Hi everyone,

what is the best way to go about rooting a bonsai over a rock
or creating
air roots?
cheers
andy

They're two different things, aren't they?

Root over rock usually (or often) is created by taking a tree
with long roots and draping them over a suitable rock, slathering
them with muck and tying them down with raffia. Then plant the
tree -- and rock -- deep in a large pot. Let them grow for a
year or two, then slowly let the rock emerge from the soil, maybe
an inch or two a year. At the end of several years, you should
have several large, mature looking roots clinging to a rock. You
can then plant tree and rock in a shallow tray, letting the tips
of the exposed roots grow in the soil in the tray.

The new Sunset book describes the process, except they skip
burying the entire rock. I wouldn't skip it.

"Air Roots" are, I assume, referring to the exposed root style,
where the tree perches on "stilts" consisting of several thick
roots. You develop these via a deep pot, watering from the
bottom so the roots grow downward. It takes a number of years to
get roots thick enough to support a bonsai.

"Air roots" also could refer to aerial roots -- as in the banyan
style. Check our archives for how-to on development of aerial
roots. Get to them via the address below.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - The phrase
'sustainable growth' is an oxymoron. - Stephen Viederman

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