I was gifted a bonsai twig at age 18...
it fell from the kitchen table,breaking its two main branches and making a mess :shakehead so I put it outside thinking its life was over,but hoping it might survive...
survive it did,with the help of fresh rain (always better than watering yourself) I was amazed and gave it a re-pot and fertilise etc....
this is it nearly 24 years later,I've kept it small...
McGizmo,very nice garden you have,for someone who "don't know much about bonsai" you do have a remarkable insight to this sort of thing...which is the essence I think.
a lot of people think bonsai have to conform to the traditional styles etc..
I think they just have to look good to you.
here's how to do root over rock style as per bonsai method...
always choose a larger rock and put the plant half way down the rock for future growth...just wrap the roots around the bare rock with elec tape or sandwich wrap strips,bury it at least 2" deep deeper the better, wait 2-3 years.... its easier to do if you have lots of bonsai to play with
done. that was a few years ago I'll take another shot of it now and post it later , its due to be exposed out of the ground and will be good to see whats happened :huh::huh::huh:
added this pic
I will have to dig it out in the morning and see how it went for the last few years.... exciting (for me )
heres one I did before
started as a small twiggy thing...its a green island fig btw
I get so much enjoyment from bonsai it really is a good hobby...
you don't need to be patient if you have 200 of them either!:tinfoil::tinfoil:
some tips for cryhavoc
if you want the plant to get bigger and grow to a shape ,get it in a big pot for a few years....strong growth and major shaping need to be offset with quiet time aswell
if you like a plant how it is keep it in the same pot and just do small pruning and feeding once every 2 yrs
I got more joy from taking a small cutting or seed to a nice tree than buying expensive trees already done ... they end up being someone elses tree to me ...
where as some thing raised up since it was a young 'un gives much more satisfaction (IMHO)