Styrofoam Rock

[dlayton]

So I saw this on Pinterest I believe. Not sure of the artist.
Can’t find the picture. But I thought, what the heck.
Materials used were 2 - 1ft tall styrofoam sculpting blocks off Amazon. A heat pen, torch, hand saw, glue, quick Crete and coloring.

I glued them together and drew my template.
Initial carving was done over the next couple of days. Then I ran the torch over it to give it detail and harden it up some. And then I covered it in cement.
Put it in a pot and poured a base.
I’m happy with the texture. Played with the coloring, but it needs another coat of cement to harden in places, but I’m happy with it.
I plan on planting a maple where the wires are and have exposed roots going down.
If you’ve done this before, or seen it done, I’ll take any advice I can get.

 

[dlayton]

The last picture is from this morning, dried and ready for the next coat!

When I initially took it out of the pot to sculpt the base, after 3 hours of drying, it broke so I moved it to a leader pot and poured a larger based and put chop sticks in for my wire holes.

 

[TinyArt]

So initially, to start the root-over-rock, you'll be burying about 1/2 of what you've built and then exposing the roots as they develop?

 

[dlayton]

So initially, to start the root-over-rock, you'll be burying about 1/2 of what you've built and then exposing the roots as they develop?

I’m not sure. I may develop the roots and tree this year In a tall pot and then do the planting next year.
not sure if this thing will make it buried in the grind for a year.
Any ideas?

 

[rockm]

I’m not sure. I may develop the roots and tree this year In a tall pot and then do the planting next year.
not sure if this thing will make it buried in the grind for a year.
Any ideas?

I'd think it would be questionable with ANY kind of actual use as a planting stone for a tree. Took weak structurally for much weight and too likely to deteriorate in the sun. (styrofoam--expanded polystyrene-- is vulnerable to UV light and deteriorate pretty quickly in direct sunlight--it becomes very brittle and breaks easily or flakes, etc.) Might be a something to plant annual or perennial ground cover plants, like sedum, stonecrop, etc. on and use the piece as an accent planter...

 

[dlayton]

I'd think it would be questionable with ANY kind of actual use as a planting stone for a tree. Took weak structurally for much weight and too likely to deteriorate in the sun. (styrofoam--expanded polystyrene-- is vulnerable to UV light and deteriorate pretty quickly in direct sunlight--it becomes very brittle and breaks easily or flakes, etc.) Might be a something to plant annual or perennial ground cover plants, like sedum, stonecrop, etc. on and use the piece as an accent planter...

We shall see! It’s been fun learning anyway!!

I reinforced it with 1/4 dowel rods and it now has its 3rd coat of concrete on it. So it’s pretty strong! The link below is where I got the idea.

Bonsai on a Man Made Rock from Scratch | Bonsai Bark

 

[Shibui]

Great job making that 'rock' Looks quite natural though I probably would have avoided the thinner base.
The render protects the polystyrene from UV. If it is well rendered it should be both strong and long lasting. One of our local growers here makes these and has figs on one of these for the last 12 years with no sign of deterioration.
When you arrange the roots on any rock need to allow for the roots to thicken. I thought it would be cool to have roots through a hole in a rock I had here but in a couple of years they expanded enough to break the rock.

I suspect it will be a mistake to grow your maples for a year before putting them on. maple roots thicken and harden quickly so it is almost impossible to make older roots fit properly on another surface. Best results with 1 year old roots as root over rock IMHO.
I would build a container to hold the rock, soil and tree until the roots grow in place. Some of you will be aware my preferred method to develop ROR is Alfoil which should also provide some protection for the 'rock' until the roots grow enough to uncover.

 

[dlayton]

Great job making that 'rock' Looks quite natural though I probably would have avoided the thinner base.
The render protects the polystyrene from UV. If it is well rendered it should be both strong and long lasting. One of our local growers here makes these and has figs on one of these for the last 12 years with no sign of deterioration.
When you arrange the roots on any rock need to allow for the roots to thicken. I thought it would be cool to have roots through a hole in a rock I had here but in a couple of years they expanded enough to break the rock.

I suspect it will be a mistake to grow your maples for a year before putting them on. maple roots thicken and harden quickly so it is almost impossible to make older roots fit properly on another surface. Best results with 1 year old roots as root over rock IMHO.
I would build a container to hold the rock, soil and tree until the roots grow in place. Some of you will be aware my preferred method to develop ROR is Alfoil which should also provide some protection for the 'rock' until the roots grow enough to uncover.

Thanks.

Well sometimes you get to carving and next thing you know, half of it is gone!

Thank you for the encouragement!

 

[Shogun610]

That is a pretty cool idea. although personally I’d use muck-o and plant junipers or pines on it.. for maples I feel like it would get too dry unless you have exposed roots reach all the way down to soil.. for that you’d almost have to build a cylinder container as tall as the rock… plant the maples in that so In a few years youd have roots that can reach bottom

 

[dlayton]

Great job making that 'rock' Looks quite natural though I probably would have avoided the thinner base.
The render protects the polystyrene from UV. If it is well rendered it should be both strong and long lasting. One of our local growers here makes these and has figs on one of these for the last 12 years with no sign of deterioration.
When you arrange the roots on any rock need to allow for the roots to thicken. I thought it would be cool to have roots through a hole in a rock I had here but in a couple of years they expanded enough to break the rock.

I suspect it will be a mistake to grow your maples for a year before putting them on. maple roots thicken and harden quickly so it is almost impossible to make older roots fit properly on another surface. Best results with 1 year old roots as root over rock IMHO.
I would build a container to hold the rock, soil and tree until the roots grow in place. Some of you will be aware my preferred method to develop ROR is Alfoil which should also provide some protection for the 'rock' until the roots grow enough to uncover.

Can you expand on your ROR methods? Educate me!

 

[dlayton]

That is a pretty cool idea. although personally I’d use muck-o and plant junipers or pines on it.. for maples I feel like it would get too dry unless you have exposed roots reach all the way down to soil.. for that you’d almost have to build a cylinder container as tall as the rock… plant the maples in that so In a few years youd have roots that can reach bottom

I've got some muck and I have a general idea of what I want it to look like, but I haven't decided on which tree I am going to use yet. I'm still in my planning phase!

But I like what you're thinking!

 

[SeanS]

I started a number of ROR maples (both tridents and JM) this season using the @Shibui aluminium foil method, it works well!

Growing Root over Rock bonsai | Shibui Bonsai

 

[Shibui]

Can you expand on your ROR methods? Educate me!

Try some of the posts on Shibui Bonsai. @SeanS has posted a link for one of them above but I've posted a few different updates.

 

[mattspinniken]

This is really cool @dlayton

Looks like you did a great job, do you have an update?

If you were to do this again would you change how you did it? I think I need to give this a try but a different shape. Makes me wonder if Jan Culek does a modified technique like this. Anyone know?

 

[dlayton]

Bonsai on a Man Made Rock from Scratch | Bonsai Bark

this is what I used as a guide. This gave me the idea.
I actually had some construction and it got broken. I think if I did it again, I think I would drill holes into the foam and fill with concrete to strengthen it up. Also, I put the coats of cement and I believe it needed a whole lot more.
I definitely learned a bunch and hope to revisit it again!