# Driftwood buoyancy



## parotet (6 Jul 2015)

Hi all

some months ago I collected some very nice wood of Juniperus sabina, a tree living in high Mediterranean mountains. Due to the extreme climatic conditions (wind, cold and snow) this tree has evolved to grow carpeting the ground. As most of the Juniperus species, they are slow growers but in these habitats the growth rate is even slower. Each of the patches you can see in the picture are isolated trees and can be more than 100 years old.



The fact is that I collected very nice pieces of dry wood cured by the cold, sun, etc.



and they have been soaking in my balcony pond for 4-5 weeks, but they do not sink! They are not really large pieces, they all fit in my 60cm tank, so the wood should be easily waterlogged. I've read that boiling them would help. They are locally known for being rot-proof and very hard wood. I have also read that Cypress wood (Juniperus is also a Cupressaceae plant) is very buoyant and people end up attaching them to slate plates.... but am I wrong assuming that it is a matter of time? People say that some driftwood is almost impossible to be waterlogged but this is only probably true for very large pieces, isn't it?

Well, anyone has any experience with similar species? I don't like the idea of siliconing the wood or fixing it to anything...

Jordi


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## Edvet (6 Jul 2015)

Just persevere. They will sink eventually. The harder the wood, the longer it takes. Tie some moss around it  already, what sticks is time gained back


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## twg (6 Jul 2015)

Keep with it...

I had a piece that took almost 2 months to sink 

It will be worth the wait


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## parotet (7 Jul 2015)

Do you think boiling the wood would help or is it a myth? I don't care about the tannins, I would do it to make sure it will sink during the coming 2 months

Jordi


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## Edvet (7 Jul 2015)

It will aid, but not sure it will be enough to hit the 2 month mark. Bolting pieces to pieces of slate might be needed if you can't wait it out.


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## parotet (7 Jul 2015)

Well, 1+ month in the pond so far, plus a boiling session, plus two months more in the pond... hope this will be enough! I want to work on the new setup at the end of August. I will need it for this time

Jordi


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