Since we have a lot of indoor growers on the forum I though it was time that I branched out a bit. In late summer 2008 I purchased a small pot of three Scheffleras. Of course my first step was to separate and re-pot them. Unfortunately I found that they had hardly any roots and, despite their reputation for being easy, I managed to kill two of the three.
After several months of growing I decided to pursue the root over rock style with the survivor. In preparation it was re-potted and placed over a small inverted pot inside of a larger one. The idea behind this was to encourage the roots to get some length and begin to assume the proper arrangement.
[url=https://img4.imageshack.us/I/20081o.jpg/][img]https://img4.imageshack.us/img4/5928/20081o.th.jpg[/img][/url]
Here you can see the finished arrangement beside the pot the small plant came out of.
[url=https://img154.imageshack.us/I/20082h.jpg/][img]https://img154.imageshack.us/img154/1932/20082h.th.jpg[/img][/url]
The plant was now allowed unrestricted growth over the winter and spring until late May 2009.
Norm
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Schefflera - Root Over Rock
Last edited by Gnome on Sat Sep 05, 2009 1:39 am, edited 1 time in total.
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By late May 2009 I decided to take the next step in the process. With what I hope turns out to be suitable stone and a rather large plastic bonsai pot I continued. Make sure to choose a rock that is large enough to accommodate the anticipated size of the plant.
[url=https://img168.imageshack.us/I/20091g.jpg/][img]https://img168.imageshack.us/img168/4876/20091g.th.jpg[/img][/url]
Here you can see two views of the Schefflera before I removed the medium. Note the root development.
[url=https://img94.imageshack.us/I/20092r.jpg/][img]https://img94.imageshack.us/img94/9898/20092r.th.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=https://img168.imageshack.us/I/20093.jpg/][img]https://img168.imageshack.us/img168/1732/20093.th.jpg[/img][/url]
Next, trying to find the best orientation of the rock I tried several possibilities, here is one. Note the length of the roots.
[url=https://img299.imageshack.us/I/20094.jpg/][img]https://img299.imageshack.us/img299/228/20094.th.jpg[/img][/url]
And finally, the completed arrangement with a thin plastic cylinder around the rock and roots. The plastic is a one gallon milk jug with both the top and bottom removed. The cylinder is not much larger than the rock which hopefully will encourage the roots to stay close to the rock on their way into the medium below. When I decide enough time has passed I will trim the cylinder a little and, by watering, gradually erode the medium exposing the roots.
[url=https://img94.imageshack.us/I/20095.jpg/][img]https://img94.imageshack.us/img94/5270/20095.th.jpg[/img][/url]
Norm
[url=https://img168.imageshack.us/I/20091g.jpg/][img]https://img168.imageshack.us/img168/4876/20091g.th.jpg[/img][/url]
Here you can see two views of the Schefflera before I removed the medium. Note the root development.
[url=https://img94.imageshack.us/I/20092r.jpg/][img]https://img94.imageshack.us/img94/9898/20092r.th.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=https://img168.imageshack.us/I/20093.jpg/][img]https://img168.imageshack.us/img168/1732/20093.th.jpg[/img][/url]
Next, trying to find the best orientation of the rock I tried several possibilities, here is one. Note the length of the roots.
[url=https://img299.imageshack.us/I/20094.jpg/][img]https://img299.imageshack.us/img299/228/20094.th.jpg[/img][/url]
And finally, the completed arrangement with a thin plastic cylinder around the rock and roots. The plastic is a one gallon milk jug with both the top and bottom removed. The cylinder is not much larger than the rock which hopefully will encourage the roots to stay close to the rock on their way into the medium below. When I decide enough time has passed I will trim the cylinder a little and, by watering, gradually erode the medium exposing the roots.
[url=https://img94.imageshack.us/I/20095.jpg/][img]https://img94.imageshack.us/img94/5270/20095.th.jpg[/img][/url]
Norm
Last edited by Gnome on Sat Feb 20, 2010 5:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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majed,
I think you just have to allow some time to pass and the roots to thicken up. Eventually they should grip the rock better. This is only my second attempt at this. The first time was with a Portulacaria and the roots never did lignify, eventually I gave up on it. So this is a learning experience for me as well.
Norm
I think you just have to allow some time to pass and the roots to thicken up. Eventually they should grip the rock better. This is only my second attempt at this. The first time was with a Portulacaria and the roots never did lignify, eventually I gave up on it. So this is a learning experience for me as well.
Norm
Norm...I love it!
Not long ago I set up something very similar with a Schefflera arboricola as well. I'll have to share it sometime too.
