neagari style

[JimJam35]

hello again Bonsai world!!

so i recently purchased a Mt Fuji Serissa(serissa'foetida')

while in the green house i noticed the same plant just a little older and having exposed roots, some growing over rocks( one golf ball which i liked) and others not growing over anything. i liked the way that this exposed root look caught my eye and was wondering if it is a hard ordeal to do to my tree. if anyone can point me in the right direction i would be greatly appreciated, or if anyone has had any experience in doing this type of technique that i can poke your brain for a little

 

[lordy]

the style you refer to is called 'root over rock', or variations of that theme. Usually begun at a fairly early age of the tree, the roots are arranged around an interesting rock and secured there with raffia, or even saran wrap, and the whole (or most of the) rock is buried to keep the developing roots cool and moist. This goes on for several years until you can slowly elevate the rock most of the way out of the soil while still allowing the ends of the now-developed roots to remain buried. Many times these plantings are trained in deep containers (or the ground) to assist the roots in developing more deeply than perhaps a bonsai that is not a RoR (root over rock) style. Google it and you'll get a bazillion examples. Also check this out: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1822696@N23/ A man named Stanley Chinn was quite good at this style when he was alive.

 

[Redwood Ryan]

I don't think the style itself will be a problem, keeping the tree alive will be. Serissa seem to die if you look at them the wrong way.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

I don't think the style itself will be a problem, keeping the tree alive will be. Serissa seem to die if you look at them the wrong way.

Not to mention how they respond to a 7 iron...

In seriousness, there are quite a few threads here on the ROR style. Neagari is similar, just no rock. Here is a thread I started a couple years ago and really need to return to...it's come quite a ways.

 

[JimJam35]

ive done alot of reading after purchasing the plant, since hte person who i bought the plant from said the tree is an easy plant to keep. WRONG haha i hear the worst things of this plant, very fussy blah blah, so trying to keep it simple for now and just keep alive and well, i repoted the plant and recently it sprouted a flower but at same time is browning leaves, so i dont know if its dieing or what lol.....hoping for the best with this tree.

 

[mat]

Where do you live? Serissa are pretty easy for me (so far), but Florida is a lot different than say, Oregon. I have a neagari one as well, though I can't offer much advice on early training. I bought mine well along in its development. I need to post another pic, as I've done some work on my branching and foliage since the last post here.

http://bonsainut.com/forums/showthread.php?7030-Multi-trunk-Serissa&highlight=serissa

PS. I'd recommend against trying to incorporate golf balls into your final design.

 

[namnhi]

They are very easy for me as well. I have a few that have trunk about an inch that I have not style. Again I am in Houston and they are stay outside all year round.

 

[JimJam35]

i am from New York, Long Island...im trying different things with the tree to see what it likes, i dont know if i should leave outside all the time or inside in a sunny window, i think i got the watering down after i changed to a better draining soil any advice would be greatly appreciated

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Generally speaking, all trees do better outside, as long as outside temperature conditions are within their tolerance. Serissa is a zone 7-8 plant, so temperate, and will do better outside, but don't let it stay outside if temps get below freezing. Expect it to shed all leaves when you move it inside for the winter, but it will grow again. Expect it to lose all it's leaves again when you move it outside in the spring (some may perceive this as fussy...know that it happens and don't get too worried about it when it does happen).

Serissa trunks wick well, so it's easy to tell when they've got wet soil. Watch for the wicking to recede, and soon you'll have a pretty good idea of when they need water.

They can be a rewarding first/early tree. Have fun!

 

[JimJam35]

so recently my Serissa started to get yellow leaves and start to lose leaves, but getting new growth as well, i am assuming that its a little stressed and not happy with earlier movings and previous soil...i also awoke one morning to a beautiful white flower, was scared tho didnt mean if it was sending itself a flower for its funeral or if i had done something good with this tree and wanted me to know....just curious if anyone else has had this happen with their plant, or if this is just the start and it will lose all its leaves?

 

[rockm]

Dropping leaves are pretty standard with serissa. They are not easy plants to deal with. They get very cranky when moved, overwatered, or a few other things. If the plant is inside, your problems will likely continue...Constantly moving it around is probably the worst thing you can do to it. It is constantly having to readjust to local conditions with every move. Plants don't like to move around, that's why they have roots. Choose one place--hopefully outside in a location that gets a few hours of morning sun and let it be.

 

[Shima]

Re: ne agari...I happened upon this old thread a few days ago on the net:http://tinyurl.com/725p3u6