in case you ever wondered... Bonsai Technique for Root over Rock
Bonsai Technique for
Root over Rock
Initially when you view a completed bonsai in the root over rock style, it is difficult to believe that such a thing could exist in nature. But walks through the Cascade Mountains will quickly confirm that this does happen, and often enough to be easily found.Winds have a way of depositing seed atop a rock. As the tree grows, it sends its roots over and down seeking the sweet nourishment of good forest soil. The event often takes centuries to accomplish. However, in the lifetime of a tree, it is but a short period of time indeed!
While your wondering how a Bonsai Artist could accomplish such a feat in their lifetime, let me assure you that it can be completed in less than 4 years.
To accomplish this technique, you will need to select a subject in springtime before the new growth begins to swell. Usually it’s a Scott’s or Mugho Pine that can be easily acquired at a local nursery. You will find them growing in a plastic one gallon container.
The height and spread of the foliage should be in the eight to ten inch ranges. Your subject is removed from the pot and bare rooted. A way to safely accomplish this is to pop it out of the pot and place the root ball and soil in a bucket filled with water. Let it soak for a while and then begin to gently to remove all the soil, down to the bare roots.
Next a pre-selected rock is used to rest the pine tree atop. Carefully spread the roots and divide them into the fissures of the rock. The rock itself should barely fit into
The bottom of the one gallon pot and appear a bit bigger than it should with the scale of the tree. As the tree grows, it will soon become of a size that blends perfectly in scale with the rock. Something too small will leave the impression that the effort is under whelming.
After you have encouraged the roots to spread naturally down the face of the rock, the crevasses are filled in with muddy clay soil. Then the entire rock is covered with wet raffia, a dried grass that is available in craft stores. This binds the roots and clay to the rock and the tree and rock are carefully lowered into the nursery container. Within a few years this natural material will begin to break down and will not have to be removed. Soil is added to completely cover over the rock and roots and the tree is grown on for that year in it’s new position. The following spring with a heavy pair of scissors, the pot is cut lower down to an inch and a half below the soil line. The soil is then brushed away to expose the top of the roots. The tree is cared for the following season of growth. The delicate roots exposed to the sun, darken and take on the look of the bark on the main trunk. This pattern of cutting and exposing more and more of the root is carried out until all but the last inch and a half of rock is exposed. It is then that the tree is removed and planted with its rock in a proper bonsai pot. Bury enough of the rock to keep it and its tree stable within the pot.
Dick Benbow
"The Koi Coach"
member Team Purdin
