Plant-In-Rock

Hello everybody. So I have a book on Bonsai, and in it there are photos of a bonsai planted INSIDE of a large rock. It is in a section of ideas however. It is not planted on top of a slab of rock, nor is it root over rock. The bonsai is literally planted inside of the rock. I am not sure how this was done due to the fact that proper drainage would be difficult. Maybe it was hollowed out with a drill and then planted or something, but not totally sure. I would upload a photo but i cannot find any anywhere of this particular type of planting. Any one have any ideas, or actual knowlege of this type of planting?

PS- The bonsai planted was a juniper i believe, not 100% sure right this second seeing as the book is not with me.

This is a standard approach to bonsai. Often the rock itself is porous, and water filters down through it. At other times, as you guessed, a hole or holes were drilled through the rock to provide drainage. In yet others, the plant is merely placed in a depression, and it is watered lightly enough that there is no water left to rot roots (though the soil needs replacing more often that way).

Many books provide detailed how-to instructions.

Note: Glad you couldn't find a pic. We aren't allowed to post copyrighted pics here anyway.

thanks for the help. If memory serves right, i believe the rock used was a large lava rock, so it would make sense on the porous level.

A great book for rock plantings is "Forest, Rock Planting & Ezo Spruce Bonsai" by Saburo Kato. It is published by the National Bonsai Foundation and was compiled and edited by William Valvanis.

Thanks for the reference, I'm definately going to look into that!

Stone Lantern publishing carries it, and they keep sending me catalogs saying everything's on SALE a gazillion percent off.

www.stonelantern.com

I have made containers from rocks. got a large cement drill bit hollowed a good size hole in the rock for the plant and soil but i always put a drain hole in the rock.. they do not look half bad try it..john

i definately think it is worth a try. I just got a jade clipping today planted. Maybe I will let it get on its way to growing roots then repot it in a hollowed rock. Would a jade do well in that kind of condition?

I found that aquarium stores sometimes have the lava rock you are looking for. They are often used inside the tanks. They can be pricey at times depending on where you buy it.


You can also try stone a gravel businesses. They often have larger rocks that are used for decoration instead of travel or fill.

You will have to hunt for thing when you practice bonsai. It's part of the full experience I think. Sometimes we often use things that aren't customarily used for the purpose we will be putting it to. Thats the fun part

BonsaiBoy wrote:i definately think it is worth a try. I just got a jade clipping today planted. Maybe I will let it get on its way to growing roots then repot it in a hollowed rock. Would a jade do well in that kind of condition?

I think it would work. It would depend on the soil mixture and watering . I find jade does better for me in sandy soil. Maybe someone can recommend something for you here.

Schefflera would do well in that also. And they grow native to Hawaii where they have volcanoes.