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What would you put in here?
http://weetrees.co.uk/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=17759		 Page 3 of 4
Author:  MattS [ 29 May 2018, 14:48 ]
Post subject:  Re: What would you put in here?
I like the Root over House idea too. Very creative.
Author:  Brendan [ 30 May 2018, 00:01 ]
Post subject:  Re: What would you put in here?
Daryl I have some ideas if you like that approach? It is a project that should show some decent results in a short period if you use lonicera.
Author:  daryl [ 30 May 2018, 09:25 ]
Post subject:  Re: What would you put in here?
Fire away, Brendan. It's always good to have lots of ideas in the melting pot.
Author:  Sizzla [ 30 May 2018, 10:56 ]
Post subject:  Re: What would you put in here?
I think you need to find a couple more of these pots, Brendan's idea is top notch
Author:  Brendan [ 30 May 2018, 11:19 ]
Post subject:  Re: What would you put in here?
I'd start by growing a bunch of lonicera cuttings so that they have roots about a foot long. I do this occasionally and I use a pot as tall about 20 - 30cm tall. I put a layer of pebbles in the bottom and then a mix of pebbles and CL with about 10% John Innes right to the top. If I have any rooted lonicera cuttings I stick them in the top. Otherwise I just snip off any cuttings from lonicera that I want and push the cuttings into the soil. I try nd get cuts with some movement. A clean straight cut is best. That's all. I'd say push them about 1 - 2 inches deep, for cuttings about 1cm thick and about 3 - 4 inches tall. They do need leaves.

Then I bury the pots in the ground - only an inch or 2 for stability. Water well at first and then once they are established water as usual and feed. Lonicera cuttings take about 2 weeks before you can start to feed them. Check them in about 6 weeks and you should have roots that stretch all the way to the bottom of the pot. If not re-plant them and wait until they are a suitable length.


Once they are at your desired length you will be able to drape the roots over the houses and then you need to position the trunks and roots where you want them to grow. This is the hardest part, as you need now to anchor the trunks so that they are really well and truly in place. If there is way way of hiding the anchor that's ideal. If there is any way of drilling little holes in the houses' roofs so you can screw the trunks into place from below that would be first prize.

You need to find a load of clay soil. I just dig it in my garden. Use the clay to plaster the roots into position. The ends of the roots need to finish up in the section where the pot will eventually hold the soil. They need to stick out below the clay.

This is quite a fun part of the project as you can really bend and shape the roots bit by bit and cover them as you go along. With that house you will probably completely cover it in a thick layer of clay as you position the roots from multiple trees all over it.

Once the roots are completely covered in clay and are where you like them you need to hold the clay in place. I'd use strips of plastic shopping bags (nod to Paul B) and completely cover the clay and make sure it is safely tied down. In fact I'd use whatever I felt was needed to get the clay to stay put. The roots are then growing into the base of the pot, so you can fill it with your bonsai medium. The transition from clay to pot is interesting, as you can have the roots flare out over the soil, which is what you'd see in those overgrown temples. Given you are using lonicera you can go back and play with them later on - for now let's just get the trees growing.

Finally I'd put the whole thing into a pot of CL and bury it to the height of the trunk bases. This way your clay is supported and with CL retaining water the clay should stay moist enough for the roots to live and grow underneath it. I would also hope that some roots grow out through the bottom of your pot into the CL below.

And now you need to let it really grow wild so that the trunks thicken and the roots follow suit. With lonicera you get thickening faster if you let them develop one or two long shoots but control the rest. Their tendency is just to bush out but that seems not to encourage thickening but instead creates lumpy inverse taper.

As the roots will be really wispy when you plant this you need to let it grow for at least this season and half of next before you open up the clay and refine the roots.

Tis method has worked for me on about 5 different lonicera projects, and I can't see any reason why you wouldn't get a good result quickly.
Author:  Paul B [Swindon] [ 30 May 2018, 11:23 ]
Post subject:  Re: What would you put in here?
Use a long bit of rainwater pipe....... then you get really long roots. Just stick some mesh over the lower end for drainage.
Author:  daryl [ 30 May 2018, 11:36 ]
Post subject:  Re: What would you put in here?
Do you have any photos of your results, Brendan? It all sounds like interesting stuff :smallthumb:
Author:  Sizzla [ 30 May 2018, 11:44 ]
Post subject:  Re: What would you put in here?
Or a pringles tube or plastic bottle like smithy does. Are the pebbles to give the roots movement?
Author:  Brendan [ 30 May 2018, 11:54 ]
Post subject:  Re: What would you put in here?
Quote:
Are the pebbles to give the roots movement?




Ages ago I read how Paulpash suggested using pebbles when creating raised root trees.


But I first used them just to create a layer at the bottom of the cheap plastic nursery pot so that the CL did not pour out the bottom of the pot. ::lol:

Maybe they help, maybe not.
Author:  Brendan [ 30 May 2018, 12:01 ]
Post subject:  Re: What would you put in here?
Quote:
Do you have any photos of your results, Brendan?


I just put up a post of a lonicera on a slate. That's one where the roots were long and bushy.

Here's a similar project to what I am suggesting you try: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=15411&hilit=+lonicera
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