Exposed root raft style?

Lars Grimm

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Hi All,

Just a bit of theory crafting here. My understanding is that the raft style is meant to mimic when a tree falls over and then a new trunk or trunks grow up from the existing side branches. However, almost all the examples of rafts that I see have the roots firmly in the ground and then a step curve to the trunk with new roots forming further down the trunk where it touches back down. Does anyone have any experienced with a "fallen tree" style raft in which half the root mass is exposed? It seems like the exposed roots could have a really nice dead wood appearance. I have attached a horrible drawing to depict the general idea.

Lars
Picture1.jpg
 

_#1_

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If you're on google; left click. on pop up choose "translate to english".

Try that with a Chinese or Japanese page. Now I know why they(we) speak funny English sometimes!
 

Alain

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Just to be sure: on your drawing this is the base of the tree that was blown away and now half the roots are in the air and dead and the raft starts up the trunk (but it's not on the drawing), that's it?

If so I've never seen that neither but it seems like a nice idea and I don't see why it couldn't work. :)

The only problem I could see (if this is indeed the idea) is that to be nice (or even worse great) the nebari and trunk's size of the tree that will be use have to be so awesome - as they won't grow more - and I betcha it will be a real dilemma to tear it apart in half to do a raft with :confused:
But kudos if someone dares! :cool:
 
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Nwaite

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Just to be sure: on your drawing this is the base of the tree that was blown away and now half the roots are in the air and dead and the raft starts up the trunk (but it's not on the drawing), that's it?

If so I've never seen that neither but it seems like a nice idea and I don't see why it couldn't work. :)

The only problem I could see (if this is indeed the idea) is that to be nice (or even worse great) the nebari and trunk's size of the tree that will be use have to be so awesome - as they won't grow more - and I betcha it will be a real dilemma to tear it apart in half to do a raft with :confused:
But kudos if someone dares! :cool:
Ya I was thinking about this the other day and came to the same thought. ... by the time you had a nice enough nebari to do it it would really suck to rip it up and kill half of it... but it would be a cool looking tree if you pulled it of.
 

Lars Grimm

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Ya I was thinking about this the other day and came to the same thought. ... by the time you had a nice enough nebari to do it it would really suck to rip it up and kill half of it... but it would be a cool looking tree if you pulled it of.

Yeah, what got me thinking about it is a tree that a bought at our club auction last winter. It is some species of native maple with a really impressive taper on the base but a bunch of scarring and damage on one side of the trunk. It has only put out growth on the other side of the trunk so I was thinking about trying to capitalize on it. We'll see next year when I try to repot it. It might be tricky to get the roots to properly feed the growth on the opposite side of the tree.
 

Alain

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Yeah, what got me thinking about it is a tree that a bought at our club auction last winter. It is some species of native maple with a really impressive taper on the base but a bunch of scarring and damage on one side of the trunk. It has only put out growth on the other side of the trunk so I was thinking about trying to capitalize on it. We'll see next year when I try to repot it. It might be tricky to get the roots to properly feed the growth on the opposite side of the tree.

I was actually thinking that: the only tree I see that could gives nice roots really quickly will be a native maple. I've got a bunch of little maples I collected while waiting to pick up my wife at her job and they have impressive roots in no time.
 

Gunstock

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Wondering what's the difference between the roots in the pic and sinuous roots if any?
 

Gunstock

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model3.jpg
Can you clarify further what you mean by this?
Is it a Raft or is it Sinuous Roots or is it called either one? I was hoping someone could clear my confusion knowing if exposed roots are not the same as sinuous, so maybe the pic above isn't actually a raft?. ("i think")Wait I take that back ! these are sinuous roots. "They are twisted and dead." This is categorized as a raft also though.
 
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lordy

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I think that the OP was wondering if someone ever tried that:
View attachment 105684

With half the canopy becoming the raft...
:)
As a matter of fact, I think I did. Suggested by Rodney Clemons, inspire d by blown over trees on the gulf coast of Florida. This is 3 years "blown over". I've been gradually reducing the original rootball.
workshop with Rodney Clemons May 3 2014.jpg
IMG_0388.JPG
IMG_0252.JPG
IMG_2096.JPG
IMG_2098.JPG
 
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