How would I model this in N?

[Iain]

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In the past, I've tried modeling eastern NC, and I didn't get past not liking the 'soil'.  If you look at the exposed dirt in the trail, it's a a grayish color, and the particles are very, very fine, and I've not been able to replicate it in a way to convince myself.

On top of the soil is the vegetation.  What would be a good way to make a nice looking longleaf pine?  How about the low ground cover? 

[Dave V]

If you solve the longleaf pine question, you will have earned double-plaid membership. Anyone modeling south of the James River would be your new best friend.

[Chris333]

Paint the dirt grey.

[Scottl]

Looking at the image, the parent material is grayish, which is what is exposed on the trail.  The soil is browny with a reddish (oxide tone).  You won't see much of the former exposed, while the veg will be underlain by the latter.

The understory could be done with a scattering of coarse foam over a base fine foam cover.  If you want static grass, it looks very grassy with occasional bushes.  Supertrees fragments with leaf flock make decent low bushes with good texture.

The trees are more challenging, but with so many trunks you could install a lot of these with only a few with actual canopy to give the dense look.  These deciduous trees (and most trees) don't look like Super Trees stems, but they might do.  A mixed forest like this will have a lot of snags (dead trees).

The pines?  Looks like a white pine to me but all long needle pines kind of look similar.  I would start with a wire form to get the main branche shapes and flock it with appropriate coarse foam.  There was also a technique for these that goes back decades in MR using I *think* trimmed golden rod seed pod stems.  It looked great in the pictures, might be OK here as a background pine.

Just some suggestions.  Looks a lot like any sub-mature eastern mixed forest.

[dem34]

They make sanded grout in that color. Its been a popular dirt analogue for a while.

And as far as I know, the only good way to model Southern Pines is with the twisted wire method covered in modeling paste. Which is not conducive to quick tree creation. Unfortunately.

[ridinshotgun]

I've used the Ammo-Mig acrylic and enamel muds to replicate muddy wet areas before and it works pretty good.  I have yet to find a grout that can replicate that type of ground that is satisfactory.  You can also mix the ammo stuff to adjust colors and add paint or colored pigments to modify colors.

https://www.migjimenez.com/en/ammo-paints/577-heavy-mud-moist-ground-amig-1703.html

https://www.migjimenez.com/en/dioramas-vignettes/7115-vignettes-dark-mud-ground-amig-2154.html

[garethashenden]

I've been making pine trees from florists wire and static grass. Still in the early stages of learning the process, but I like it.



Following this technique

[Philip H]

If you solve the longleaf pine question, you will have earned double-plaid membership. Anyone modeling south of the James River would be your new best friend.

Seriously.  Solve this.  I need dozens of them.

[grove den]

How about the low ground cover? 

I use soil/sand  from outside, about at least 2 feet deep...mostly/less  no living "insects/bugs " or fungy..let it dry for a week .
Sieved it  in 3 "gradations" : almost dust -  fine -and visable sandparticals .
the colour of the sand is grey to almost white.. It's used to make high quality glassprodukts.
This sand is the base added/glued on deluted white glue.
 the following steps are done during a hot summer day because it dries much faster in the sun.....
Next layer are "pulverized" dead and dryed roots from Hortensia and/or Boxwood( easy to get as a gardener) soaked them in much deluted blackbrown oilpaint for a night. Let it dry for one day
Here also I sieved the pulverised roots in fine and coarse.
The fine particals are used as the second layer over the sand...than the 3:  smal/short grasfibres( 1 and 2 mm) and than 4: the coarse pulverised roots in wich you can see that they look like small dead twigs/branches. finaly some patches with brown coloured foliage ( woodland and self made.
Final rusult with the pulverised/coloured roots and some different hight grasfibres  on a "dead winter "diorama:

[Angus Shops]

Ooh, that’s nice! I’ll absolutely be taking inspiration and advice from this.
I have two specific “vegetation” needs. Firstly, I’m trying to figure out how to replicate the piles of ‘woody debris’ that pile up on the banks and in the water on mountain rivers and creeks in this part of the world (BC). The material ranges from full logs to tiny branches and forms ‘log jambs’, usually debarked and worn smooth from their time in the water and faded to grey/brown. Incidentally, they make great habitat for River Otters and Beaver, and are guaranteed to have multiple Trout hiding under them and if you can attract them out into clear water with your fly it’s a good time…
Secondly, any sand/gravel bar in the river that hasn’t seen a good scouring flood for the last few years is covered in millions (OK, slight exaggeration) of sapling Cottonwood trees in dense, impassible thickets. Between the thickets and the log jambs, “walking a wading” these streams can be exhausting. But modelling BC railroads includes plenty of riverbank right of way so I want to get it right.

[grove den]

A close-up of the crushed/broken larger pieces of the boxwood/Hydrangea roots piled up . I can imagine this, together wit very, very  short cutted pieces/particels of polyfibre and some 2-4 mm grassfibres it could look like beaver did built /used this "dam".   In the back a "lost"H0 Preiserman?( he viseted this spot last year but  shortly all the trees were cut!!!....)

Jos

[grove den]

Iain:

How about the low ground cover?

Forgot to write about the vegetation seen as on the picture you showed:
When making undergrowth I don't plant/glue  the trees first...only toothstick(s) mark the places were , after the undergrowth is done , they will "thrive/grow" for the next coming years!
I could think of adding -sparcely- 1-2 mm mostly yellow and  brown grass fibres as a "base" . The glue I use is a kind of "acrylglue"on these small fibres I would add some long 4-6 mm fibres as the culms/stems(??) of the unddegrowth/herbaceous layer...when the(carefuly with a  spraycan) glue has set also some 2 mm fibres and final , with a fine sieve!, the leaves= fine tuf green grass from woodland. here too: less turf is more! maybe small patches of wide stretched foliage - dark gree/weeds from woodland.
Btw I use "pure" PVA (polyvinyl acetate , used in bookbinding) to add the small grasfibres. The long ones, and the "leaves/fine turf, with sprayglue. When glue has set I spray the area with matt varnis ( spraycan)


Jos