Root over Rock Planting

[KePola]

To illustrate I have gotten a couple of Trident Maples, 1 of that I am firstly planning to plant root over rock. I have read a couple of books which cover this area, & each gave different info on the medium to plant the rockandroots in to - 1 said sharp sand, the other normal bonsai soil. Any ideas on what`s the best medium for trident malpes?

[muffkiss]

Normal bonsai soil will be fine. Don`t make the mistake I did with my first. I paid more attention to the technique than the placement of the tree and ended up with a tree on the apex of the rock. While this gives maximum exposure of root, it does look somewhat unnatural.
To get maximum thickening and the roots really gripping the rock, I allowed mine to root out of the bottom of the large plastic plant-pot into a garden bed. Two years of development and now I`m ready to start air layering portions off the top before final styling begins.
With later versions I`ve tried using plastic grafting tape to affix the roots tightly to the rock. Next spring should see improved results, I hope!
Kev Bailey
Hi guys,
I`ve got a couple of Trident Maples, one of which I`m planning to plant root over rock. I`ve read a couple of books that cover this area, and each gave different info on the medium to plant the rock&roots into - one said sharp sand, the other normal bonsai soil. Any ideas on what`s the best medium for trident maples?