The impact of a rock planting is of course enhanced by the choice of rock or stone. Keep your eyes peeled when you are out for a walk and you may well find some attractive and unusual ones. The size of the rock and its relation to the plant will set the mood for the scene you will end up creating. If you want to give the impression of distance, for example, put a small tree on relatively large stone. You can really let your imagination run riot - after all, in nature almost anything is possible, every conceivable shape and proportion.
A very exotic and interesting effect can be created with rock plantings using tropical three (ficus tree) whose aerial roots are trained to run along the outside of the rock and down into the soil. The combination of roots and aerial roots lends a highly unusual charm to the whole arrangement.
After a rock planting has been set up, it will need time to recover. Keep it out of direct sunlight and spray with water frequently. Do not give any fertilizer for several weeks. With rock plantings the plant and rock from a single unit and should always be repotted together.
Another type of rock planting is one where the plant is rooted on the rock itself and has no contact with the soil in the pot. This allows the rock to be placed on a tray containing water or sand to create the illusion of an island or mountain. The bonsai tree themselves will grow in hollows and crevices in the rock, making it important that you find a suitable rock in the first place.
A very exotic and interesting effect can be created with rock plantings using tropical three (ficus tree) whose aerial roots are trained to run along the outside of the rock and down into the soil. The combination of roots and aerial roots lends a highly unusual charm to the whole arrangement.
After a rock planting has been set up, it will need time to recover. Keep it out of direct sunlight and spray with water frequently. Do not give any fertilizer for several weeks. With rock plantings the plant and rock from a single unit and should always be repotted together.
Another type of rock planting is one where the plant is rooted on the rock itself and has no contact with the soil in the pot. This allows the rock to be placed on a tray containing water or sand to create the illusion of an island or mountain. The bonsai tree themselves will grow in hollows and crevices in the rock, making it important that you find a suitable rock in the first place.
For the novice like me, rocks suitable for this style can be found in nurseries with a good range of rock garden plants or in specialist bonsai nurseries. You may also find rocks that seem appropriate in the wild.
Choose a roughly textured stone since it will have a desirable weathered looks, and also because it is easier to establish a plant on surface that can both hold soil and give roots something to grasp. Also, choose a rock withe surface that is appropriately flaffened on its bottom most plane. Use a hacksaw and sandpaper to smooth out bumps and projections, if necessary
Choose a roughly textured stone since it will have a desirable weathered looks, and also because it is easier to establish a plant on surface that can both hold soil and give roots something to grasp. Also, choose a rock withe surface that is appropriately flaffened on its bottom most plane. Use a hacksaw and sandpaper to smooth out bumps and projections, if necessary
