I had at first considered using this natural lava slab for the forest planting. Both photos by Andrea.
Another view of the lava slab, set vertical. It would be horizontal, of course, for the planting, but I decided against it.
I have eleven citrus trees in small pots. Eleven is a prime number, as needed for a multi-tree planting for bonsai. Three small trees
are in one pot, in case you counted. Square or rectangular numbers won't do for bonsai (or saikei in this case); the number of trees
must be prime. Often, one plants a larger number in case a tree or two should die. I don't have that luxury in this case.
The eleven trees have been pruned and are ready for the planting. That's a very nice Japanese forest pot. The drainage holes will be
blocked with screens and covered with washed sand.
I have gathered several stones from the yard and washed them. I also cut screens to cover the holes in the forest tray. The screens
will be covered with wet sand before placing some of the stones.
Andrea assists in selecting and placing stones in the tray.
Stones can be put on top of potting soil, but they will shift as the soil decomposes. They can also be placed on mounded cinders as
in the silver bucket, if they need to be placed higher in the pot.
This is the final stone placement. All stones rest on the bottom of the dish. These are all lava rocks, of course, from the land here.
The eleven citrus trees, waiting in water, have been freed from their pots, with their roots washed and trimmed in some cases.
The trees have been placed in the saike and covered in potting soil. I have gathered some moss to cover parts of the soil.
A final covering of washed basalt sand and watering and the saike is complete. There's a path leading through the gap in the stones
on the right. The feeling of wondering what's down that path pulls one in and helps in engagement with the viewer. Each of the citrus
by itself was somewhat uninteresting, but together in a saike they provide an appealing forest. As the trees grow and leaf out they can
only get better.
On Saturday I added some light colored sand to highlight the path through the woods and now the saike occupies a place of honor on our lanai table.
Email Richard dot J dot Wagner at gmail dot com