guys im not an expert but acurding to my observation the main goal is to make a realistic tree growing over a rock so to get that goal we have to focust in the rock and pot besure that the pot will show the real beuty of the rock. The pot needs to be seen smaller than the rock on the side views. Back to the real star of the art, the tree. the tree need to be not too much bigger than the rock. as posible the size of the rock and tree mast be desame.

cleaner626 wrote: guys im not an expert but acurding to my observation the main goal is to make a realistic tree growing over a rock so to get that goal we have to focust in the rock and pot besure that the pot will show the real beuty of the rock. The pot needs to be seen smaller than the rock on the side views. Back to the real star of the art, the tree. the tree need to be not too much bigger than the rock. as posible the size of the rock and tree mast be desame.

sorry for my english not fluent

I haven't had the chance to work with a tree / rock planting. I am hoping to do so in the future ... makes sense to match the tree with the rock. But you may also need to consider how much you want your tree to grow.

Width and hieghth. I try and visualize 5 or more years from now.

I find it a tough choice too. As far as I can trace there are not rules for the size, except for the need to look natural.

What I normally do when face with such choices, I search google images. After flipping through a couple of dozen you get a reasonable idea of what you like and what you don't like.

Just saying the rock should be of similar size as the tree.. Not always. Look at this:



www.mybonsaibuddy.com/800px-BonsaiTridentMaple.jpg

The tree above is clearly not similar in size to the rock. However, I find it a much more impressive combination than the one below, where sizes are similar. Bonsai is arguably an artform. So take the rules as guidelines, and decide in which cases you want to break the guiding rules.


ofbonsai.org/wp-content/uploads/ac_006_S...rk_Color-400x383.jpg

[edit]
Odd.. thiss was not the second pic I had found.

I agree, that first pic is quite impressive. I so can't wait to see where my trees are 5 years from now.

I have and awesome some rocks outside that I think would be spectacular for Bonsai .. I think I will take them home with me.

One is about a foot long .. the other two about 3-4 inches.

How do you train a trees roots to grow over a rock? Do you wrap the roots on the big rock and then bury the rock?

Yip, you got it

Thank you, I just tried it today. I found some instructions on another website, with some photos about how they did it. It's fun to watch the progression in this thread

Hope it works our for you, did you take pictures of the progress by any chance? that would be nice for the forum

...what five years ???i cant wait that long. I can see my fully bonsai'ed tree with in 2 years...about wraping and then burying, waiting for two year blah blah, you dont have to do that. Using ficus binjamina just tye the tree in the sutable rock, put some clay soil and put the tree on a flat shallow dish and after a month on the shade you can now outdor the tree.