In the meantime, I look forward to regular updates on how yours is doing!
Does that ^^^ about sum up the plan of action?
BV
Not long ago I set up something very similar with a Schefflera arboricola as well. I'll have to share it sometime too.
In the meantime, I look forward to regular updates on how yours is doing!
Deciding when to begin removing the cylinder, how much to remove at a time, and how often to do this---this, to me, will be the tricky part! I suppose just keep a close eye after exposing roots to make sure they aren't shrivelling up and drying out too much. If they appear to dry out excessively, then that means too much was removed too quickly---in which case it's best to cover them back up a bit for a while longer, right?Gnome wrote:The cylinder is not much larger than the rock which hopefully will encourage the roots to stay close to the rock on their way into the medium below. When I decide enough time has passed I will trim the cylinder a little and, by watering, gradually erode the medium exposing the roots.
Does that ^^^ about sum up the plan of action?
BV
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BV,
Norm
Yeah, that's about it. I'm in no hurry to expose the roots though, the plant will be on the rock from here on out so there is no real benefit from rushing the process. So probably no updates for a while. We'll see how long I can leave it alone.Deciding when to begin removing the cylinder, how much to remove at a time, and how often to do this---this, to me, will be the tricky part! I suppose just keep a close eye after exposing roots to make sure they aren't shrivelling up and drying out too much. If they appear to dry out excessively, then that means too much was removed too quickly---in which case it's best to cover them back up a bit for a while longer, right?
Does that ^^^ about sum up the plan of action?
BV
Norm
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Warning: this is a non-bonsai person expressing an opinion only....
It seems to me that reason roots would hang onto a rock would be to get moisture. I can think of four ways moisture would be available. (1) the rock is porous (2) condensation, (3) water trickling down the face of the rock and (4) capillary action of water seeping into cracks and crevices of non-porous rock.
In nature, condensation would coat the rock every night, especially in a humid envionment, but even in an arid environment as well. I believe they make moisture collectors using this principle in the desert regions (think Dune for you SciFi fans). I imagine that to get the roots to "grip the rock" you need to replicate this condition so that the roots are forced to seek moisture from the surface (and cracks/crevices/pores) of the rock.
It seems to me that reason roots would hang onto a rock would be to get moisture. I can think of four ways moisture would be available. (1) the rock is porous (2) condensation, (3) water trickling down the face of the rock and (4) capillary action of water seeping into cracks and crevices of non-porous rock.
In nature, condensation would coat the rock every night, especially in a humid envionment, but even in an arid environment as well. I believe they make moisture collectors using this principle in the desert regions (think Dune for you SciFi fans). I imagine that to get the roots to "grip the rock" you need to replicate this condition so that the roots are forced to seek moisture from the surface (and cracks/crevices/pores) of the rock.
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With winter weighing heavily on me I got the itch to do...something, so the Schefflera came to mind. Nine months have passed since the plant was placed over the rock, so here goes.
The first order of business was to remove some of the medium from the top of the planting and see what I had.
[url=https://img109.imageshack.us/I/scheffbefore.jpg/][img]https://img109.imageshack.us/img109/9393/scheffbefore.th.jpg[/img][/url]
Finding a fair amount of roots I decided to move forward by reducing the height of the plastic collar. I cut about 1 1/2" from the band and began to clean the rock of the medium and numerous root hairs that I deemed unnecessary. By removing the fine new roots I hope to begin to encourage a more mature look to the arrangement. I also removed several of the smaller crossing roots but left two larger ones. I also took the opportunity to move a few of the smaller roots to a slightly better location.
[url=https://img109.imageshack.us/I/scheffafter.jpg/][img]https://img109.imageshack.us/img109/6961/scheffafter.th.jpg[/img][/url]
Later, I began to re-think leaving the crossing roots and went back and removed them. Better to 'bite the bullet' now than wish I had later. In a sense this is what I do to seedlings as well. By making some harsh cuts to the roots early on I may slow development but hopefully end up with a better end result. Unfortunately I did not get a picture at this stage.
After the clean up I was able to slide the collar back up about an inch and then back-fill with more medium. This is to ensure that the smaller roots that were retained will not suffer. So the planting looks about the same as it did before but I know what is going on and had an opportunity to improve the arrangement of the roots.
Next, more waiting.
Norm
The first order of business was to remove some of the medium from the top of the planting and see what I had.
