This particular maple seedling is another fast grower. One of it’s main features is it tends to be bulbous at the base. The bark is a distinctive gray/white and the leaves similarly to other maples are five pointed. A couple of good aspects about this Maple Bonsai particularly for the less experienced is they have a high resistance to disease and can handle a period of drought. This tree can therefor be displayed on it’s own or is ideal for the root over rock style.
This is a style wherein the roots are encouraged to grow over and grasp onto a rock. This mimics what happens in nature when a bird deposits a seed into a natural crevice. The roots will crawl out in an effort to find soil, to get more nutrients after using what could be taken from the soil in the small opening in the rock. When they hit soil they then circumvent the rock. When this occurs the roots thicken out and stand in for the trunk at the very base of the tree.
The display of rocks is an art form of it’s own in Japan called Suiseki, this is one reason rock choice follows a few rules in this method. For starters these are, the rock chosen should have eye appeal, a natural look, and the size shouldn’t over shadow the tree, which after all is the main attraction.
Again the choice of tree for this style needs to be made correctly. A tree that is healthy and has a big root system is a good choice. The roots need to be strong and long enough to hang over the rock. The measurement guide for the roots is one and a half times longer than the rock is high. If the roots of the bonsai you want to use are too short, the problem is solved by planting it in a tall narrow pot so the root system will grow down and get longer. Let the roots grow until they reach the desired length, which may take a year or more, as with all bonsai patience is the key.
When the roots are ready remove damaged foliage and rinse the dirt off of the root ball. Don’t hurt the roots, before washing taking off dirt by hand helps. Now put the tree on the rock and play with the placement to find the best looking arrangement of tree and rock. Put the roots around all of the rock because the arrangement is for viewing from any side. This is not usual in bonsai where the tree normally is expected to be viewed from the front only.
Now the roots have to be secured. Grafting tape is a good thing to use and having someone hold the roots in place while securing them works best. You need to have pulled the tape around the rock fairly tight except at the bottom where it should be tape-less because this is where the roots will go into the dirt.
Next check to see that all of the roots are free on the bottom of the rock. Put the rock and maple bonsai in a container with plenty of clean sharp sand. Make sure the bottom of the tree trunk shows, while the rock is out of sight. Give it a good watering; the tree should stay in this pot for either one year or possibly two. Remember I did say the key to bonsai was patience. It will take one growing season for the roots to exhibit a good showing and during this period they will thicken up. However this does depend on them having been placed correctly. Two years gives the roots really more than sufficient time to thicken. When you check to see if the roots have grow properly and find they haven’t, no worries, simply re-pot them giving the plant one more year to get the roots right.
So as you can see from the description above not the fastest way to get a bonsai to display at home. However at the end you should be the proud owner of a Maple Bonsai that appears to have naturally grown over a rock, making a quite beautiful and unusual display.
great information, I will try this the nest time i get a maple that needs repotted