There are no short-cuts to a root over rock bonsai. It takes many years.
Typically, bare roots of an year old tree is draped over a large piece of rock. A fissure in the rock helps to settle the roots a little more easily. This arrangement is held securely with a plastic sheet with space to slip in some soil, and to be kept moist with an occasional water spray. While the tree with the bottom roots is put back into the container, half of the rock with the plastic sheet should be visible. The next one and a half or two years, the tree is allowed to grow freely for the root system and the trunk to thicken over time. In the rainy season, the tree is lifted out. Soil is washed away from the rootball. The tree with plastic covered rock is planted into a bonsai pot.Carefully, the plastic sheet is cut off and the roots are seen firmly matted around the rock. Excess shoot growth is pruned, and over the years with pruning and re-potting, the leaf size of the bonsai plant reduces.
Typically, bare roots of an year old tree is draped over a large piece of rock. A fissure in the rock helps to settle the roots a little more easily. This arrangement is held securely with a plastic sheet with space to slip in some soil, and to be kept moist with an occasional water spray. While the tree with the bottom roots is put back into the container, half of the rock with the plastic sheet should be visible. The next one and a half or two years, the tree is allowed to grow freely for the root system and the trunk to thicken over time. In the rainy season, the tree is lifted out. Soil is washed away from the rootball. The tree with plastic covered rock is planted into a bonsai pot.Carefully, the plastic sheet is cut off and the roots are seen firmly matted around the rock. Excess shoot growth is pruned, and over the years with pruning and re-potting, the leaf size of the bonsai plant reduces.
Posts
It looks already good! Bonsai is for people with great patience. I am not a patient person. But I found a cedar seedling in my garden and put it into the pot. I am curious what happenes.
ReplyDeleteI like your bonsai tree. I want to make a bonsai from a frangipani plant. Is it possible? I have never tried making a bonsai tree before.
ReplyDeleteThat is incredible; I have never seen anything like this. Thank you for sharing yours. Have a good weekend.
ReplyDeleteI love your blog so much I can hardly stand it. Thank you so very much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteSimone
This Bonsai is a masterpiece in making...and what nice info you have provided about the making of root over rock Bonsai! Now I too want to give a try...
ReplyDeleteI love how it looks growing over the rock. It sounds like a lot of patience is required in training it to grow over the rock.
ReplyDeleteHi UG, sounds difficult, and needs loads of patience.
ReplyDeleteHi! I had posted a comment earlier, but it is not showing.I liked your bonsai very much as well as the arrangement with the diya.
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool bonsai. How patient you are to acomplish this. That makes you a great gardener because nothing says gardening like patience.
ReplyDeleteCool shots, I don't have the patience for Bonsai I think. ;)
ReplyDeleteThis is something I have not tried. I can imagine the process is quite patience challenging. Very good job on yours. Enjoy your weekend!
ReplyDeleteIt looks lovely in the ethereal light :-)
ReplyDeleteLooks beautiful. That said, I think I'll leave root-over-rock bonsai to those with lots of patience and enjoy looking at theirs!
ReplyDeleteCheers.
The entire arrangement looks beautiful- bonsai, lamps and all. Personally I dont have the patience to wait for years to see the results. Admire those who do.
ReplyDeleteI like bonsai. You have a lovely bonsai and I think you are already an expert at it. I do not dare to try growing bonsai because I fear my bonsai will die of over attention than no patience. I have killed off a few succulents e.g. jade plant, by watering and poking and watching frequently over them. Sometimes I can even accidently prune off a bud! Scary right? Oh yeah, Sandy of Gardening on Cloud 9, another blotanist is growing bonsai under a bonsai master in Hong Kong. Perhaps you'd like to hop over to her blog to take a look and exchange ideas.
ReplyDeleteI like the diyas arranged around the bonsai. And of course, the bonsai itself. Root over rock sounds exotic! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHey Urban Green, is the email id in the dashboard specified correct? I needed some help regarding my plant and have emailed you. Wondering if you have received it.
ReplyDeleteLoved your bonsai, Its really so nice of you to share the pics and the info.
ReplyDeleteI am in love with bonsai. For a start i have chosen Jade plant and hope it will turn out ok.
Hi Urban Green, this is just fascinating! I love the lighting and mystery of the photos just as they are, too. I have tried Bonsai many times, always a failure. I might try again, have some dwarf Chinese Elms that always sucker from the large one in the ground, the perfect subject if only I knew how to get started. I think slipping a rock under the roots sounds great, but don't quite understand the plastic sheet. Is it wrapped over the top of the root on the rock? Secured under the rock? How is it cut away? Any help will be greatly appreciated. :-)
ReplyDeleteFrances
Nice post - bonsai pictures ..Keep Posting
ReplyDeleteRon
bonsai pictures