"How do you do that?"

Q:"How do you do that?"

A:or, “Are those rocks real?”, or “How do you cut the holes in those rocks?”, or ”Where do you find all those cool rocks with holes in them?”.

All the work seen here is artificial rock, or "cast stone"-concrete. Real rocks are used for the parent rock upon whoich a mold is made. More specifically, like this-

First, I find a rock with the right character, the right contour and texture; ones with just the right crack or cavity to place a plant into. Ideally it has multiple options for this so I can get a greater range of end uses. I also keep an eye to being able to combine it with other molds so I can make bigger rocks (think modular). It also has to be small enough to be transported back to the studio. This is a great excuse to wander aimlessly in the desert, something that I enjoy tremendously. Given how many amazing rocks there are in this world I have quite a few great candidates waiting in the wings right now, but I’m always looking for more.
After cleaning off the dirt and determining its’ best orientation I apply the first of several layers of latex and cheesecloth. The first layer of latex is the most important, the one that captures all the detail. If this one isn’t done properly all the work done after won’t make any difference in the finished cast. Like most things, the foundation determines the strength of everything on top of it. When the first layer is completely dry, a second thin coat is applied and dried. While the third coat is still wet, small strips and patches of cheesecloth are embedded in the liquid latex, each overlapping the other by approximately ¼”. This layer and all the additional layers should be thin enough to thoroughly dry before the next layer is applied. If the latex isn’t completely dry the next layer will seal the liquid latex in and the mold will rip apart at that point when removed from the rock. When this process is complete seven layers of cheesecloth will have been applied over the course of several days. The result is a strong flexible mold that duplicates exactly the shape and texture of the rock.
The mold is then filled with a mixture of high-strength fast-setting mortar that has a combination of tile grout and/or concrete dye mixed into it to provide the bulk of the color seen in the finished cast.
When the mortar has set enough the cast is removed from the mold. After assessing the color and shape I select the location for the plant to be placed, followed by trimming the edge of the cast, the “bottom”, to ensure that it will be flush when set flat on the ground. The last step in this phase is clearing up any flaws or blemishes on the surface of the cast.
The next step is placing the bottom. A layer of mortar is spread out atop a sheet of plastic in roughly the same shape of the cast, approximately ½”- ¾” thick. While still wet a hole is cut the size of a nickel where the drain hole will be. Then the cast is pressed into the mortar and whatever gaps there may be are filled and the excess is scraped away from the edge of the cast.
When the bottom has dried enough to be lifted, the final edges are trimmed off and my initials and year are cut into the bottom.
The final step is to apply a stain to the rock; the casts frequently look too new and clean and have to be weathered. With the addition of soil and the right plant, my world is a little bit more beautiful than it was before, and I don’t have as many rocks in my head. You can now have a little bit more beauty as well; something I know we all need more of.

Q: "Can I put this inside?" (or outside)

A: The rocks can be placed whereever you please. Of course, the plant you choose will ultimatly determine where it is placed according to the palnts needs. My rocks are made with high strength fast setting concrete and are extremely durable. Concrete that the Romans made is still in use and I see no reason for my planters to be any less short lived. If cared for properly y work will give a lifetime of pleasure. Concrete by it's nature is alkali and suceptable to acids and salt, both of which dissolve concrete. Avoid exposure to these chemicals, (which you would do anyway for your plants sake!). Occasionally concrete will develop a white "furry" or "fuzzy" mildew looking patch or patches on it. This is a result of evaporation and is called "efflorescence". The water and potting medium contain salts, calcites, and carbonates which are water soluable. When the soil dries out (a necessary condition for almost all succulents and cacti) these dissolved minerals are concentrated where the water is left, often the most dense part of the planter. Terracotta and unglazed ceramic pots develop this as well; it is the white crust on the lip or around the base of the pot. Use a soft wet cloth to wipe this powder off. If this is done often the concrete will be fine. However if allowed to accumulate for too long the concrete will be corroded over time, resulting in loss of texture and damage to the planter. Another way to avoid this is tosimply rinse of the rock from time to time awhen watering.

Q: "What kine of plants should I use?"

A: The plant that you have in mind. When I first started making this work I envisioned cacti and succulents, the same plaants I had been collecting and growing for thirteen years. That was eight years ago and since then I have used everything from penstimons to peppers to rosemary to salvia to bursuras (a tropical genus of trees often used for bonsai) and of course, lots of succulents and cacti.

Cacti do particularly well for a couple of reasons. Rate of growth and generally small root systems are the two most significant I'm am inclined to think that the chemical nature of concrete may have some benefit to them

Ulitmatly the choice is up to your desire. See also the list of plants that I have used as well as some I reccomend against and why on this page.

Q: "How do I repot my plant when it is time to do so?"

A: This question brings up a couple of idiosyncrasies about the rocks.

The first being the size of the hole that the plant has to go in, a two edged sword. On the one side, the smaller the hole in the rock, the more natural the end result; the plant looks as though it grew right out of a little crack in the rock. The downside being that the plant will be both harder to plant in the first place and the more difficult it will be to pot it up when the time comes. On the other side, the larger the hole, the less "natural" it seems to be, in my opinion. The upside of this being that the placement and repotting of the plant is much eaiser.

Because of these reasons I make rocks with a wide variety of opening sizes so as to please as wide a range of tastes as possible. For this reason as well in photographs of available work I include information on rock dimensions and include some reference to an actual measure to judge the size of the opening by.

I am predisposed to choose one of two types of plants to put in the rocks- palnts that are, generally speaking, smaller and slow growing, or plants that produce offsets that can be easily removed so as to essentially eliminate the need for repotting. However, if a plant is placed in a rock that must eventually be repotted, a solution I rely on is the use of a fine firm jet of water to wash out as much potting medium as need be to enable the plant removal. This is best done with a hose nozzle that can be adjusted to a tight jet, being careful to not use so much pressure that the plant or its roots are needlessly damaged. This same process can be used in the bottom of the rock where the drain hole is.

LITHIC VISION

LITHIC-(from GREEK- lithikos, of stone) of or relating to stone VISION-(from LATIN-visio, to see) insight, imagination