Seki-joju Bonsai

Or root over rock style bonsai. Six months ago I started a few Mesquite trees from seed. Mesquite trees can be quite invasive so I have limited the numbers that I've planted on my land and watch out for volunteers. One of life's smaller pleasures is at the end of the day walking the property, running a critical eye over things and having one's dogs following faithfully along.  I like Mesquite trees for their nitrogen fixing properties, their drought hardiness, and they provide a good habitat for birds. But I digress...

A Seki-Joju style bonsai is straightforward to do but care and patience must be used to create one. In one of the seedlings I encouraged long root growth, while keeping it pruned short and have subsequently planted it over a rock. The basic steps of creating a bonsai of this style are shown in the drawing. In the first step I drape the roots over a rock and fill the container with the growing medium (1). Over time, about 1 inch per week I remove the soil and expose the roots (2-3). The final step will be to plant the bonsai in it's eventual container (4).

As the root system expands downward I am slowly exposing the upper roots to harden them off. The exposed roots thicken and take on a bark of sorts. The photo shows the tree with the roots over the rock which will eventually thicken and harden. You can see a major root going down the backside of the rock in the photo while smaller roots are cascading down the front side.

I like to use root pouches rather than plastic pots. They eventually decompose and they work well in helping to create a sound root system. I get my root pouches and some of my other ag supplies from AM Leonard. They're a very good company and have been in business for over a century.

In another post I will describe air layering or Marcotting to develop tree stock. This is a quick way to get some good stock for planting.