jonto

Hi Folks,

I'm new to Bonsai and have spent the past several months reading and following the news groups and working with several smaller nursery picked bushes/trees.

I just picked up a Japanese Maple (Shaina) thats about 36" tall. The potting soil is a heavy dark compost and is not root bound but looks like it should be replaced soon.

I found a 15" X 5" round ceramic pot and thought I'd move the tree into it with 60% SuperSoil and 40% gravel/Pumice. Should this be Ok for a season of growth and settling in?

I checked AutoZone and their oil pickup was 100% Diatomacious Earth and they said to try Napa for the clay version. Which should I use for Bonsai?

I want to do some triming to get down to about 24" high and to a rough design and then see how it grows and develops over the next few months. I like the cloud/open design best and want to work towards this. Should I do both root trim and limb trim now and should I remove all of the existing soil from the root ball prior to transfer?

Thanks for your help and comments.
Jim

Attached Images

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