Could this work?! I hope!

[Bonsaiboy]

Ok, so I came across this ginseng with a really unique opening in it..... For $8.. So I bought it! The more I looked at it, the more I was wondering what I could make use of the hole. I really like the root-over-rock look, so I'm trying that. Could this work, and do I need a bigger rock? Pictures below!

[/SPECIAL]
I literally just set the rock in there, and am using that black rock to train the root over it. It's a pretty snug fit.

 

[bonsai barry]

It's probably worth a try ... I have no idea. But if I were to undertake this task, I would try to tie the roots much tighter to the rock.

 

[Bonsaiboy]

It's probably worth a try ... I have no idea. But if I were to undertake this task, I would try to tie the roots much tighter to the rock.

I was going to do that, but I heard it leaves scars?

 

[jk_lewis]

Can we please post pictures right-side-up? I know I sound like a broken record, but 95% of us manage to do that -- somehow. It seems that when you see sideways pictures in your message you could/should go back and edit/delete them and give us something that doesn't give us a stiff neck.

Now that I've been grumpy on THAT topic, I'll move on to another. Ginseng Ficus are NOT bonsai. They are houseplants -- ugly houseplants. That $8 plant will never be worth a dime to a bonsaiest.

(and smooth, round rocks are never used for root over rock planting -- even on in Ginseng ficus.)

I don't WANT to be a grump.

 

[Bonsaiboy]

.

Ginseng Ficus are NOT bonsai. They are houseplants
I don't WANT to be a grump.

Ok. Thank you for the info! lol. (every time I look it up it's called a bonsai) and I had no Idea they weren't posting right side up.

 

[MrFancyPlants]

It's because they don't hold the apple product with the camera lens in the upper left corner. It is a relic from the real cameras from the old days that the picture defaults to that perspective.
If you buried the roots or at least covered them in sphagnum, you could've probably cause finer rootage to look a bit more natural, but then you might lose your rock in there someday

 

[october]

Hello bonsaiboy. If you want to progress in bonsai. Learn about the 5 styles of bonsai. Formal upright, informal upright, slant, semi cascade and cascade. Look at all the pictures you can of nice bonsai. So you can become more familiar with what makes a good bonsai. It takes a few years plus to get the basics down. However, it becomes more and more fun the more you learn..imo.

Rob

 

[Bonsaiboy]

Thankyou for all the replies! and looking at bonsais type right now

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Yeah, like everyone else has said, that won't work. Those tubers don't really tend to mold to anything, and they don't act like your typical roots. When creating ROR bonsai, you start with the roots while they're still young, so this guy is unfortunately a lost cause.

 

[PaulH]

Its not a bonsai, but I kinda like it. It looks like a spooky alien octopus laying an egg.

 

[Bonsaiboy]

Yeah, you guys are right. I do kinda like the look though, but yeah. Hopefully getting a legit bonsai soon, other than my juniper.

 

[greenman63]

Now that I've been grumpy on THAT topic, I'll move on to another. Ginseng Ficus are NOT bonsai. They are houseplants -- ugly houseplants. That $8 plant will never be worth a dime to a bonsaiest.

I don't WANT to be a grump.

I have to respectfully disagree with jkl on a couple points, although I'm obviously quite junior to most people in this forum. I don't mind the grumpiness, lol, shows he's passionate and I respect that. But for me it's not about the money, so the fact that a ginseng ficus won't ever be worth a dime to a true bonsaist is beside the point. One may argue that it's not a true bonsai specimen if you will, but it doesn't detract from the potential beauty of a well-done piece. Not everyone will be working with the classical or preferred tree species, but why pick on the ficus? left to grow on its own, it would surely become a tree, and the ginseng effect is just a trick to give it an unusual look. So it's a bit hackneyed for some peoples' taste; a Home Depot favorite, lol. That doesn't make them ugly houseplants by any stretch. I have a ginseng ficus as well as a few other kinds of ficus (microcarpa, golden coin, benjamina variegata, etc.) that I'm working on. To me they're all legit, it's just a matter of preference. I don't think they're ugly, and I've seen some really nice ginseng ficus on display at different times.

Of course, ten years from now when I've gotten more experience under my belt, I'll probably be raking people over the coals for wasting their time on ginseng ficus

 

[A Random User]

Problem with Ginseng is that they are just dismissed as not being Bonsai,
because no one knows what to do with them...

But,

If you do... Well that is another story !!!

The ugly roots are meant to be used as a foundation...
To help rapidly build a very large base in a short amount
of time. Roots are then grafted over them and when the
roots grow, they then fuse with the ugly roots below, and
are never seen again...


Here are some Ginseng Ficus, and a ROR...



And here are a couple with roots grafted on over them...



So, Cheer up !!! And put your Ginseng over a Rock if you want too...
Just find a better rock !!!

 

[greenman63]

lol, good to know I'm not crazy... or not the only one who is, anyway.

 

[mat]

Can we please post pictures right-side-up? I know I sound like a broken record, but 95% of us manage to do that -- somehow. It seems that when you see sideways pictures in your message you could/should go back and edit/delete them and give us something that doesn't give us a stiff neck.

Now that I've been grumpy on THAT topic, I'll move on to another. Ginseng Ficus are NOT bonsai. They are houseplants -- ugly houseplants. That $8 plant will never be worth a dime to a bonsaiest.

(and smooth, round rocks are never used for root over rock planting -- even on in Ginseng ficus.)

I don't WANT to be a grump.

geez, for someone who doesn't want to be a grump, you sure pulled it off well.

great pictures, sawgrass.

greenman, have fun with your Ficus. Obviously, since we're in the "New to Bonsai Forum", you're just getting going. no-one should expect your initial efforts to produce anything show worthy. First - keep it alive (should be relatively easy with a Ficus), then work on the rest.