a nice dynamic open mouthed piece than as a static closed mouth.  But its just hotglue, if I change my mind it will be simple to pop it back out.  Going to wait until I'm 100% sure thats how I want it before I break out the super glue.

In the mean time, lets put this planter to good use!

Moss!

One of the best ways to give a bonchi (or any bonsai for that matter) a good look of age is moss.  There are many different types of moss, but this stuff grows wild on my driveway and forms a nice thick green carpet.  Like all mosses, it does not have true roots and aside from moisture derives most of what it needs from the air.  Which is great as a decoration because you never have to worry about feeding it, but it means the stuff is very slow growing.

So, I grabbed a chunk of it from outside, broke it up into small pieces, and seeded the planter with them.  The soil I used is what I tend to grow my bonchi in.  Its a mix of peat, diatomaceous earth, succulent soil, water crystals, and plant food granules.  While this would be a little too water retentive for normal bonsai, I like it for bonchi because my preferred watering method with peppers is to simply not water them at all until they start to droop, then give them a quick drink and go back to ignoring them.  Peppers don't like prolonged wet soil, but something that stays fairly dry without being completely devoid of water.  This mix does that.

Now, in a few months I should have a nice carpet of moss for when I eventually make my bonchi.