JBP Root Over Rock Top Down or Bottom Up?

[thumblessprimate1]

I've already started a root over rock JBP from a seedling and a large 20-30lb black lava rock; it's about 18 inches tall. I didn't research this too well yet. As not much effort has been put into it, the set up could be easily changed.

Here's my setup:

The rock had some grooves in it that I would like the roots to grow down and into. I chiseled away at it to make the crevices deeper and all the way to the bottom of the rock, and then I stuffed the crevice with moist spaghnum moss.

I placed a random 3 month old JBP seedling I grew to where I wanted and arranged a couple of the longer roots into the a couple of crevices. Wrapped some plastic ties around to help retain the moss. Stuck it in a large empty pot mainly to shade the moss and roots. Filled the pot with some large stones that won't hold much moisture but help hold the moss in place.

After thoughts:

Would it have been better to grow seedlings at the base of the rock into the crevices and upward fusing at junction points or is this just what ever way? I think that by growing them from the bottom the goal could be reached faster, but my current set up may help me have roots that fuse tighter with the lava rock.

 

[nip]

Starting from the bottom up sounds very difficult for pines, but I've never tried it so I cannot say it won't work. Your 3 month old seedling is a very young start. I would suggest using a 1-2 year old pine that has longer roots and fits the rock. I assume you're growing pines from seeds, so you should be able to pick one that "fits" the rock and has 6 to 12in roots that will give you a much stronger start. The roots will still be very flexible. All the roots do not need to be in the grooves. Allow the bottom 1/4 of roots to grow into regular well-drained soil. The next 1/2 can be in better draining aggregate such as pure pumice. The top quarter or less can be large lava pieces. The top layer can be slowly picked away. When you repot in a couple years, move the layers lower and organize the lowest roots into your grooves.
Sounds like you are trying to force it to grow in the grooves from the very start. Just guide the roots over time.

 

[thumblessprimate1]

Thanks. If I had some 1 year old seedlings, I'd definitely go with your method. I'm working with just what I have, little 2 inch tall 3 mo old seedlings. Their roots are also about 2 inches. I don't mind the wait.

 

[bilbocannon]

Update?