[url=https://img109.imageshack.us/I/scheffbefore.jpg/][img]https://img109.imageshack.us/img109/9393/scheffbefore.th.jpg[/img][/url]
Finding a fair amount of roots I decided to move forward by reducing the height of the plastic collar. I cut about 1 1/2" from the band and began to clean the rock of the medium and numerous root hairs that I deemed unnecessary. By removing the fine new roots I hope to begin to encourage a more mature look to the arrangement. I also removed several of the smaller crossing roots but left two larger ones. I also took the opportunity to move a few of the smaller roots to a slightly better location.
[url=https://img109.imageshack.us/I/scheffafter.jpg/][img]https://img109.imageshack.us/img109/6961/scheffafter.th.jpg[/img][/url]
Later, I began to re-think leaving the crossing roots and went back and removed them. Better to 'bite the bullet' now than wish I had later. In a sense this is what I do to seedlings as well. By making some harsh cuts to the roots early on I may slow development but hopefully end up with a better end result. Unfortunately I did not get a picture at this stage.
After the clean up I was able to slide the collar back up about an inch and then back-fill with more medium. This is to ensure that the smaller roots that were retained will not suffer. So the planting looks about the same as it did before but I know what is going on and had an opportunity to improve the arrangement of the roots.
Next, more waiting.
Norm
Just to clarify, Norm, that bottom pic you posted shows the exposed roots after you removed the smaller hair roots, but before you removed the crossing roots---is that right?
I might have been tempted to leave those crossing roots and wait until re-potting to 'uncross' them and move them into more desirable positions. Then again, it appears you have a strong rootage 'embracing' or 'grasping' onto the rock even without the crossing ones, so likely no harm done. Either way, going from crossing roots to having them 'uncrossed' (whether by 'uncrossing' or outright removal) seems to be the way to go.
Thanks for the update.
I find myself in a similar situation with a Scheff of my own, and I look forward to your continued progress...which is great for comparison purposes.
BV
I might have been tempted to leave those crossing roots and wait until re-potting to 'uncross' them and move them into more desirable positions. Then again, it appears you have a strong rootage 'embracing' or 'grasping' onto the rock even without the crossing ones, so likely no harm done. Either way, going from crossing roots to having them 'uncrossed' (whether by 'uncrossing' or outright removal) seems to be the way to go.
Thanks for the update.
I find myself in a similar situation with a Scheff of my own, and I look forward to your continued progress...which is great for comparison purposes.
BV
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Big Vine,
Norm
Yes, I cleaned up a lot of small crossing and superfluous roots before the second picture.Just to clarify, Norm, that bottom pic you posted shows the exposed roots after you removed the smaller hair roots, but before you removed the crossing roots---is that right?
I almost did leave them, but I'm not at all sure that I'll be disturbing the lower portion of the planting this year and eventually I made the choice to remove them now. Really only one was substantial enough to give me pause, the other was not of any concern.I might have been tempted to leave those crossing roots and wait until re-potting to 'uncross' them and move them into more desirable positions.
I agree, I think once the remaining roots thicken some more it will present a respectable image.Then again, it appears you have a strong rootage 'embracing' or 'grasping' onto the rock even without the crossing ones, so likely no harm done.
Norm
Those roots look great Norm. You have such patience, I tend to fiddle with my trees about once a month. If I didn't do so much moving back and forth between school and home I would consider getting a Scheff because they seem to grow so well, but I figure I'll stick with deciduous trees until I get out of college. Keep us updated, I'm anxious to see what it'll look like in the future.
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JTred,
Thanks for the kind words. Yes, bonsai is not for those who crave instant gratification. I've killed more stuff than I would care to admit by being impatient or not doing my research first. It's very easy to rush into something and later regret it. I'll post more when there is anything new to show. It'll be a while.
Norm
Thanks for the kind words. Yes, bonsai is not for those who crave instant gratification. I've killed more stuff than I would care to admit by being impatient or not doing my research first. It's very easy to rush into something and later regret it. I'll post more when there is anything new to show. It'll be a while.
Norm
You've certainly inspired me here, but my scheff is growing so slowly, I've decided to wait until spring and put her into a PROPER growing medium (I got this one to fill a large pot of old soil my hubby brought home - I just can't walk past the $2 tropicals at home depot, but obviously I never put thought into bonsaiing it before). I have a rock I want to use, but it seems a bit too small, maybe I'll put it under one of my ficuses, once they root.
I'll post pics once I am actually dong something with it
I'll post pics once I am actually dong something with it
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Don't take it as rejection if it takes some years before the 'rock' in this root-over-rock example becomes tightly gripped by your tree.
After the first year I would lash with compostable twine the root to the rock. The more wiggle the tree has on its rock the longer it'll take to wed them together.
After the first year I would lash with compostable twine the root to the rock. The more wiggle the tree has on its rock the longer it'll take to wed them together.
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