Being the kind of person who has to do a lot of preparation study before having the confidence to give it ago, I came across vetting styles to do it. The one that interested me the most was the use of alfoil with no moss or soil over the roots.
I had a few interesting rocks and decided to create four, each being a different type of tree. This one is the Schefflera Arboricola or miniature umbrella, also a Port Jackson Fig, a Little Ruby and a Long Island Fig.
This is about the Schefflera.
Here are some pics.
Firstly the tree still in the pot. You can see the alfoil enclosing the tree. There is no soil on the inside of the alfoil. The tree & roots are wired and taped to the rock. The pressure of the soil on the outside places pressure on the roots to keep them against the rock.
Once the pot was removed you can see the alfoil covering the top 3" of the plant then open to the soil.
mOnce the alfoil is removed you can see the wire & graft tape.
It was very firm on the rock so I removed the wire & tape and small hair roots.
Then into a cheap Chinese pot for its first year. Front.
RHS.
Back.
LHS.
I am pretty pleased with it so far.
And the alfoil method seems to work well.
Jimbo
