Rock Plantings

This Trident maple root-over-rock is from Bonsai Today issue 24 (a special issue devoted to rock planting). Root-over vs root-on Root-over-rock is where the roots grow over the rock and down into soil below. Root-on-rock is where the roots grow in a soil pocket (or soil pockets) in the rock (see below). A Black pine in the root-on-rock style. The way the tree is growing to the right serves to balance the part of the rock that thrusts out to the left. From Bonsai Today issue 24 (all of the photos in this post are from issue 24). Issue 24, … Continue reading Rock Plantings

Masters’ Bonsai Gallery: Let’s Rock!

This group of Needle junipers on a large rock by Norboru Kaneko won first prize at Sakufu-ten #12. It originally appeared in Bonsai Today issue 24 (long out of print). It also appears in our Bonsai Today Masters’ Series Juniper book (still in print). Root-on-rock vs root-over-rock The bonsai shown in this post are all root-on-rock, which means that the roots are growing in soil that is in pockets in the rock. Root-over-rock is where the rock sits in soil in a pot and the roots are trained to grow down over the rock and into the soil. We’ll do … Continue reading Masters’ Bonsai Gallery: Let’s Rock!