bonsaiTALK Community - View Single Post - The Last Frontier: Ugly Rootball

Those of us that understand that a healthy fibrous root system that is close to the nebari will improve the ability to keep a tree healthy in a small and shallow container, or the pot of the artest choosing. Will eventually move away from "caned nursery stock" for all of the reasons that Al has mentioned above.

The problem does not stop there. Just this last weekend I was in a conversation with a California field grower who was telling me that creating a good root system in the ground was too labor intensive and could not be done, or that he would not do it.

There is also the fact that when you do cut a tree's root system hard enough to create correct roots you do stand the chance of loosing it.

Here is another fact, younger material will take harsh cutting of the roots and rebound faster and better than older material.

All of this leads one to the general statement "nothing replaces good bonsai techniques applied over the entire life of a tree"

Another thought, if you buy three trees for $33.00 and in correcting bad roots two of them die, this makes the cost of the serviving tree $99.00

Landscape nursery stock will always be an inticement to the new bonsai artest because of price and convenience. Hopefully they will grow and move on to more succesful material.

Another problem that I find with even experianced bonsiasts. Fear of loosing a tree will prevent them from applying good techniques to a root system. I don't think that you do your tree any good by leaving old soil and long roots in a mass and then stuffing it into a bonsai pot and packing good bonsai soil around the root ball. Although I feel that this is incorrect I see it being done with caned nursery stock all to often.

As bonsai artests we should care about the entire tree from the smallest rootlet to the bud at the tip of the tree. For me I will apply all of the techniques that I know as often as is necessary to keep the tree that I am growing on the track that I have chosen for it.

Scratchy

27-Feb-2003	#4
ripsgreentree bonsaiTALK Master Chief Join Date: Sep-2001 Location: Fresno, CA Country: U.S.A USDA Zone: 9 AHS Heat Zone: ? Posts: 1,261	Roots First concideration? Those of us that understand that a healthy fibrous root system that is close to the nebari will improve the ability to keep a tree healthy in a small and shallow container, or the pot of the artest choosing. Will eventually move away from "caned nursery stock" for all of the reasons that Al has mentioned above. The problem does not stop there. Just this last weekend I was in a conversation with a California field grower who was telling me that creating a good root system in the ground was too labor intensive and could not be done, or that he would not do it. There is also the fact that when you do cut a tree's root system hard enough to create correct roots you do stand the chance of loosing it. Here is another fact, younger material will take harsh cutting of the roots and rebound faster and better than older material. All of this leads one to the general statement "nothing replaces good bonsai techniques applied over the entire life of a tree" Another thought, if you buy three trees for $33.00 and in correcting bad roots two of them die, this makes the cost of the serviving tree $99.00 Landscape nursery stock will always be an inticement to the new bonsai artest because of price and convenience. Hopefully they will grow and move on to more succesful material. Another problem that I find with even experianced bonsiasts. Fear of loosing a tree will prevent them from applying good techniques to a root system. I don't think that you do your tree any good by leaving old soil and long roots in a mass and then stuffing it into a bonsai pot and packing good bonsai soil around the root ball. Although I feel that this is incorrect I see it being done with caned nursery stock all to often. As bonsai artests we should care about the entire tree from the smallest rootlet to the bud at the tip of the tree. For me I will apply all of the techniques that I know as often as is necessary to keep the tree that I am growing on the track that I have chosen for it. Scratchy __________________ ripsgreentree It requires an open hand to give and to recieve.