The 2025 Raft 5 Year Contest

[leatherback]

@Bonsai Nut could you start a raft challenge?

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Bonsai Raft Challenge

• To keep it accessable to all: Any starter material / species / origin allowed, including seed, airlayer purchased and collected material.
  • aim is to show what can be done with normally sub-part trees
  • Special focus on being creative and original
  • Keep in mind, the bigger the transformation, the bigger the surprise!
• Keep it fun: try to stick to trees under 100 USD
• Aim is to learn together, so document the key steps as much as wanted, but as a minimum the material at the start, with annual updates
• Start anywhere over the next year
• Tally at the end of the 2030
• For fun and virtual stickers of accomplisment, and who knows whether we decide upon an additional price for the winner in 2030.
• Thread naming convention [username] [species] Raft contest

What do we understand when we say raft:

• A main trunk has fallen over, and may sits on the ground, and may have rooted in multiple spots
• Multiple trunks come up from the one fallen over, each developed as a small tree
• Crowns may have fused into one canopy, like a forest-style

As an example:

Beech raft by Tony Tickle

Creative interpretation. Unknown owner / artist

 

[DonielDoom]

By contemplating what raft material I'd start and whether I've got anything on hand, I've realized that some previously low grade (to me) red currant stock could be perfect for a raft style. Prior to this, it was a "challenge tree" in the sense that I had no hope for anything remotely usable with it. It's been growing in a large stock tank mostly written off to be landscape planted at a later point. I'm pretty excited about that. A welcomed shift of perspective on some material!

On a different note - thank you all for your efforts to get this challenge set up!

 

[Wulfskaar]

In general (not necessarily for this contest/challenge), would rooting be required to be considered a raft? Or could it simply be the trunk laying down across the soil?

 

[KateM]

In general (not necessarily for this contest/challenge), would rooting be required to be considered a raft? Or could it simply be the trunk laying down across the soil?

Rotting is not necessary as in the 2nd pic in rules.

 

[defra]

ill be interested to join in too !
funny i was currently taking some photos of the growth i got from my Hawthorn raft project
it is similar to what this contest/challenge is going to be about so ill start looking around for a second possible raft project

 

[Orion_metalhead]

I really like the idea of @Orion_metalhead in the celtis contest, instead of an end date just call it the 5 year raft challenge, maybe include the start year in the thread title. Of course, for a proper winner/ prize a timeline would be needed, a proper goal and finish of my own is satisfactory for myself...

Thread 'The Celtis (Hackberry) Scored Progression Contest' https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/the-celtis-hackberry-scored-progression-contest.67563/

Hey thanks!! We'll ve submitting first year judging soon!

 

[blackadam]

Few (i guess dumb) questions..
Newbies allowed?
Need to be literally 'main trunk' or can be a ground layered sucker?

• Multiple trunks come up from the one fallen over, each developed as a small tree

Is grafting another cultivar on 'developing small trees' allowed?
That contest seems easiest way to propagate cherry i already own and learn few things in a process..

 

[doc spring _work]

What do we understand when we say raft:

• A main trunk has fallen over, and may sits on the ground, and may have rooted in multiple spots
• Multiple trunks come up from the one fallen over, each developed as a small tree
• Crowns may have fused into one canopy, like a forest-style

I have a design in mind, although I don't know if it could technically be called a raft.



This isn't exactly what I have in mind, but I did my best with Photoshop

I have a thin, tall cottonwood in my garden (it's like 13 ft tall, very thin). I'd like to dig it up and bend it down onto a slab, leaving a branch to turn it into a semi cascade over the fallen main trunk...

Would a design like this count, or is it too far from the norm? (also yeah... I know the photo is an eye sore... I'm sorry.)

 

[leatherback]

Few (i guess dumb) questions..
Newbies allowed?
Need to be literally 'main trunk' or can be a ground layered sucker?

• Multiple trunks come up from the one fallen over, each developed as a small tree

Is grafting another cultivar on 'developing small trees' allowed?
That contest seems easiest way to propagate cherry i already own and learn few things in a process..

Newbies. Hm.. Not sure why that would matter. OF COURSE!

Check what a raft style bonsai is. If you can make that work, you can make that work. In my mind this is about together developing bonsai in the raft style and pushing what can be done in a limited amount of time. Not purely "Who make the best raft".

 

[Burl]

Charly brown chrismas tree contest.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

The 2026 1yr Fukien Tea contest:

Whoever's tree looks best dead wins

 

[Lara_Ericacious]

Un-ethical yard-adori contest

 

[dbonsaiw]

Newbies allowed?

It’s really a great way to learn. You get to develop a tree as you watch everyone else’s progress and techniques towards similar goals. And this contest gives us a chance to develop something in a style that we may not have otherwise tried.

 

[DonielDoom]

The 2026 1yr Fukien Tea contest:

Whoever's tree looks best dead wins

Looks like I've got some digging in the compost/leaf litter pile... I bet mine has some sweet patina by this point; it's been dead and in the pile for at least a year.

At the end of this contest we all win a slightly used empty pot and more mental space to care for our other projects!

 

[Calnicky]

This was my sister's table-top Christmas tree a couple years back. When I went to repot it I realized it had a perfect 90 degree bend at the base that would not lend itself to anything other than the compost pile. It's an Italian Stone Pine. Anyway, not wanting to give up on it too easily, I put it in a cascade pot, thinking to split the trunk and liberally bend it into something reasonable. Then one day this spring I walked by it (thinking "what a monstrosity") when a lightbulb went off! IT'S A RAFT, DUMMY!

I promptly removed all the (now) lower branches, wired the trunk and planned to report it into a training pot - probably a plastic window box pot - spring 2026.

Is it too late (is the tree too far along in styling) to enter into the contest?

50-50 chance (or worse) it won't root anyway, right? Anyway, I'll give it a try whether or not it's in the contest.

 

[Franklikestrees]

Ok to start with multiple trees and narrow it down to one as the contest progresses?