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Old Mister Crow
Join Date: May-2002
Location: Seattle, WA.
Country: USA
Posts: 3,197
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by melisan
Hello Carl,
I have read up on training pots, but can you explain about the growing box? I am leaning towards not growing trees in the ground because of what I have read about the root system getting out of hand. I have read that keeping them in a training pot will allow the roots to ramify, spread out vs. down and allow for a nice development of the nabari. I also have read that the trunk does not grow as quickly in a box as compared with in the ground, but these trees I am getting have good sized trunks.
Lastly, what soil should I use for the transplanted trees? Should I use bonsai soil with some of their original soil that is still around the root ball 
Thank you so much for your ideas 
Melissa |
Melissa,
Here's one thread about growing boxes, complete with some discussion, further links, and plans.
http://forum.bonsaitalk.com/showthread.php?t=4478
As for soil - one could write volumes on the subject, and indeed if you use the search feature here, you'll see that people have.
In a nutshell: for conifers, leave at least half of the rootball intact with its old soil, use bonsai soil for the rest. For deciduous, you can bare-root if you repot at the right time (early spring, just before budbreak). What do I mean by bonsai soil? Well, that's where things start to get complicated...but for starting out, you can use a pre-mixed soil if you like, and adjust from there. Better yet, talk to people in your area or in your local club, and see what they use.
Best regards,
Carl |