Rockset bonsai pots - an alternative for the creative minds!

Rockset is a product made to have a quick setting cement mixture used to fill brittle holes when using draw-bolts or to fill up cracks in cement floors etc.  "it looks like Quickcrete and DAP are two manufacturer's that have comprable products that are readily availble in the US. And for Canada and the EU one should browse the LaFarge catalogs to see what is offered there. Hydrolic Cement is the right search term to use. And the products labelled for setting machinery, key being that it flows and is a polymer-cementitious composite material is what you need to look for." - Thanks Leo.
It sets in about 30 minutes and have the consistency of condensed milk when mixed correctly.

Here is a few unsealed examples of my experiments with the medium:

Here is a step by step how-to:

1. The Rockset, the FB10 sealer and the the mould - in this case plastic plant pot dripping trays:

 The lip of the inside tray is cut of to make pouring of the Rockset easier.
2. For holes I have used very small dripping trays, but rubber washers or any other flexible material can be used to make removing them later, a bit easier:

 The thickness of the drainage holes stoppers will, in a mould like this, determine the thickness of the pot.
3. The first Rockset is prepared and coloured by using an oxide. A teaspoon is used to drip it where needed. Brushes can also be used - creativity is here the magic word:

4. The second colour:

5. The third colour:

6. Now the inside mould is put in place and a weight placed on top of it to prevent the onside tray from floating on the Rockset:

7. The Rockset is then poured into the space between the two trays. If the cavity is very thin, it is quite difficult to pour the mix without spilling. Rather mix a few small amounts of Rockset at a time because it does sets quickly. The cavity filled up:

8. The curing takes a few hours and the mixture gets quite warm. After about three hours it would be safe to remove the trays. Plastic or aluminum moulds comes free easily. At this stage the top of the pot will be uneven and the top few millimeters will be soft:

  9. The stoppers are now removed and the rim leveled by using a sharp knife first and then sandpaper. If the pot is thick enough a small die grinder may be used to carve a lip if needed.

10. The pot from the side:

11. The pot will be left to dry out overnight. The inside will be brushed to remove any dust and then the whole pot will be painted by using a thin layer of the RB10.

This tree was planted in the sealed pot a few months ago and the pot (a little dirty now)seems to be holding up fine:

Rockset can be used for making slabs also - have fun!

Ficus sycomorus

English common name: Common Cluster Fig
This is a large evergreen tree (10 – 25m in South Africa, but grow up to 45m in tropical Africa), with
a spreading crown and a yellowish trunk that is usually buttressed. It is the largest indigenous fig in South Africa and is associated with a high watertable, occurring along rivers and on seasonal floodplains throughout the subtropical and tropical regions of Africa.

Some examples of the tree:

The figs are large (25-50mm in diameter), yellow to red when ripe and borne in large, branched bunches on the main trunk and older branches.

The Ficus species of South Africa is grouped as rock-splitters, stranglers and trees and although the
Ficus Sycomorus is grouped under trees and there-fore not as popular as the other two groups for training as bonsai it still produces a fine bonsaitree. The roots are not as strong as the stranglers and rock-splitters but it can be used as root over rock.
 Here is a very nice example of a root over rock by Charles Ceronio:

 The trunk is strong with a greenish color especially when young. With care an excellent taper can be achieved.
 An example of a dug tree with massive taper:

The leaves are large on natural trees but they do reduce in size with the correct training over time, it is more suitable for larger trees.

The Sycomorus likes to be well watered especially in warm summer weather but more sparsely in winter. It is not frost hardy and should be protected in winter in areas receiving frost. It is suited for more informal styles such as informal upright and also root over rock. This tree should be kept outside in full sun to semi shade.
Repotting should take place every one to two years for young trees, and every three to four years for mature specimens. Medium to deep containers are preferred.

Normal fertilizer should be applied at a regular interval.

Heavy pruning should be done during the warm season when healing will be at its best.

Propagation is easily done by cuttings and truncheons.
♣

Buxus bonsai - slow but very rewarding.

My first "finished" bonsai I ever bought was this Buxus:

I bought it in April 2009 as a 10 year old bonsai. I mainly bought it because I had a lot of sticks in pots at that time and I so much wanted to exhibit something at our agricultural show.

This is the tree after I re-potted it December 2010:

Because the tree is so easy to grow I bought another one:

After some wiring and styling:

I really like the tree with it's three trunks - just have to decide on the best front.

Another one I am working on was bought as a nursery tree in November 2010. Here is a pic of the bush in January 2011:

After the first cut back I found a nice single trunk:

After letting it grow out for about three months after the cut back I styled some of the branches:

 From April 2011 I let the tree grow out freely. This is the tree in January 2013:

 I cleaned up the tree a bit and this is the tree after the clean up:

 I am very happy with the trees progression up to January 2013. I will have to be realistic about the outcome of the tree - it will have to be styled femininely.

From that time I have let it grow out again. I will probably have to place the tree a little bit deeper in the pot because of the three thick roots. Over a long time I will get some new roots to replace the current ones.

