bonsaiTALK Community - View Single Post - Anyone in Bald Cypress country?

The knee has to be hooked to something, likely a root. It may require looking at a good number of knees to find one that is on a root that is not way deep.

If the process would be successful and the knee suported growth of leaves you could cut the root off of the tree side and encourage growth of feeder roots on the side that is feeding the knee. This may be done by cutting off the feeder root side of the root that is supporting the knee, leaving the tree side of the root attached. That would force new feeder root growth close to the knee. Add the branches and then cut the root holding the knee off from the tree side. Stick it in a pot and admire your handy work.

I really don't know if this would work. A quick way to tell would be to drill a hole in a knee and stick a limb through. Wait a year and see if the knee will support the added limb. One may find out that there is some natural thing going on that would not do that. Like all the flow of nutrients goes from the knee to the root, backwards from the way the main trunk works. If that the case then there would be nothing to feed the added limb, it would be being pulled out of the grafted limb instead of adding to it.

4-Dec-2007	#5
MacInOakRidge Bonsai In Oak Ridge, NC Join Date: Nov-2007 Location: Oak Ridge, NC Country: USA USDA Zone: 7 AHS Heat Zone: 7 Posts: 144	The knee has to be hooked to something, likely a root. It may require looking at a good number of knees to find one that is on a root that is not way deep. If the process would be successful and the knee suported growth of leaves you could cut the root off of the tree side and encourage growth of feeder roots on the side that is feeding the knee. This may be done by cutting off the feeder root side of the root that is supporting the knee, leaving the tree side of the root attached. That would force new feeder root growth close to the knee. Add the branches and then cut the root holding the knee off from the tree side. Stick it in a pot and admire your handy work. I really don't know if this would work. A quick way to tell would be to drill a hole in a knee and stick a limb through. Wait a year and see if the knee will support the added limb. One may find out that there is some natural thing going on that would not do that. Like all the flow of nutrients goes from the knee to the root, backwards from the way the main trunk works. If that the case then there would be nothing to feed the added limb, it would be being pulled out of the grafted limb instead of adding to it.