Attaching a young juniper to a rock?

october

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Hello all...First, I should mention I am not talking about a root over rock style...

Last year, I posted a young juniper that I have been training for about 4 years. The tree has a nice form and is pretty ramified even though it is young. However, the trunk is somewhat thin. Last season after I posted the tree.. Someone suggested planting it with a rock...They did a virt and the tree looked really nice... It would have to be a rock with similar color and texture.. I was wondering if anyone has done anything like this. If so, could you give some pics and details. My question is more regarding the tree being attached to the rock.. Is some bark stripped and the tree pressed up against the rock and grafted? Is it then tied or maybe even poxied or glued in some spots for hold?.. or is the rock just planted close to the tree..

Here are some pics of the juni.. The first pic is the tree in it's old pot. This was the pot that a member suggested planting it with a rock. The pic with the red pot is it's current pot.

The last pic is a pine that I like that kind of represents the look I am going for. I can't really tell if it is a rock with the tree or just the tree. I am just showing it for an example.

All in all, it is still a nice little tree... I was just wondering if I do decide the rock technique, how to approach it.

Thanks in advance.

Rob
 

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jk_lewis

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The pine looks to be a root-over-rock.

If you don't want root-over-rock, are you talking about just planting the juniper beside, behind, or in front of a nice-looking rock? Or will you plant the juniper ON the rock?

You can't graft a tree to a rock. I suppose you can glue one to a rock, but I can't imagine how you'd get something that looks natural out of it.

Many of us have planted trees WITH rocks -- something of a landscape planting/saikei.

I'm having a hard time picturing what you're wanting to do.
 

october

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Hello jkl.. Unfortuantely, I did not save the virt that the member created. However, I came up with my own virt, I do not know if it is as good as theirs though. This is just a sample stone, similar in color to the trunk. The tree's trunk would run up the right outside of the stone. It would fill in the triangular space and visually make it appear like and older tree. I mean, of course when you see it, you would know it was a stone. Perhaps the answer is just as simple as planting it with a stone.

Here is my virt.
 

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jk_lewis

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Seems awfully close to root-over-rock to me. Maybe you can find a stone with a groove into which the trunk can partially fit. Or find two similar stones and have the tree growing between them??
 

october

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Thanks jkl...A groove would work..

I guess even though it would be trunk over rock..lol.. In essence, it would be a form of root over rock...Either way, the tree cannot be repotted until next season. Plenty of time to just keep it healthy and trim and wire as needed...

Rob
 
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