My personal experience on growing and styling Buxus bonsai:
1.  It seems that the trees grow through the year here in Rustenburg, South Africa.
2.  In my conditions the tree has to be watered every day.
3.  I have not bare rooted any of my Buxus- I yearly alternate removing half of the roots from the bottom and surface roots. I do this in spring.
4. I don't keep the tree heavily pinched. I allow new buds to grow out to about 10cmm before I cut them back. The result is a flush of new growth. In my growing season, almost 9 months long. I can do this cut back about 4-5 times.
5. The tree reacts well to wiring and the branches maintain their wired position after about two months- but be very carefull bending older twigs and branches because they are very brittle. Great care must be taken when bending growth close to old branches/trunks or they may snap off! On new trees I use cable ties on top and below a branches before bending them sharply.
6. When cutting back branches/twigs, do make sure there is some leaves left ot the branch may die.
7. These trees are fed throughout the year by using a mulch.
8. Some of my Buxus are kept in full sun and some get morning sun and dappled shade- in both scenarios they do well.
9. Pest on the trees are not common - I do get some scale during winter time. Malasol rid the trees very quickly of the pest.

Will post more pics soon.

Olea europaea spp. africana(Olienhout) - Take your time!

This small fruited variety of Olea is common here in South- Africa. They are frost hardy and prefer full sun. They are slow growing and they get very old with very hard wood.

For bonsai they are in general not grown from seed but grown from yamadori. Here is the typical habitat they grow in Rustenburg, South Africa:

This is the type of yamadori that you may find:

If you look hard enough you may find a once in a lifetime yamadori like this dug by Org Exley:

The best time to dig yamadori here is in early spring or early autumn but the trees can be dug any time of the year in temperate climates. The trees don't need many roots to survive the dig. Here is a extreme example of how little roots you need:

(Notice in the above pic- the trees grow here in clay soil.)

If the trees are dug in a dry season it does help if you keep the trunk overnight in a bath of water. The trunks can be planted in a normal good garden soil. Budding out of the yamadori differs tremendously with different trees- it can take up to one year for buds to show but most trees bud out within two months time.

Here are some trunks dug by Costa:

Once budding out the new growth grow very fast - but don't let that fool you! This is three months after this trunk was dug:

To get new branches to thicken up it may take years. Olive bonsai with nice thick trunks and nice nebari can be seen everywhere, but branches to fit the thick trunks are very rare! Best would be to plant the yamadori in the ground or big containers for the first few  years to grow out nice thick branches.

Here is a nice example of a bonsai grown from Olea europaea spp. africana

Here are two very beautiful forest settings made by Oom Theuns Roos from South Africa:

The trees react good to normal practices of bonsai. Twiggy growth is easy to obtain and the leaves reduce tremendously.

Because the wood is very hard carving is an option - but do wait with your refinement carving until the top growth have caught  up.

(Will post more pics soon.)

Grewia occidentalis

(The above tree showing the beautiful flowers  belongs to James Campbell as shown in the  Campbelltown Bonsai's Annual Show in November 2012: Picture by Leonarda: http://www.ausbonsai.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=13531&p=142579&hilit=grewia#p142572)

The same tree today:

 

Common Name:
Bow-wood, Button-wood, Lavender Star Flower (English) Cross-berry (English) Mumaka (Shona) Musosobiana (Shona) Umsosobiyane (Ndebele) Kruisbessie (Afrikaans)

Name from: Four lobed fruiting capsule.

Habit: Evergreen shrub, much-branched- may loose leaves in very dry or cold periods.

Height: May grow up to 5 meters but mostly 3-4 meters.

Leaves: dull dark-green, serrated, bluntly pointed, 20 -60mm long.

Flower: star-shaped, pinkish - mauve, with 5 coloured petals and 5 similarly-coloured sepals which grow between them. A cluster of yellow stamens stands out from the centre. August - March.

Wood: Gray smooth fibrous thick bark..

Fruit: The fruit looks like a cross because there are four round seeds in the capsule.

Habitat: The natural distribution of the Grewia occidentalis ranges from the Western Cape up to Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The tree grows in the winter rainfall as well as the summer rainfall areas of Southern Africa.  In the Northwest Province of South Africa they grow with Buddleja, Olive, Red Ivory, Celtis and Acacia on the foot of the Magaliesberg mountain. Here is pic of the area you can found them - notice the Buddleja and Olives in the background:

The same area but here the authorities bulldozed all the potential yamadori to clear the land for the powerlines - what a shame!

Cultivation: Grows easily from fresh seed. Likes good soil and plenty of moisture, can stand full sun or part shade, but needs protection from heavy frost. Warm water treatment of seeds may lead to better germination.

GREWIA OCCIDENTALIS AS BONSAI

The following shows a progression series of a beautiful root over rock Grewia from Steve Reeve from Australia.
The tree in 2005:

 2010:

The amazing tree today:

(Will complete this post soon.)